Move-In

The anxious moment approaches. Meet the men you will soon call brothers and learn some strategies to prepare for a smooth first year. It’s a great big cinderblock world. Welcome!

Welcome Weekend and Hall Staff pose for a group photo

Newest Griffins,

Congratulations on your acceptance to the University of Notre Dame and welcome to Stanford Hall—the beautiful Cinderblock Palace, the Home of the Griffins and Men of Virtue, and the best hall on campus!

Closest neighbors. Trustworthy friends. Brothers.

I put these five words at the heart of my first communication to you for a reason. Sit with them. Allow them to sink in. Because in your time at Notre Dame, in your four years in Stanford Hall, those words will become your lived reality. Three years ago, at this time, when I found out I would be the rector of Stanford, I sat in a very similar place that you sit now. New to Stanford Hall. Not really knowing anyone. Wondering if the guys would welcome me, accept me, like me, let alone love me. Those worries have been wiped away, my fears destroyed, and my expectations surpassed. I know now that I am exactly where I am supposed to be, where God has called me to be. I would invite you to trust the same. You are exactly where you are supposed to be.

My deepest hope is that Stanford Hall will become a place where you feel at home, where you experience true friendship and an unmatched bond of brotherhood! A place where you are willing to be stretched and able to grow in both mind and heart.

These next four years are going to be a mix of joy, excitement, laughter, stress, struggle, and challenge. Through it all, your brothers in Stanford Hall will be here for you! Stanford men are united by an unmatched bond of brotherhood where everybody belongs. We need each other. And our community and commitment to one another can give witness to our world.

The five words, “closest neighbors, trustworthy friends, brothers,” with which I began didn’t just pop into my head. They come from the rule of life that we Holy Cross priests are called to follow. It’s one of my favorite paragraphs, and I think it is quite fitting for our time. “It is essential to our mission that we strive to abide so attentively together that people will observe, ‘see how they love one another.’ We will then be a sign in an alienated world: men who have, for love of their Lord, become closest neighbors, trustworthy friends, brothers.”

Closest neighbors, trustworthy friends, brothers, I look forward to meeting you in the coming days!

Yours in Notre Dame, Our Mother

Fr. Chris Brennan, CSC

Rector, Stanford Hall

Hall Government

Stanford Hall elects a new president and vice president every year. Below are the President and VP for 2024-25!

Jack Marchal

President

Economics

Greenville, OH
Campbell Officer

VP

Finance

Greenwich, CT

St. André Welcome Weekend Team

Every Spring, applications go out to all Stanford men to become the St. André Welcome Week crew. Many Stanford men apply, only a few make it. Everyone in the Hall is excited to welcome you, but these 17 are the crew dedicated to acquainting you with all there is to know about the Hall, Notre Dame, and college life. Meet your St. André Welcome Week crew.

Isaiah Baumgartner

St. André Team Captain

Finance and Theology

Fullerton, CA
Evan Kuster

St. André Team Captain

Mechanical Engineering

Clinton, NJ
Jacob Arulandu

St. André Team

Mathematics and Spanish

Geneva, IL
Joe Balto

St. André Team

Aerospace Engineering

Churchville, MD
Lucas Barquin

St. André Team

Finance and Accountancy

Roswell, GA
Max Brames

St. André Team

Finance

Clearwater, FL
Neel Gupta

St. André Team

Pre-professional

Du Bois, PA
Ian Halpin

St. André Team

Mechanical Engineering

Villa Hills, KY
Jack Hogan

St. André Team

Strategic Management

Huntington, NY
Max Iantorno

St. André Team

Business Analytics and History

Le Grange, IL
Conor Laveau

St. André Team

Business Analytics

Thousand Oaks, CA
Thomas “Jerry” McMahon

St. André Team

Economics

Norwell, MD
Ryan Norden

St. André Team

Biology

Avilla, IN
CJ Pasquale

St. André Team

Finance

Chicago, IL
Ryan Pilat

St. André Team

Political Science

Martinsville, IN
Matteo Rincon

St. André Team

Biology

Merrick, NY
Patrick Schafer

St. André Team

Finance

Mason, OH

What to Bring

As you begin to pack and purchase items for your room, below are some suggestions from Stanford residents. First, please read Notre Dame’s own guidelines for packing and what not to bring, but we believe the advice of current Griffins might also be helpful.

Shared

Your room is what you put into it. All Stanford freshmen are placed in two-man rooms, which we call “doubles.” They’re all roughly the same size and they come with the same modular furniture (more detailed description in the next section, “Room Layout”). As many freshmen find out, it’s easy to overpack. Your biggest items will likely be the ones you share with your roommate. We recommend connecting as soon as possible. Some find it best to not split the bill on your shared goods. In the case that you part ways at the end of the year, that will make it easier to sort out what you shared. The most important thing to make sure you communicate with each other. Most rooms get fridges, and many bring some combination of the rest on the below list.

Fridge
Rug
- The Stepan Center, right near Stanford hosts a dorm room pop-up shop during move-in where you can purchase a carpet and some other fixings.
TV
Futon or other furniture

Wearable

Pack plenty of cool clothing, but Fall can also come on quickly and the Winter months are biting. I also highly recommend cleats for inter-section football. If you know you’ll be traveling back home for Fall Break or Thanksgiving, it might be nice to start planning in advance and leaving some of your portable Winter clothes home to start and swapping them when you travel. You might find it convenient to have a little extra space in your room.

Shower Shoes
- Also flip-flops or sandals separate for regular use
Cleats
Some Snow/Freeze-Compatible Gear
- For example, water-resistant boots. You may not use cold gear often, but you may be glad at the last football game of the year or the inaugural campus-wide snowball fight

Room Essentials

There are plenty of dorm room essentials you’ll want to have from the start.

Shower Bag or Caddie
- A bag is nice so that you can hang it on the hooks right outside the shower
High-Power Fans
- Many use both a room fan and a personal fan
Extension Cords
- Each side of the room has a row of outlets a foot from the ground
Low-intensity light
- Our desks come with overhead lights, but if you’re always an early riser or a night owl (college has a way of doing that to you), you’ll want to be able to see around the room without waking up your roommate. LED strips are common. Technically, the university doesn’t want you to put them on the walls. You can put them around my bed frame.

Beds

Our beds are twin extra-long and sit in modular frames that allow you to lie a few feet above the ground, semi-lofted, or fully lofted. The mattresses aren’t bad, but many also have a mattress topper. You likely will not regret a little extra comfort

Extra Long Sheets
Mattress topper
- The mattresses aren’t bad, but personally I also have a mattress topper. I think you’ll be glad you got one too.
Phone/book holder
- This will be especially convenient if you loft. There are plenty of options for frame-attached storage.

Lastly, don’t forget to bring your personal care and hygiene products. To the chagrin of literally every other men’s hall, Stanford men are the most stylish. So plan accordingly.

Room Layout

Please see the below for some room layout recommendations. Freshmen typically lay out their room in H, H (semi-lofted), or L. You can also bunk, but that’s rare in doubles. These blueprints have a faint grid pattern. Each big square is representative of 1 square foot. There are floor-to-ceiling pipes in the room which vary in size and placement. There’s a heater under the window. There’s also a provided trash can and recycling bin. Plus, half of the rooms have the closet-door-sink layout flipped. The blueprints are not exact; however, they should help you plan out your incoming room setup. I’ve also included a map of the hall. All floors are nearly identical, but not the same. The map will give you a good sense of where you’ll be located. (Special thanks to Parker Salomone for making these)