I am a resident of Pasquerilla East Hall.
"Is that one of those dorms back behind North Dining Hall?" you might ask.
"That is the farthest possible dorm from me," is another popular response, followed by, "I've never been to Mod Quad. I'm sorry that you have to live back there."
I am happy, however, to point out some perks of being a PE Pyro.
PE is the closest girls' dorm to Rolfs, and one of the closest to the library. We also live next door to Grace Hall, home to the best café on campus.
I've made it to O'Shag in under 5 minutes, which is probably faster than some of the dorms all the way at the end of South Quad.
When the weather is bad, PE girls walk through PW on their way to North Dining Hall, therefore only spending one minute outside. Cavanaugh and BP girls have a much wetter or colder walk.
It does not bother me that PE is less than beautiful in outward appearance. We have air conditioning, big rooms and huge closets.
Last, but not least, our floors are numbered 5 through 8. I enjoy living in the only room 819 on campus.
While some fellow Pyros gaze longingly at Farley or Cavanaugh, I love living on Mod Quad.
I have just one complaint.
Landscapers clearly worked hard all summer long to keep campus gorgeous. Did they get lost on their way to Mod Quad?
Every fall when I return to Notre Dame, I am once again in awe of our beautiful campus. God Quad is bursting with flowers, North Quad always has a few new trees and the grass is greener than ever.
The sidewalks and so-called flowerbeds between the four Mod Quad dorms are littered with decomposing leaves left over from last fall. The rest of the area is covered in weeds and mud.
I understand that Mod Quad cannot have flowers or grass because not enough sun reaches the walkways between the four dorms.
I do know that we would all appreciate at least a little bit of leaf blowing. Some mulch would be ideal. An extra special bonus might be some plants or ground cover that grow well in shady areas.
When it rains, a small lake forms between PE and PW. I wish this was an exaggeration, but it does not take much rain to make it ankle deep and unavoidable.
I would venture to guess that if there was a similar water buildup between Farley and BP, where that beautiful new walkway was built this summer, maintenance crews would dig new drainage within a few days.
This week, maintenance crews will be working hard to make campus sparkle for the first home football game.
Mod Quad might not be a priority because the flocks of fans will not venture to that far corner of campus. But on behalf of the students who call Mod Quad home, we do not deserve to be forgotten.
