Rice Cribs goes dark and lights up in Baker's only freshman suite

By Alex Bisberg     2/21/12 6:00pm

The men of the only freshman suite in Baker, dubbed "lower fourth," were thrown right into the fray of the social scene on campus, and they've done more than keep their composure.

Suitemate Rico Marquez came and met me right outside of Baker's quad and led me up to his room. This rustic residence seems homely, stocked with three shelves of food. Assorted chairs and bean bags surround a large blue corduroy couch occupied by two more members of the suite, Andrew Stout and Hope Atina. On the far side of the room is a futon, positioned for the nights when one man needs the room more than the other.

Colorful public party posters are plastered all over the ceiling. In front of the room stands a modestly sized television hooked up to a Sony speaker system. The Playstation 2 was out of sight, but it is uncovered on occasion to play SSX, a classic snowboarding game, Stout said.

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The physical aspects of this room are accompanied by an overarching social standard that has been associated with the room since the college was founded. Stout, Marquez and Atina explained that there is a near-constant flow of people in and out of the room. "Whether we're in here or not, people will just come in and hang out," Marquez said.

The room's reputation goes back far, Stout said. Once, during an alumni event in the quad, an inebriated alum tried to open their door, expecting it to be open for use of the bathroom.

Stout informed me that he and his suitemates quickly found their niche in the Baker community and began to love it. By opening both bathroom doors, the room opens up, linking two suites together.  The opposite suite has fewer windows, so it is traditionally known as the "cave," while the suite with more windows is named the "wave," simply because it rhymes with "cave."

Closer to a customized bachelor pad than a cave, the other side of the suite is equipped with surround-sound speakers; handcrafted, hand-painted beer pong and drinking game tables; and, strangely, a coffin. The most important feature, however, is its capacity to be converted  into a fully black-lit dance floor with neon walls. Crazy images occupy the walls, grinning casually at the typical Saturday-night partygoer.  

The fact that the suite is so multifaceted  is another impressive factor. While the "cave," or "dirty side," usually involves loud music and dancing, the "wave," or "clean side," is less rowdy and keeps the action low-key.

Stout and Marquez said that some people just come down to use the microwave.

"There are always people in the room; I'm never bored," Atina said.

These men might as well be surfing on the ocean, because they do a swell job of riding the wave.

Rice Cribs explores various dorm designs around campus. If you would like to suggest a room to be, email Alex Bisberg at  ajb7@rice.edu.

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