Digs

By Katie Williams
Collegian Editor
January 23, 2008

As one makes his or her way intoan E-block St. Miguel Townhouse, the tiny grill out front gives one the impression that the house is going to be a homey, old fashioned house.

This is anything but true.

The boys have instead opted to make their townhouse one of the most “hooked up” on campus, using almost every kind of electronic innovation to their advantage.

“My roommates are electricians,” senior geology major Scott Baietti said.

He’s referencing senior communication majors Greg Allen and David Sullivan, the masterminds behind the house’s decor. The other housemates are senior business major Zach Zysk and senior computer science and information technology major Timothy Main.

The first thing that anyone walking into the house would notice is the amount of black lining the walls. The boys used a thick black cloth to line the house, in order to give it a dance club aura.

They have also mounted four blacklights at strategic places throughout the living room, and a multicolored motion-activated light in the corner. Christmas lights line the hallway and steps going upstairs so that no one trips.

The focal point of the living room is the large disco ball hanging from the ceiling, which casts psychedelic lights around the dark room even when its not turned on.

“The party scene only took a couple hours to put up, it wasn’t that hard of a process,” Baietti said.

While the disco decorations are relatively new and probably temporary, the house has some perminant features that set it apart from the rest.

The TV is actually a giant projection screen that drops down from the ceiling. The image comes from a projector that is mounted atop one of the house’s three refrigerators (one of which fits perfectly in the downstairs closet). Speakers are suspended from the ceiling through the whole downstairs, giving the boys surround sound.

“The projection screen is my favorite part of the house,” said Main. “It makes watching TV a lot better.”

“The theater stuff has been an ongoing process. We wanted to have the coolest house in the complex,” said Baietti.

There is one element of the house that matches the grill outside, an old blue LazyBoy chair seated in front of the screen.

williamsk1@lasalle.edu