The Dunne Hall Sentinels have elected their new leaders, selecting sophomore Nicholas Wilt as president of the newest men's dorm on campus from a four-ticket ballot.
Wilt said the dorm is ready to make its first year a big one.
“Our current goal is to bring the enthusiasm together by organizing all kinds of events in our hall,” he said. “We will continuously try out everything — from charity to sports — being active in this campus.”
Wilt, a transfer from Knott Hall, said he wants to help build this brand new community from scratch. He said he saw this kind of enthusiasm in the newly arrived freshmen, too.
“Every freshman was so excited in creating our new hall traditions, such as what we do prior to football games,” he said. “Our newest and most unique one is that everyone must go through the main gate instead of side gates. This way, people will greet familiar faces every day, and thus we will foster our sense of brotherhood.”
Wilt will work closely with Dunne Hall Staff in the coming days to select the dorm’s commissioners. Assistant rectors (ARs) and resident assistants (RAs) had been temporarily functioning in those roles.
“We want a strong percent of people getting involved in the GreeNDot program, so that everyone can go through this process together and everyone will feel protected by each other during this process,” Wilt said. “We want this community to be one that everyone feels welcomed and respected.”
The torch is passed on to the newest members of Dunne Hall, rector Fr. Matt Kuczora said in an email. Major initiatives like signature events, service relationships and building hall traditions are beginning to process, forming their new community’s identity for years to come.
Dunne Hall announced its colors, mascot and motto last week.
The dorm’s new motto is “the competence to see and the courage to act,” a line selected from the Constitutions of the Congregation of Holy Cross. Their mascot is the Sentinel — fitting, as the dorm is located in the perfect position to watch over the east entrance to campus, Kuczora said.
“This signifies our determination to recognize injustices in the world to make the world a better place,” he said. “They strive to become watchers for not only Notre Dame, but also for all the citizens on earth. They spirit is to watch for all the dangers as well as act when necessary to raise the alarm.”
The residents of Dunne selected quad green, Hesburgh blue and Stonehenge gray as their colors.
“Quad green reflects our brotherhood, as they enjoy cookouts and music on their lawn,” Kuczora said. “Hesburgh blue symbolizes the development of our mindset as our residents study in places like Hesburgh Library to gain ‘the competence to see,’ whereas the Stonehenge gray recalls the bravery of those who are memorialized in the Clarke Memorial Fountain, inspiring them to have ‘the courage to act.’”
The colors are similar to the Seattle Seahawks’ uniforms, sophomore Tai Verbrugge, Dunne’s vice president, said. But they also reflects the goal of becoming a part of the campus community.
“We will never be ‘Dunne’ with building the dorm,” Verbrugge said. “No matter how good the facilities are, how hotel-like it is, we will always continue building the community and establishing Dunne as a relevant dorm in the bigger Notre Dame community.”
And they’ve got big plans for how to do it, Wilt said.
“Dunne is just getting started — but we are coming for ... Hall of the Year,” he said.
