Dunne Hall was built in 2016 and is one of the newest men’s dorms on campus. It is located on East Quad and houses around 220 men in its four floors and six sections. The dorm received its name from its benefactors, Jimmy and Susan Dunne. Mr. Dunne graduated from Notre Dame in 1978 and went on to found Sandler O'Neill and Partners, which is one of the largest investment banking firms. According to Residential Life, the Dunnes' graciously donated the funds to build Dunne Hall out of gratitude for the University of Notre Dame.
If you live in Dunne, you could find yourself in a single, a double, a triple, a quad, or a six-man room. Yes, you read that correctly, you may have the opportunity to live with five of your closest friends. First-years typically do not live in the six-man rooms because the upperclassmen seize them during room picks. If you are interested in living in a six-man during your sophomore year, it is comforting to know that you will share three rooms. This means you can have two beds in each room, three beds in two rooms, with a common room, or... if you feel like playing Tetris, you can put all six beds in one room.
Dunne's mascot is the Sentinels, which are soldiers. Their job is to keep watch. It’s interesting when dorms have mascots that I have to look up because I can see if those characteristics of their mascots align with my friends who live in the dorm. For starters, they all have to be brave because their signature event is a 3K, three-person relay, known as the Dunne Funne Runne. Like other halls, all the proceeds go to the dorm’s charity of choice, Dunne’s being Education Bridge. Dunne has plenty of other events, such as the DunneDance Film Festival, their formal, the Sunset Soiree, the Dunnedies, and many more.
Unfortunately, I do not and cannot live in Dunne, but I have friends who do and they have told me about their great community. When I asked sophomore Ben Fetcher about his favorite part of living in Dunne, he said, “that everyone is friendly and easy to talk to. It's not always easy to connect with people; but at the end of the day, I feel that they all genuinely care about you.” No matter who you are or where you are from, you can find your home under the Dome in Dunne.
The University of Notre Dame has a unique dorm culture. Your dorm is more than a place where you sleep. There are events, small and large, formals, retreats, and dinners in the dining hall. While it can be hard to live with a bunch of people you do not know, you can make friends and find your place.