What were these guys smoking?
Four NYU freshman suitemates turned an alcove in their dorm into a covert pot den called “Narnia” — a magical land where all students could enjoy a secret fairytale toke.
To enter the smoke den, stoners crawled through a large hole carved into the back of a university-issued wardrobe that blocked the doorway. Inside, Christmas lights, a set of bongos, a stuffed raven and a poster of Prince Caspian transformed the 10-by-8-foot storage space on Hayden Hall’s seventh floor into an enchanted hideaway.
Narnia is the name of the kingdom introduced in C.S. Lewis’ novel “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.” In the story, children gain access to the enchanted land through an old wardrobe. A film version, titled “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” was released in 2005.
As the legend of NYU’s own Narnia spread, attracting hundreds of students, reefer madness got out of control. The dope fiends dismantled their kingdom last week after university officials got wind of the party.
“NYU is an experimental community,” said Joshua Lawrence Becker, 21, a junior. “Places like Narnia became social centers for students looking for a thrill. I bet student morale will plummet now that it’s gone.”
Federal law prohibits universities from discussing disciplinary measures against students, but, according to NYU spokesman John Beckman, any student caught smoking marijuana risks being suspended or expelled from residential housing.
“There’s nothing against the rules about declaring an alcove a magic kingdom,” Beckman said.
“If students want to get together in a room and jam and sing together, that’s fine. If they want to call it ‘Narnia,’ that’s fine, too. If they want to do those things and smoke marijuana, that’s a problem.”
Narnia may be over, but the buzz on the street is that NYU students have moved the party to other parts of Hayden Hall, a 700-person dorm that overlooks Washington Square Park. The dorm’s latest hippie hangouts are the “Green Room” and the “Lounge,” according to students.
Last week, NYU’s student newspaper, the Washington Square News, reported on Narnia’s strange appeal. One anonymous student told the paper: “I’ve met a ton of people, all with similar interests, who I probably would not have known about without Narnia. NYU does a poor job of connecting people. There should be more groups like Narnia.”
Additional reporting by Nicole He