By Nick Dutro
N-Dutro@onu.edu
Melody Hartzler had an idea.
As head resident of Stadiumview Apartments, Hartzler had a “brilliant idea” for a project that could involve all students living in on campus apartments.
Toby Baker, wife of Ohio Northern University President Kendall Baker, said she had done some interior design work at the student affairs office. According to Baker, Hartzler was so impressed and decided to incorporate Toby’s talents into the apartments. Inspired by “Design on a Dime,” a show on Home and Garden Television about cheap renovations, Hartzler came up with “Design with Toby.” This project would allow students to send in a presentation about their room in dire need of a makeover and Baker would decorate the winner’s room on a budget. Hartzler presented her plan for apartment staff.
Hartzler, a P5, said the project was an effort to make students feel at home with their living arrangements.
“If people feel more comfortable in their living space, it will make ONU seem more friendly,” Hartlzer said.
The apartment staff liked the idea, and agreed to help promote the event. Hartzler said the project was fairly easy to execute because there was not much they had to do on their end. But it was up to Hartzler to come up with a judge and see if Toby was interested.
Hartzler sent an e-mail to Baker, asking if she would be willing to help with the project, both as a judge and as the guest designer. Baker replied, with an enthusiastic “yes.”
“It was just too much fun to pass up,” Baker said. “The person that likes puzzles in me thought, ‘oh, that would be fun.”
Hartzler said she enjoyed working with the first lady of the university.
 “She was just excited the whole time,” Hartzler said. “It was really fun working with her.”
The apartment staff kept their end of the bargain and began to send out mass e-mails to their residents.
Justin Yarnell, a senior civil engineering major, read the e-mail, looked around his dull, boring room, and thought it was time for a make over. He turned to his roommate Harry Walker and asked what Walker thought.
Walker, a senior biology major, went to work on a power point. Combing pictures and music, Walker’s power point played like a movie. It even had a rating (B for boring).
“He was the one that made it look good,” Yarnell said.
At the same time, Lindsay Smith, a sophomore psychology major, looked at her pink room and decided it was time for something more mature.
In her power point, Smith wrote “Toby, HELP! I hate to say it, but I am a P4 and I have a pink bedroom! … My bed looks like a box of Crayolas threw up on it and this pink hanging light does nothing to set the mood!”
The two groups submitted their power points to the apartment staff, and judges Justin Courtney, director of Residence Life, and Baker, who then viewed the presentations.
The two judges reviewed the submissions on March 14. Baker said she and Courtney enjoyed all the submissions, especially the ones by Smith and Walker and Yarnell. Baker nicknamed Walker and Yarnell’s submission “The Boys Who Have Nothing” and Smith’s “Pinkalicious.” Although they enjoyed both submissions, Baker and Courtney agreed “The Boys Who Have Nothing” were the winners.
Vice President for Student Affairs Alice Hilderbrand walked by Courtney’s office while they were watching the power points. She enjoyed Smith’s power point so much that she found money in the Student Affairs budget to donate to the project.
The apartment staff contributed $150 toward Walker and Yarnell’s room and Student Affairs gave $100 to Smith as a second prize.
The winners were notified by Baker and Hartzler shortly after the decisions were made.
Baker, along with her assistant Tammy Vierira, visited the winners on March 17, to look at their rooms and to see what they wanted to do with their spaces.
“I wanted to emphasize the things they liked best about their space,” Baker said.
Baker took into account their majors and interests when she designed the rooms. Baker said Lindsay already had some pieces to incorporate to her room, but “the boys who have nothing” were more of a challenge.
After the initial meeting, Baker went shopping for items to include in the rooms. Toby stopped at TJ Maxx in Lima and Findlay, as well as Wal-Mart, Kmart and Meijer. In the end she was 51 cents over for Smith’s room and $3 over for the boys.
The Bakers donated some items to the two rooms, including a rug, a lamp and a plant for the boys and a poster for Smith. The boys are also borrowing a TV stand from the University.
Baker and Vieria decorated the boys’ room in the morning of March 19, and Smith’s room that afternoon. Yarnell and Smith were both able to help put their rooms together. Walker, who was busy in the morning, walked in as they were finishing.
Baker said she knew he like it when he walked in the room and said, “Wow.”
Walker and Yarnell had their living room and kitchen redecorated. Lindsay was only able to get her bedroom redecorated because her roommate is an RA.
I visited Walker and Yarnell last week. Their room is complete, and the boys are very happy with the end result. Two plants and a puzzle cube sit on the two end tables as the final pieces. They now have table runners, a plush green rug, and pictures to accent their new look.
“It’s not fussy, it’s a guys’ apartment,” Baker said.
Walker and Yarnell said they have used the room more since Baker’s makeover. Each of them have favorite pieces. Yarnell has a fondness for the pictures of the Eiffel Tower and the Empire State Building, and Walker especially likes the plants. Both said they enjoyed being a part of the project and wanted to thank Baker and the apartment staff.
Hartzler said the apartment staff would like to do the project again next year, probably in the fall so that students will have more time to enjoy their apartment’s new look.
“As long as Toby’s willing,” Hartzler said.
Baker said she would be thrilled to be part of it next year.
“If I were invited again, of course I would do it,” Baker said.