University of Notre Dame residence halls

There are currently 32 undergraduate residence halls at the University of Notre Dame, including 31 active residence halls and Zahm Hall, which serves as a transition dorm when residence halls undergo construction. Several of the halls are historic buildings which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[1] Each residence hall is single-sex, with 17 all-male residence halls and 15 all-female residence halls.[2] Notre Dame residence halls feature a mixed residential college and house system, where residence halls are the center of the student life and some academic teaching; most students stay at the same hall for most of their undergraduate studies.[3][4][5][6] Each hall has its own traditions, events, mascot, sports teams, shield, motto, and dorm pride.[7][8][9] The university also hosts Old College, an undergraduate residence for students preparing for the priesthood.

Notre Dame has an undergraduate hall system which blends the residential college system and the house system.[10][5][11][6] All first-year students are placed in one of the 32 halls upon enrollment, and students rarely switch halls. Each hall has its own spirit, tradition, mascot, sport teams, events, dances and reputation.[6][11] Approximately 80% of undergraduate students live on campus, and often a student lives in the same dorm for the entirety of their undergraduate career.[12] Even students who move off campus tend to maintain strong bonds with their affiliated residence hall.[6] A huge segment of student life happens through residence halls and students develop a particular attachment to their undergraduate hall. Each residence hall is directed by one Rector with the assistance of two Assistant Rectors and a variable number of Resident Assistants (from 4 to 9). Every residence hall has a chapel where Mass is held multiple time per week, fields a variety of intramural sports teams, elects one senator to represent the dorm in Student Government, and elects a president and vice president(s) which work through the Hall Presidents Council (HPC) student organization. Interhall football between Notre Dame male dorms is the only interhall tackle football which has remained at any US university.[13] Notre Dame residence halls are the center of the campus student life, and each one hosts signature events, like the Keenan Revue,[14] the Zahm Hall Bun run,[15] Fisher Regatta,[16] the Siegfried Day of Man, The Dillon Hall Pep Rally[17][18] and many others. Each dorm has its own architectural features, some of which were designed by famous architects such as Willoughby J. Edbrooke, Maginnis & Walsh and Thomas Ellerbe, and each hall has a chapel dedicated to the Hall's patron saint.[19]

With the exception of Carroll Hall, the residence halls are split among six main segments of the campus: Main (God) Quad, South Quad, North Quad, Mod Quad, West Quad, and East Quad. While Carroll is officially part of South Quad, it has its own lawn by Saint Mary's Lake informally called Far Quad due to its distance from the rest of the halls.[20] All first-year students are not only guaranteed on-campus housing, but are required to reside on campus for at least six semesters, starting with the Class of 2022.[9] Many of the halls were inserted in 1973 on the National Register of Historic Places.[21][1]

  1. ^ a b Burtchaell, James T. (November 1976). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: University of Notre Dame Campus-Main and South Quadrangles" (PDF). Indiana State Historic Architectural and Archaeological Research Database and National Park Service. Retrieved October 18, 2017. With seven photos from 1972–76. Map of district included with version available at National Park Service.
  2. ^ "Residential Halls". Division of Student Affairs, University of Notre Dame.
  3. ^ "Notre Dame policy change to keep students in dorms". Journal Gazette.
  4. ^ "10 University of Notre Dame Quirks". College Magazine. April 26, 2016.
  5. ^ a b "How Being Part of a 'House' Within a School Helps Students Gain A Sense of Belonging". KQED. May 15, 2018. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
  6. ^ a b c d Anne Colby; Thomas Ehrlich; Elizabeth Beaumont; Jason Stephens (2003). Educating citizens : preparing America's undergraduates for lives of moral and civic responsibility (1 ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. p. 239. ISBN 0-7879-7118-9. OCLC 52752798.
  7. ^ Fosmoe, Margaret. "Notre Dame making switch to require students to live on campus three years". South Bend Tribune.
  8. ^ Skrbina, Paul (November 15, 2015). "Only one college still offers intramural tackle football: Notre Dame". Chicago Tribune.
  9. ^ a b "Notre Dame policy to require on-campus living for 3 years". Chicago Tribune. Associated Press.
  10. ^ Glanzer, Perry L.; Nathan F. Alleman; Todd C. Ream (2017). Restoring the soul of the university : unifying Christian higher education in a fragmented age. Downers Grove, Illinois: IVP Academic. p. 159. ISBN 978-0-8308-9163-4. OCLC 969439621.
  11. ^ a b "How housing alienates Columbia students from each other | Columbia Spectator". April 26, 2018. Archived from the original on April 26, 2018. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
  12. ^ "Facts & Figures". Office of Housing, University of Notre Dame. Retrieved February 23, 2017.
  13. ^ "Only one college still offers intramural tackle football: Notre Dame". Chicago Tribune. November 15, 2015.
  14. ^ ""He nailed Jesus on a crossing pattern!": Pray for the Keenan Revue". Newsweek. February 12, 2016.
  15. ^ Merlan, Anna (April 29, 2015). "Notre Dame Engulfed in Fierce Debate Over Dong-Heavy Nude Run". Jezebel.
  16. ^ "Top 10 Can't Miss Events at the University of Notre Dame – College Magazine". College Magazine. November 9, 2015.
  17. ^ Collins, Michael. "Irish Game Day: A Guide to Events and Traditions at Notre Dame". Bleacher Report. Retrieved October 17, 2017.
  18. ^ "ND pep rallies changing locations this football season". WNDU. Retrieved October 17, 2017.
  19. ^ Cunningham, Lawrence (2012). The chapels of Notre Dame. University of Notre Dame Press. p. 176. ISBN 978-0-268-03735-2.
  20. ^ "Room Information and Policies // Residential Life // University of Notre Dame". Residential Life. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
  21. ^ "Welcome to SHAARD". Secure.in.gov. Retrieved December 23, 2015.