The Daily Orange is a nonprofit newsroom that receives no funding from Syracuse University. Consider donating today to support our mission.

Daily milkshakes. Late-night snack bars. A 24-hour quiet study room with optimal sunset views. Found in some of Syracuse University’s freshman dorms, these features are just a few that have stood out to former residents.

First-year students this month are arriving on SU’s campus and moving into dorms, a process that’s happening earlier than expected for some due to New York state’s 14-day quarantine requirement. While many parts of college life will be different this year, the residence halls that have housed freshmen in the past will continue to be home to the Class of 2024.

For many first-year students, getting assigned to a dorm is both a nerve-wracking and exciting experience that may send them down a rabbit hole of research. Here’s a breakdown of SU’s freshman dorms and the features that former residents enjoyed the most:

Brewster, Boland and Brockway — known as BBB — is the largest freshmen dorm on the SU campus. Gavin Liddell | Staff Photographer

Brewster, Boland and Brockway halls

Dorm room style: Split doubles, singles, open quads.
Dining hall or proximity to other dining halls: Connected to Brockway Dining Center.
Fun feature: There’s a cafe in the basement called the BBBistro, which is open from 7:30 p.m to 12 a.m. Monday through Sunday. The cafe offers chicken fingers, mozzarella sticks and other late-night snacks.

Brewster, Boland and Brockway halls — known to SU students as BBB — is the largest freshman dorm on campus, housing approximately 730 first-year students. The residence hall is located behind Falk College.

The dorm’s large size gave sophomore Ben Bauder the opportunity to meet new people every day his freshman year, he said.

“There were so many people living inside BBB and we were all freshmen, so it was just a really good thing that we all had a commonality,” Bauder said. “It made for a lot of interesting people to meet and fun conversations.”

Sadler Hal sits directly behind the Carrier Dome and houses members of the Renée Crown University Honors Program. Emily Steinberger | Photo Editor

Sadler Hall

Dorm room style: Singles, split doubles and open doubles.
Dining hall or proximity to other dining halls: Connected to Sadler Dining Center.
Fun feature: The dorm is steps away from the Carrier Dome, making it very convenient for students on game days.

Sadler Hall is located behind the Carrier Dome and houses approximately 490 first-year students. The dorm is also home to freshmen members of the Renée Crown University Honors Program.

For Sarah Linhares, a member of the SU women’s rowing team, the proximity to the Carrier Dome was a positive aspect of the dorm.

“On game days you cannot beat it because you walk out of your dorm front doors and the Carrier Dome is right there which is pretty unbeatable,” Linhares said.

Lawrinson Hall stands 21 stories tall and offers SU freshmen a panoramic view of the city of Syracuse. Corey Henry | Senior Staff Photographer

Lawrinson Hall

Dorm room style: Singles, split doubles and corner doubles.
Dining Hall or proximity to other dining halls: A tunnel connects the residence hall to Sadler and Sadler Dining Center.
Fun feature: The top floor of Lawrinson is a penthouse gathering space that has study rooms and a great view of the city of Syracuse.

Lawrinson Hall is often identified as the tallest dorm on campus, housing approximately 540 first-year students on 20 floors. The residence hall is located behind SUNY-ESF and next to Sadler.

The dorm’s floors are relatively small, so getting to know other residents is easy, sophomore Murray Lebovitz said.

“It’s kind of easy to go from one floor to another,” Lebovitz said. “That’s important because you tend to explore on Lawrinson a lot because your floor is so small and easy to get around that you want to go and meet other people in your building.”

Day Hall is one of the two dorms on Mount Olympus, also known as “the Mount” by SU students. Elizabeth Billman | Senior Staff Photographer

Day Hall

Dorm room style: Singles, open doubles and split doubles.
Dining hall or proximity to other dining halls: Connected to Graham Dining Hall.
Fun feature: An underground tunnel connects the dorm to a late-night snack bar called the Junction and FoodWorks, a convenience store.

