This fall, 246 girls will call Ryan Hall home once construction on the new dorm is completed in time for its residents to move-in in mid August.
"It's going to be so nice to live in a completely new dorm with rooms and facilities that have not yet been used by others," said Courtney Sands, a Pangborn freshman who will move to Ryan in the fall.
The 74,600 square-foot residence hall is being built in Notre Dame's traditional gothic style and was underwritten by the Ryan Family.
Current Pasquerilla East (PE) Rector Breyan Tornifolio will serve as the rector for Ryan Hall. Tornifolio said she is very excited about the transition.
"The challenge of starting a new hall and building a strong foundation for tradition appealed to me," Tornifolio said. "I have loved my time in PE and the women who live in PE, but I am also ready to welcome a new community into the Notre Dame family."
Ryan will feature a variety of rooms, ranging from traditional doubles and quads to super doubles and super quads.
There will be a total of 81 doubles and six quads. Additionally, Ryan Hall will have four super quads as well as eight super doubles.
Sands will live in a traditional double for the 2009-2010 school year.
"I'm living in a double next year with one of my best friends here," she said. "My other good friends moving to Ryan are all on the same floor within close proximity to our room so we are going to have a blast."
The super doubles are slightly larger than the average double because of their bay windows.
According to the Office Residence Life and Housing Web site, a super quad has a traditional three-room set-up with bedrooms on each side and a common room in between. Super quads also feature private bathrooms.
Room picks for the new dorm were completed this past February after new residents were notified of their acceptance into Ryan.
Mason Bashaw, a freshman from Welsh Family will live in one of the super quads next year.
"My room in particular is a quad with its own bathroom that overlooks the courtyard," she said. "I'm so excited to be in such a beautiful dorm with all of my friends."
The common room has a bay window and private bathroom. The bathroom contains a sink, shower and toilet.
There will also be one triple in the dorm, as well as 17 single rooms. Six resident assistants will live in singles in the hall.
In addition to dorm rooms, each section will contain two lounges. One of these lounges contains a sink and microwave for cooking purposes.
A small vending area, a workout room, and a laundry area will be located in the dorm's basement.
On the first floor, there will be a main lounge similar to the 24-hour spaces located in each dorm, as well as a kitchen and food-serving area. There will also be sets of a stove, oven and dishwasher located on the second and third floors.
Along with these amenities, Ryan will have the traditional amenities of the other dorms on West Quad, such as air conditioning, elevators and modular furniture.
Mackey Mitchell Associates of St. Louis were the architects behind the new dorm, The construction manager for the project is the Skanska Corp.
Since Ryan is new, the girls living in the dorm next year will be able to help choose the dorm's colors, mascot and signature event.
Bashaw said she is especially thrilled about helping out with this process.
"I'm excited to be able to really influence the dorm and help to form all of the traditions," she said.
Like Bashaw, Tonrifolio also is looking forward to the new experience.
"Bringing women in from different communities and forming one new community is very exciting to me," Tornifolio said. "I'm also excited about starting new traditions and figuring things out as we go"
Despite being the first inhabitants of the dorm, neither Bashaw nor Tornifolio were worried about any challenges that may lie ahead.
"I think there will be great things about opening a new hall and tough things as well," Tornifolio said. "I think it's one of those things that we will have to see as the year progresses."
Despite this, Tornifolio said she is eager to begin her tenure as the rector of Notre Dame's newest dorm.
"I'm very excited to be the rector of Ryan Hall," she said. "I'm sure that Ryan will be a great home for the women who live there and [I know] how lucky and blessed I feel to be part of it."
