One of the best decisions that my friends and I made during the spring semester of our freshman year at Fairfield was applying to live in Loyola Hall. At first, the prospect of having to take one class per semester that related to Ignatian values was unappealing and none of us were enthusiastic about the idea of fall and spring retreats. However, as we continued to progress throughout the semester, most of us fell in love with the community in Loyola Hall and personally, I was sad to leave the place that became my home-away-from-home. Here are the things that I will miss most about Loyola Hall.

1. The Commons

During the month of September, the Commons was an oasis away from the brutal heat of our dorm rooms. My roommate and I, in particular, felt as though we were living in a furnace for the first semester of school and that first month was spent seeking shelter in the one cool spot that was air-conditioned. Inside the Commons, friendships within the community were built, as well. We got to know the RAs in the building and the people who lived on other floors, which made it more fun when we would run into familiar faces.

2. Soda machine (when it was working)

One of Loyola’s selling features was the soda machine that offered various beverages. Most of the year, it was out of commission, but that made it even more special when it actually worked. My personal favorite was the fruit punch that I would have often during Loyola’s weekly Happy Hour.

3. All of my friends being in the same building

All of my friends applied to be in Loyola and that was the best decision that we could have made. While my roommate and I lived on the second floor, the rest of our friends were scattered across the third floor. It was nice, particularly when the weather was bad, to all be able to gather in our room for a movie night and not have to walk back to separate dorms. Also, two of my friends lived directly above my roommate and I, and there were a fair few times when we heard them drop something so we would bang the ceiling and they would respond by stomping on the ground.

4. Seeing a familiar face on every floor

The people who lived in Loyola made the experience so much better than it would be if everyone were reclusive and uninterested in getting to know each other. People constantly walked down the halls and said hello to each other, and most people would frequent the Commons, so it was easy to spot at least one person that you recognized.

5. Events in the Commons

Events like Happy Hour every Wednesday night at 10 p.m., the Super Bowl screening and dinner forums made the Commons a fun place to stop in in order to see what is happening at a given time. For my friends and I, Happy Hour became a safe haven halfway through the week when we were fed up and buried in work. Even going for 20 minutes to have a few snacks was stress-relieving and probably good for our mental health.

6. RHA meetings and events

I became a general member for Loyola’s Residential Housing Association and it was the best decision I made throughout the year. After I got my best friend to join with me, meetings became so much fun and the events that we held, such as our version of "A Christmas Story" for the Lighting of the Lounges, were unforgettable. We were such a cohesive unit that we even won RHA of the Year and that was not taken lightly.

7. Late-night Netflix episodes with my roommate

Last year, my best friend and I lived in separate dorms and since she had a television, we would spend the late hours of the night bingeing shows in her room. Since we lived together this year, we could get ready for bed and then watch TV until we were both ready to fall asleep and I cannot stress how grateful I was to not have to trek back to Campion from Jogues Hall in the arctic weather. Our TV show of choice throughout the year was “Everybody Loves Raymond” and honestly, I do not think that there was a single episode that we watched late at night that was not relevant to our lives.

8. Our view

My roommate and I had the great view of the heart of campus from our room and Loyola also has a great view of the Quad from the Commons bay window. I know that next year I will miss seeing the weather changes from the different views, especially after the first fresh snowfall of the season.

9. The RAs

Knowing your RAs and building a relationship with them will make any dorm experience more enjoyable. The RAs during my time in Loyola were friendly, enthusiastic and always involved, whether it was for their respective dinner forums or Loyola sponsored events. I am so thankful that I got to know a group of kind and spirited people during my stay at Loyola who were constantly around the Commons and more than willing to talk.

10. The retreats and mentor groups

As I mentioned before, my friends and I were not particularly thrilled about the idea of going on Loyola retreats. However, I would not trade those retreats for the world. My roommate and I were both in the same mentor group and those retreats were the places where our mentor group thrived and how our group got to know each other on a more intrinsic level. Whether we were on campgrounds in the fall or Wisdom House in the spring, a sense of community was built and our group truly blossomed during that time.

11. The community respect

Overall, the people who lived in Loyola respected the space. There are always outliers in every situation, but I was genuinely impressed by the people who not only respected each other, but also the people who respected the building and did not make the jobs of the maintenance workers too much harder than they needed to be.

12. The games in the Commons

The Commons had a game cabinet that was perfect for a quiet weekend and one game in particular that my friends and I played was Catch Phrase. We would divide into two groups and one person would have to get their other group members to guess the word or phrase that they had on the device. The adrenaline was incredible and the most memorable moment was when my one friend asked, “What do you use a key for?” and without thinking, my other friend responded to him, referencing an inside joke we all had, by screaming, “Murder!”

13. Being able to watch movies in the Commons

The big screen in the Commons was good if you were a sports fan during the Super Bowl, but even better if you wanted to watch a movie with friends. One night, my friends and I gathered together and we watched “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” and we had the greatest time monopolizing the television for that one night.

14. Guac time with friends

My friends and I formed a tradition known as “guac time.” My one friend, who we refer to as the group mom, always has a constant supply of food and every couple of weeks we would go up to her room, gather in a circle on her floor and finish a packet of guacamole with her chips (sometimes we also added salsa with cheese to our array of happiness). These guac nights were always stress relievers and always happened late at night. During my freshman year, I did not have a sense of community in my dorm. I am so glad that I found a community who genuinely enjoyed and respected each other in Loyola and that I got to share some great memories in Loyola with the people that I truly care about.