Dorm Rooms

Several kids (excuse me, young adults) from the Church I attend have just returned to College, or are starting this year. Most are choosing to live on campus. I am thinking “things” must have changed a bit since the “dark ages.”

I remember my dorm room at OBU (Oklahoma Baptist University). It was small, narrow, had two single beds, two small built in desks, and a bathroom on the hall. Inside were our (my roommate Charles and I) clothes, books, two saddles, two bridles, two saddle blankets, and other assorted tack one would expect with guys who had horses down the road in a rented pasture. It smelled more like a barn than a dorm room, but we were careful to clean it every semester or so.

I was surprised to read this news: “A typical purchase on Dormify (a dorm room remodeling service) is $300, “but some customers shell out as much as $2,000 to decorate the entire room. The site also has a gift registry, and more students are asking for dorm decor as birthday and graduation presents. Dormify’s Karen Zuckerman said she’s heard of people who have spent $4,000 to $5,000 on decor; one paid even more to install a customized closet system.”

Really? Really? What I really hope is that Parents and Grandparents have spent time and effort making sure their student had had a “life modification,” via an introduction to Jesus Christ and His plan for their life, with as much enthusiasm as some people have for room decor. One can survive without much “dorm decor,” but it is increasingly difficult to survive without faith in God and a dependence on His Spirit for hope, peace, and leadership.

A customized closet system? Really?