As the academic year moves forward in full swing, campus is the site of new beginnings for both freshmen students and the spaces that some of them will call home for the next year.
Located adjacent to one another on the north side of Pioneer Village, Catherine of Siena and Michael McGivney Hall are the university’s latest dorms to open their doors to students.
Brand new first-year dorms, Catherine of Siena and Michael McGivney Halls on Sacred Heart’s Main Campus.
Source: Jake Walsh, Co-Assistant Photo Editor
Combined, these new three-floor buildings house approximately 460 first-year students, primarily those who are part of the Thomas More Honors program. Each pod-style suite contains two double bedrooms for a total of four residents per space. They also include study spaces, laundry facilities and lounges with kitchenettes, a setup almost identical to Mother Teresa Hall.
Despite these similarities, the new dorms are distinct from other residential buildings on campus, including those on Upper Quad, because of the sky bridge that unites their top floors.
“While in other buildings the bridges are basically a hallway or might have some lounge space, the bridge connecting these two halls contains two study rooms, a communal kitchen and a large living room with space for at least three separate groups of students to hang out,” said dual Residence Hall Director Tom Dess.
“I hope that the students will venture out of their pods to build connections and learn from each other,” Dess said. “We have a wide array of diverse viewpoints and experiences to share.”
In addition to Dess’s role in overseeing day-to-day activities and promoting a positive image of campus living, seven Resident Success Assistants (RSAs) are assigned to each dorm. These upperclassmen are responsible for ensuring that the students on their floor are equipped with the resources that they need to have a successful year.
Already, the RSAs are hard at work creating an environment that cultivates confidence and connection among all.
“One of our goals is to foster friendships between residents. The pods are very separated, so generally the suitemates won’t leave their room as much,” said sophomore Matthew Meaney, an RSA on the third floor of McGivney Hall. Although this pod-style arrangement sets students farther apart physically from others in their dorm, the bond between residents of Catherine of Siena and Michael McGivney Halls stands as a testament to the significance of SHU’s vision behind these structures to bring Pioneers closer together.
“The sense of community is already there. It has very much been one building instead of two,” Meaney said. “It’s more a question of which side you live on rather than which building.”
The overarching intention of integration between both halls reflects SHU’s ongoing commitment to the core values of the Catholic Intellectual Tradition (CIT). According to the university website, it “aspires to achieve prominence through innovative teaching, learning, and research while cultivating a campus community that is recognized as caring and creative.”
While this mission has been executed in the eyes of the staff, residents are also attentive to the seamlessly welcoming design of the new dorms.
“When I first walked in, I felt like this was a place where I could hang out with all of my friends,” said freshman Adrianna Talluto, who lives on the first floor of McGivney Hall.
“I suggest doing work in the common areas and talking to everyone you pass in the halls. You will never know what friends you can make if you don’t say hi to your neighbors,” Talluto said.