Day Hall houses about 615 freshmen and is found on the Mount, a location that involves a staircase of over 100 steps. The Mount “is its own community within Syracuse residence halls,” said Elizabeth Nauman, a junior and the president of the Resident Hall Association.

An underground tunnel connects Day, Flint Hall and Graham Dining Hall. The lower level of Graham features FoodWorks, a convenience store stocked with snacks, as well as a late-night snack bar called the Junction, which serves dishes such as chicken tenders and fries from 9 p.m. until midnight.

The student rooms, bathrooms and first-floor lounge had renovations completed in the summer of 2019.

Flint Hall makes up the other half of the Mount and is the only freshmen dorm without split-double rooms. Gavin Liddell | Staff Photographer

Flint Hall

Dorm room style: Singles and open doubles.
Dining hall or proximity to other dining halls: Connected to Graham Dining Hall.
Fun feature: The dorm is located on the Mount, which also houses freshman dorm Day Hall. The Quad is at the bottom of the Mount steps, making it easy to get to class.

To junior Alyeska Reimer, Flint Hall has fun energy because of the pride that comes with living on the Mount. Flint, located next to Day, houses approximately 490 first-year students. Flint is the only freshman dorm that does not have split-double rooms.

The Mount had an amazing view of the sunset every night, said sophomore Asha Duerden.

“Living on the Mount just in general, it was like a little community, but at the same time it was right on the doorstep of campus,” Duerden said.

Freshmen and sophomores live in Haven Hall which has a circular study room known as the “toilet bowl.” Corey Henry | Senior Staff Photographer

Haven Hall

Dorm room style: Singles, one-person suites, open doubles, split doubles, two-person suites and four-person suites.
Dining hall or proximity to other dining halls: Closest dining hall is Ernie Davis Dining Center.
Fun feature: The dorm’s 24-hour quiet study room allows residents to avoid having to walk to the library for late night or early morning study sessions.

Haven Hall, which houses 375 freshmen and sophomores, is known as “the toilet bowl” due to the circular shape of the building, senior Jacob Hiller said. Unlike most SU dorms that house freshmen, Haven is home to a mix of freshmen and upperclassmen.

The dorm has a quiet study lounge that has walls almost completely composed of windows, lending itself to beautiful views of the sunset, said junior Brian Chau.

Shaw Hall is home to the STEM learning communities and is a short walk away from the Quad. Damon Kasberg | Contributing Photographer

Shaw Hall

Dorm room style: Singles, open doubles and split doubles.
Dining hall or proximity to other dining halls: Connected to Shaw Dining Center.
Fun feature: Shaw Dining Center serves milkshakes daily alongside themed milkshakes for special events and holidays.

Shaw Hall’s location is one of the best on campus, sophomore Thomas Cheng said. Located near the Quad, Shaw houses 475 freshmen and sophomores and is home to all of the STEM learning communities.

The residence hall is also connected to Shaw Dining Center, which made meals easy and convenient, Cheng said.

Dellplain Hall is perched behind Ernie Davis Hall and gets the benefit of sharing some of its amenities. Gavin Liddell | Staff Photographer

DellPlain Hall

Dorm room style: Singles, open doubles, split doubles, two-person suites and four-person suites.
Dining hall or proximity to other dining halls: Near Ernie Davis Dining Center.
Fun feature: The residence hall is located next to Ernie Davis Hall, which has a dining hall and a fitness center, as well as FoodWorks II, a convenience store with snacks and other essentials.

DellPlain Hall, which houses about 475 freshmen and sophomores, is located next to Ernie Davis Hall and is steps away from the fitness and dining centers in Ernie Davis.

Sophomore Marin Grillo’s favorite part about living in DellPlain was her room, which she said felt similar to a hotel and featured dark wood furniture and a large wardrobe. Floors six through eight of DellPlain underwent renovations in the summer of 2019, alongside a lounge on the ground floor.

Published on August 5, 2020 at 7:07 pm

Contact Sydney: sabergan@syr.edu