Four year starting Qb here. Not. Sometimes football was rough, but at the end of the day, coming back to your common room with ten plus guys who you live around kept me up, and quite honestly kept me from transferring. Zahm common rooms was one of my favorite things about ND, and definitely made my experience a thousand times better. Nibb high football rules!
W
Ward Fitzgerald
12 years ago
"We promise not to spray the hose through the window of a "common room" party ever again!" ...class of 85'
N
Nick Green
12 years ago
Being able to live in the 6-man and host the common room for our 3B section was a huge part of my sophomore year. It helped us be section leaders and enabled us to foster a strong community in our section within the Zahm community itself. One of the biggest positives was being mentors to the freshmen and always having our room open for people to hang out, find a friend, or a study group. One time, the brother of a freshman in our section came for the weekend and ended up hanging out in our room almost the entire time. He ended up transferring to ND in large part because of the great community experience. Community is not made or broken by a room, but the kind of community we had in Zahm was enhanced by our unique living set-up. It wouldn't be the same otherwise.
P
Peter Ledet
12 years ago
3BFriendship for life.
G
Gerry Millman '82
12 years ago
I can't believe the University is attempting to change the character of a dorm that has established such a unique and valuable part of life at Notre Dame. These common rooms are the heart and soul of Zahm Hall. As a former student and Zahm Hall resident, these rooms allowed for all students to socialize, develop life long relationships, and build a community that is rarely seen anywhere in college residential life. I strongly urge the University to reconsider its position.
J
Jack Herrmann '83
12 years ago
Zahm has a tremendous tradition as a tight-knit community of men. I have wonderful memories of the time we spent together in the common rooms. As a freshman, we were welcomed by upper classmen to hang out, to get to know each other and mainly to feel welcomed as a new member of a very special place - the Zahm Hall community. That tradition was passed on year after year. I have life-long friends from across a wide # of graduating classes because of that tradition. It is a uniqueness that should not be taken away and a tradition that should not be destroyed. I have had one son graduate from ND, but his dorm experience was nothing compared to what we have in Zahm. And, he was off-campus by Junior year. I proudly add my name to this list of Zahm Alums and petitioners to please keep the strong tradition alive.
N
Nathaniel DeNicola
12 years ago
It would be difficult to overstate the importance of common rooms to my college experience and personal development. Without a doubt they contributed to some of my most memorable experiences during college, but perhaps it is in looking back that I see how much benefit it created for my years after graduation. Common rooms serve as a locus of social support, dorm community building, and are truly the epicenter of dorm communal activities from social gatherings to away game-watches. I cannot imagine having the long-lasting friendships I currently have without such centers of dorm life. It would be a tragedy to eliminate one of the most cherished traditions that make attending Notre Dame so unique. Nathaniel DeNicola, Class of 2002
B
Brendan O'Connor
12 years ago
The common rooms were a huge part of my college experience. I think I spent my time hanging out with my friends in a common room than I did in my own room. I'd hate to see them go.
M
Matt DeNicola
12 years ago
This is some of the saddest news I have heard come out of Notre Dame in a long time. Everyone has already trumpeted the cause quite nicely. These common rooms are the very core of the entire Zahm Hall community. It starts with simple math - if you are allowed a space in which to socialize with the entire section, you instantly make 50 friends instead of just your two room-mates. But it goes well beyond the numbers. The common rooms breed a sense of pride and loyalty to your fellow dorm-mates, and their importance simply cannot be over-stated. Surely the responses already are clear, and may people have been able to, and will continue to verbalize the concept better than I have.
I don't think any of us would give back a moment of our Zahm experiences. The radiators, outdated framework, un-insulated windows, and loose-paneled doors made it all the richer an experience, because it gave the building character. It was *our* old, beat up building. But if you take away the common spaces, you take away that sense of community and pride in the residence hall. And worse, if you take away the common space, and fill it with more people? Then you are just left with ... well ... just an old, overcrowded, beat-up building.
P
Paul Nebosky
12 years ago
The common rooms are an important part of Notre Dame. The newer dorms have common rooms built in as part of the architecture. However, this is not the case for older dorms such as Zahm. This makes it all the more important to keep the common rooms in place through 6-mans and 11-mans.
