Rice Cribs ventures through Jones' knuckle to an eclectic suite

By Alex Bisberg     4/19/12 7:00pm

Every year O-Week advisors work tirelessly to craft ideal pairings of new students. However, come sophmore year, these same students make the choices on their own, and sometimes the results can be surprising. One such room exists at Jones 456, Sid Mullick, a member of the suite, guided me up to the fourth floor, where windows cover the door and entryway to a bright and open common room. A large, black leather couch and twin Ikea chairs surround a small coffee table. Trinkets like small wooden owls and various other Rice memorabilia stand on sets of tall shelves.

Mullick and I sat down around the table and chatted about why the roommates decided to stay together. He, Andrew Dooberg, Dan Hutchette and Blaine Rister had become good friends last year and decided to room together in a suite this year. The room has become a social hub for their class, Mullick said. From pregames to playing games, there are always people there.

It's obvious that each member of this eclectic bunch adds something different to the suite. Dooberg contributes goofy posters and personality, Rister plays bass and has his own shelf for protein, Mullick, posts a picture of a "clown of the week," the person who made the largest blunder of the weekend, and Hutchette, who works at KTRU, adds posters of musical artists to the walls.

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To name a few, Miles Davis hangs near the entryway, smiling down with trumpet in hand, and Hendrix is below, wailing on his guitar. Led Zepplin and the Beatles did not miss the party, either. A sleek, black Porsche added class, while Maria Sharapova watched over the common room.

Stationed in front of the couch is a 36-inch flat-screen TV hooked up to a surround sound speaker system. Depending on the night, one can hear the sound effects of "Mario Kart 64," the gentle tone of Morgan Freeman narrating "Planet Earth," or the booming bass of a proper pregame behind the glass walls of this suite.

Some nights, the TV is surrounded.

"When there's not much going on, people come and watch 'Planet Earth,'" Mullic said.

The suite hosts many events like this and has an open-door policy. Each member even holds his own office hours.

As we spoke, Huchette came out of his room and further enlightened me about the volume level of the speaker system.

"We've never taken it past 15-it goes up to 40," Huchette said.

This room is stocked for a pregame. The fridges are filled with Franzia, and comical Keystone beer inserts plaster the walls. Overall, this suite is a great example of a pre-party hangout.

This versatile suite is just as multi-faceted as its inhabitants. Whether people are in the mood to have a pleasant night watching scenes of the Earth or to get ready for a public party, this suite does more than get the job done.

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

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