I know I am not the only one who has detected a post-MGMT malaise creeping into the WesZeitgeist. If this university is looking to hold on to its pop-cultural capital and the attractive force that comes with it, we need to surround ourselves with invigorating student-designed spaces. Everyone knows that students like to decorate their rooms in a million funky ways. We need weird colors and shapes, exciting patterns, and futuristic Jetsons-style furniture to get us going, plus, of course, tons of outlets because we are living in a digital world, baby! Just as our private spaces reflect our personalities, our public spaces need to reflect the multiplicity of student aesthetics, which are all so fresh. Only with our public spaces fully decked out can we then go on to bring fame and fortune to the Red and the Black!

I wholeheartedly applaud the Exley Fishbowl Design Committee for relying on student input in the design process: it shows in the awesome plans that appeared in last Thursday’s Argus (“New 24/7 lounge designed by students, for students,” Oct. 3, 2008, Volume CXLIV, Number 10). With a little hope and a lot of love, this little experiment could set a precedent for future decisions about how to use public space at Wesleyan. With two gorgeous but completely underutilized buildings (MoCon and Davenport), we have a lot of canvas to work with. Meanwhile, I challenge more students to finagle their way onto more committees.

With hard work and a sprinkle of hope, we can make not only this lounge but the whole school shine like a 24-hour UFO beacon of hope attracting future generations of WesStars!