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Joseph Corsaro
12 years ago
Featured
This is a shame that we even have to make this petition. Zahm is known for having the best community on campus. The common rooms really helped me find friends freshmen year. I have life long friends in every class due to the rooms. Please for the sake of the freshmen, do not get rid of the common rooms.
Four year starting Qb here. Not. Sometimes football was rough, but at the end of the day, coming back to your common room with ten plus guys who you live around kept me up, and quite honestly kept me from transferring. Zahm common rooms was one of my favorite things about ND, and definitely made my experience a thousand times better. Nibb high football rules!
"We promise not to spray the hose through the window of a "common room" party ever again!" ...class of 85'
Being able to live in the 6-man and host the common room for our 3B section was a huge part of my sophomore year. It helped us be section leaders and enabled us to foster a strong community in our section within the Zahm community itself. One of the biggest positives was being mentors to the freshmen and always having our room open for people to hang out, find a friend, or a study group. One time, the brother of a freshman in our section came for the weekend and ended up hanging out in our room almost the entire time. He ended up transferring to ND in large part because of the great community experience. Community is not made or broken by a room, but the kind of community we had in Zahm was enhanced by our unique living set-up. It wouldn't be the same otherwise.
3BFriendship for life.
I can't believe the University is attempting to change the character of a dorm that has established such a unique and valuable part of life at Notre Dame. These common rooms are the heart and soul of Zahm Hall. As a former student and Zahm Hall resident, these rooms allowed for all students to socialize, develop life long relationships, and build a community that is rarely seen anywhere in college residential life. I strongly urge the University to reconsider its position.
Zahm has a tremendous tradition as a tight-knit community of men. I have wonderful memories of the time we spent together in the common rooms. As a freshman, we were welcomed by upper classmen to hang out, to get to know each other and mainly to feel welcomed as a new member of a very special place - the Zahm Hall community. That tradition was passed on year after year. I have life-long friends from across a wide # of graduating classes because of that tradition. It is a uniqueness that should not be taken away and a tradition that should not be destroyed. I have had one son graduate from ND, but his dorm experience was nothing compared to what we have in Zahm. And, he was off-campus by Junior year. I proudly add my name to this list of Zahm Alums and petitioners to please keep the strong tradition alive.
It would be difficult to overstate the importance of common rooms to my college experience and personal development. Without a doubt they contributed to some of my most memorable experiences during college, but perhaps it is in looking back that I see how much benefit it created for my years after graduation. Common rooms serve as a locus of social support, dorm community building, and are truly the epicenter of dorm communal activities from social gatherings to away game-watches. I cannot imagine having the long-lasting friendships I currently have without such centers of dorm life. It would be a tragedy to eliminate one of the most cherished traditions that make attending Notre Dame so unique. Nathaniel DeNicola, Class of 2002
The common rooms were a huge part of my college experience. I think I spent my time hanging out with my friends in a common room than I did in my own room. I'd hate to see them go.
This is some of the saddest news I have heard come out of Notre Dame in a long time. Everyone has already trumpeted the cause quite nicely. These common rooms are the very core of the entire Zahm Hall community. It starts with simple math - if you are allowed a space in which to socialize with the entire section, you instantly make 50 friends instead of just your two room-mates. But it goes well beyond the numbers. The common rooms breed a sense of pride and loyalty to your fellow dorm-mates, and their importance simply cannot be over-stated. Surely the responses already are clear, and may people have been able to, and will continue to verbalize the concept better than I have. I don't think any of us would give back a moment of our Zahm experiences. The radiators, outdated framework, un-insulated windows, and loose-paneled doors made it all the richer an experience, because it gave the building character. It was *our* old, beat up building. But if you take away the common spaces, you take away that sense of community and pride in the residence hall. And worse, if you take away the common space, and fill it with more people? Then you are just left with ... well ... just an old, overcrowded, beat-up building.
The common rooms are an important part of Notre Dame. The newer dorms have common rooms built in as part of the architecture. However, this is not the case for older dorms such as Zahm. This makes it all the more important to keep the common rooms in place through 6-mans and 11-mans.
This is a shame that we even have to make this petition. Zahm is known for having the best community on campus. The common rooms really helped me find friends freshmen year. I have life long friends in every class due to the rooms. Please for the sake of the freshmen, do not get rid of the common rooms.