Community
“Residential life endeavors to develop that sense of community and of responsibility that prepares students for subsequent leadership in building a society.”
- ==University of Notre Dame Mission Statement==
Building
At Notre Dame we develop community in our every interaction. We come here to pursue truth and as we do so, we live in the process of building relationships. Undergraduate students form strong bonds by sharing space within their residence hall communities, expressing themselves through an impressive network of student activities, playing together on a wide array of athletic teams, and by supporting each other throughout the growth and change that occurs during their four years here. As much as we attempt to broaden students’ minds during their time here, so too do we aim to expand their hearts. By facilitating a highly residential community, Notre Dame encourages students to reach out to one another – building something enduring as they search for the eternal.
Living
80% of Notre Dame’s 8,300 undergraduates choose to call the Notre Dame campus their home. Residing in one of 27 single-sex residence halls , undergraduates live, work, study, play, and pray together, forming bonds which last until seventy-fifth class reunions and beyond. All First Year students are required to live on campus, and housing is guaranteed to students who enter Notre Dame in their first year for the extent of their stay at the University. Students are randomly assigned to their residence halls, which most choose to call home for the entire time they live on campus. Halls are supported by an active Hall Staff, including a rector, assistant rectors, and resident assistants, and are governed by rules found in ==du Lac==, the student handbook.
Camaraderie
The residence halls form the center for social life at Notre Dame. Dances, community service projects, social awareness activities, fundraisers, and athletic events are sponsored by the halls. Most halls have a signature event—a social activity planned by one hall for the entire student community. The Dillon Hall Pep Rally commences every academic year while the McGlinn Casino Night awakens it from its winter doldrums. Students feel strong loyalty to the residence halls and enjoy perpetuating friendly hall rivalry. No matter whether a man is an O’Neill Angry Mobster or a woman is a Pasquerilla West Purple Weasel, each thinks his or her hall is “THE BEST!”
Connection
Each hall has its own chapel, where Mass is said every Sunday during the academic year. Daily masses are also frequently offered in the chapels. Hall masses provide students the opportunity to pray together and are completely student organized— musicians, lectors, and Eucharistic ministers are all hall residents. Students join hands and hearts during their worship celebrations, making Notre Dame famous for its affectionate (and quite lengthy) Sign of Peace.
Relaxing
Notre Dame’s award-winning ==dining halls== provide space and time for students to share the details of their day with their friends and fellow students. Whether students choose to eat 21 meals per week or 14, the dining halls provide a focal point for campus social life. Because so many students participate in community life, Notre Dame harnesses an abundance of energy, evidenced by the fielding of intramural athletic teams, the politicking in student government, the planning of major concert events, the writing of controversial editorials, the tutoring of schoolchildren, and the constant affecting and changing of lives.
