From MTV to NIU, Cribs is in the house … well, residence hall.

Throughout the semester, Sweeps will delve into the dopest domiciles NIU students inhabit.

This week, we visit the phat pad of NIU student Matt Taillon.

The first thing you notice as you walk into Matt Taillon’s oh so spacious room on Douglas C’s fifth floor is his rather creative door art.

“It’s something I started freshman year out of boredom that has kind of just become my thing,” said Taillon, a sophomore elementary education major. “Everybody loves to type on the keyboard.”

Taillon’s door collage consists of random pictures, mini-signs, posters, a laptop keyboard, a Nintendo controller, some Invader Zim stickers and an Altoid’s tin.

“Last year, I had an Altoid’s tin on my door with a paper inside that was redeemable for a free caramel-apple pop, but nobody ever opened the tin, so I had this big bag of suckers all to myself,” Taillon said.

Taillon’s neighbors noticed the unique door decor.

“His door is really cool,” said freshman finance major Ryan McGuinness. “It tells you a lot about what he is into. You just don’t see Nintendo controllers mounted on doors.”

The room’s decor truly is insight into Taillon’s personality. The walls are covered in various posters ranging from Bart Simpson’s chalkboard sayings to a black-and-white photograph of a nuclear explosion to a mini stop sign that hangs above Taillon’s computer.

“For the record, I would like to point out that I did not steal the stop sign,” Taillon said. “I got it from the golf course when they were throwing them out.”

The centerpiece of Taillon’s abode is a rather eerily striking sentinel perched from the ceiling light. The futuristic robot from “The Matrix” series seems to be making an impression on visitors, Taillon said.

“It has scared quite a few people since I put it up there second semester of last year,” he said. “It kind of freaks some people out.”

In true Cribs style, Taillon gave a sneak peek into his refrigerator, which he keeps neatly tucked in his roommate’s closet.

“There isn’t really too much in here,” Taillon said. “It is pretty much just a bunch of Hot Pockets and a half-empty case of Mountain Dew.”

The fridge’s starkness should not be too much of a surprise, though. Taillon is a self-professed mooch.

“I cannot just go to the drinking fountain,” Taillon said. “If I am thirsty, I will walk up and down the halls and ask everyone I see if they have some pop or something before I even think about going to the drinking fountain.”

Taillon kicks his laid-back room up a notch by keeping his rather pimp 13-inch television right at the foot of his bed and on top of three very classy phone books. To accompany his television, Taillon also has a wide array of gaming systems including PlayStation 2, GameCube, Super Nintendo, Nintendo and Gameboy Advance.

With everything that is going on in this sophomore’s domicile, one would think it comes with a hefty price tag. And one just might be right…

“I don’t really know how much [my room] cost, maybe $1,200,” Taillon said. “Most of this stuff was given to me. It is pretty sad really because that’s a lot of money to have spent considering I am not even close to being done.”

Taillon does not plan to move out any time soon.

“I like the placement of my room,” Taillon said. “I have a garbage can and a sink right outside my door and a nice view of Stevenson Towers.”

Taillon even has a photograph of his room’s view taped to his window.

“This way, I can look outside and see Stevenson even if it’s really foggy,” Taillon said.