A Dining Room With a (New) View

A new era has dawned in Leverett House dining hall. A screen now covers the infamous multicolored mural on the House’s pristine walls. Its presence is ominous, hinting at the mural’s upcoming removal. The old painting will soon be replaced with a sweeping landscape of the Charles River and Weeks footbridge, an acrylic painting drawn by Leverett’s own Julia E. Rozier ’08. While Rozier’s painting is welcomed by all, this welcome is, of course, preceded by fond reminiscing about the old, less aesthetically pleasing mural. “It looked like part of the opening sequence of a 1980’s sitcom,” James P. Alexander ’10 said. Ritchell R. van Dams ’11, sitting next to Alexander at one of Lev’s rectangular tables, agreed. “Like something Will Smith was wearing,” Ritchell said. Although Amy Elizabeth Smekar ’11 noted, “It was nice for Lev to collectively hate on something,” Rozier’s painting, which was greeted with a standing ovation at its September 2 unveiling, provides a centerpiece for Leverett to collectively enjoy. “The new mural is gorgeous. I’m really excited,” said Kaitlyn E. Coil ’10. The incoming painting, created over the summer, is drawn from a photograph Rozier took of the Charles, exactly from the angle that Leverett looks onto the river. This picture was the last one that she managed to snap before her camera memory ran out. The lucky image will open up the room to the outside world, especially during the chilly winter months, said Rozier, “It brings a big splash of summer sunshine into the dining hall—what better to remind you of things to come?” Complete with a rabbit perched in its bottom left hand corner (Freshmen note: the rabbit is Lev’s mascot), the painting is emblematic of the spirit of Leverett House—filled with color that doesn’t clash, and eliciting comfort rather than confusion. “I think the painting is definitely the topic of many conversations in the dining hall. I think the nature of those conversations is going to change,” Resident Dean Lauren E. Brandt ’01 said. Is this new mural change we can believe in? Lev we can.