Dave Murphy is my CA. Yup, that means he has to deal with my obnoxiously loud voice and bumpin’ stereo system all the time. And he’s already asked me extremely politely to be quiet on a Thursday night. And of course I obliged, partially because I’m generally a respectful person, but mostly because he’s the man. I mean really. Who wouldn’t love to have a former Hollister model as their CA, right? I bet you didn’t know Dave used to model, did you? I bet you think that he should continue to model, don’t you? I know I do. But seriously, Dave is so much more than just really, really, ridiculously good looking.
Dave became a CA because he wanted to lend a hand to acclimating the freshmen. He says, “I want to be that person the freshmen come to if they need help. I try to present myself in a way that makes people feel comfortable and trust me. Coming to college is hard for kids, and I understand that all too well. I’m getting paid to be a good person, essentially. The guidelines to being a CA are basically to be a good friend, and I’m all about that.” Ladies, could he be any sweeter?
But being a CA is only one of the things Dave does on campus. He’s also on the steering committee, which is another word for the executive board, of the Bridge—Colby’s gay-straight alliance. “It’s an important position to me for a lot of reasons. I want Colby to be a better place for LBGTQ.” But Dave isn’t unhappy with Colby’s treatment of the LBGTQ community. “I think Colby is a fine place for LBGTQ. People try to be politically correct, at least. But there’s a difference between being PC and being tolerant.” Dave is gay, and he’s proud of it. He feels comfortable on Colby’s campus, and wants others to feel the same way. “The Bridge is just a space and a forum where people know they will be accepted and loved for whoever they are. That’s why I love it so much.”
So, you think being on the steering committee of The Bridge and being a CA is a lot to handle? Well, Dave’s also on the Executive Board of the Goldfarb Center. Oh, and on top of that, he’s on the Colby cross country team, as well as the Colby indoor and outdoor track teams. Hello, overachiever. Just kidding!
Dave takes his running really seriously. “I’m pretty neurotic about getting to the dining hall as soon as it opens on race day. I really don’t eat much, though. One or two pieces of fruit, maybe some bland cereal. I just try to stay not stressed out by talking to friends, stretching, or listening to music. And I always have a ton of caffeine… like four cups of coffee before a race.” Although Dave’s pre-race tactics may seem a little unconventional, he just does whatever he feels comfortable with. And he’s got his goals in order, too. “I was injured a lot of the summer, so my goal for cross country is, by my last race, to beat my PR (personal record) from last year, and just try to get healthy so I can have an awesome indoor and outdoor track season.” I’m expecting big things from Dave. I bet you are, too.
But now I’m going to do something a little different—go off on a little tangent. Typically, I ask my Campus Celebrities a series of stupid questions to see if I can get some funny answers out of them, but I don’t typically use any of those answers, unless the article is entirely Q&A, because I can’t find a place to put them. But Dave is incredibly insightful and articulate, and a lot of his answers are really good, so I’m including some of our random Q&A. Sorry I’m not sorry. I just don’t think I could possibly capture Dave’s impeccable personality if I didn’t throw these gems in here.
Q: If you wrote an autobiography, what would its title be?
A: “My First Gay Friend,” not only because I’ve been a lot of people’s first gay friend, but also because being gay and coming out has had an effect on literally everything in my life. I kind of wish it hadn’t, but it has. I don’t know what I would do or who I would be without being gay. That doesn’t mean I’d be worse or better. But here’s an example: I love athletics—my life has been centered around sports since I was little. When I was an athlete growing up, I knew I was gay, and since I didn’t really know what homosexuality was, I believed I was deficient in some way. So any time I beat anyone, I would feel really good about it. Good enough to boast. Like, oh, you just got beat by a gay guy.
Q: What’s cooler than cool?
A: American flag short shorts and Missy Elliott.
Q: Where are you from? How do you rep your hood at Colby?
A: I’m from Berryville, Virginia. Yeah, that’s the place in the Wendy’s commercial. We don’t even have a Wendy’s in Berryville. It is a tiny farm town, and I rep my hood by occasionally throwing in my country slurs, and accent, and being a general hick when I rock my jorts.
Q: If Hollywood made a movie about your life, who would you want to play you?
A: Heath Ledger. That would just be fucking fantastic if people thought that that’s what I look like. Plus, I’m a country boy, and he’s done the country thing before.
Q: What are some of your favorite pump-up work-out songs?
A: Right now, “Super Bass,” obviously. And “Cheers” by Rihanna. I think I heard you guys playing it the other night, searched for it online, and downloaded it because I wanted it for a running playlist.
Q: How do you get that hot physique? Damn!
A: Too many hours running alone.
Q: What, in your opinion is the greatest invention of all time?
A: The razor, because I despise beards.
Good answers, right? How lucky am I to have the coolest CA known to man? He’s smart, athletic, super involved, and ridiculously good looking. I bet you’re all jealous that he’s not your CA, and that you don’t get to see him at least three times a day the way I do. Ah, the privileged life on the East Quad second floor. But don’t worry. Dave is one of the friendliest people I’ve ever met. If you’re looking to get to know him, you should have no trouble at all!