Two resident assistants are looking to bring some color to Mountainview College.

Shira Gelfand and Marissa MacAneney said they want to bring a mural to the community to set it apart from other housing on campus.

“Mountainview is the newest community to be established, and we really don’t have that distinctive feature yet,” said Gelfand, a senior majoring in English. “We have to be the ones that start new traditions.”

Currently, there are no murals like this in any of the other residential communities, according to Gelfand and MacAneney. There are a few indoor murals around campus near the mailroom and in the New University Union, but they are limited in size and secluded from where students are living. Gelfand and MacAneney are seeking to make the mural an integral part of the community, much like The Object is to Dickinson Community. They plan on hosting a community painting day where residents will be invited to help fill in Hannah Westerman’s design with color.

Westerman, a junior majoring in graphic design, is designing the mural. Westerman’s plan includes a geometric design of mountains and a sun featuring red, green, black and blue coloring, which are the colors of the four Mountainview buildings.

Gelfand and MacAneney said they wanted this to be an entirely student-run project, so they contacted the Fine Arts Society and were connected with Westerman.

“I am very excited for this project to realize, and even more excited to help beautify Binghamton campus,” Westerman said. “Mountainview is set in a naturally beautiful location.”

Both RAs said they were excited over the project, although the process has been slow and difficult due to red tape. The pair said they have been working with both Residential Life and the Campus Appearance task force in order to gain approval for the project.

An online petition being circulated by the team of RAs currently has about 400 supporters.

Gelfand and MacAneney said ResLife has been supportive, too, though they have made a few changes to initial plans.

The original plan called for a large scale outdoor mural on the concrete slab leading up to Mountainview from Glenn G. Bartle Library. This plan was ultimately rejected by campus officials, who cited the potential for graffiti and weathering damage. Instead, the mural will be moved inside near room 111 in Appalachian Dining Hall.

ResLife also took issue with a phrase that was to be included on the mural. The original design called for lettering that reads “a community above the rest” in reference to Mountainview’s geographical position overlooking most of campus.

The mural idea also received support from Mountainview College Council.

“We recently presented at the community government meeting, and they really liked the idea,” said MacAneney, a senior double-majoring in biochemistry and integrative neuroscience.