Student Life FAQ
What is spiritual life like at ND?
As a Catholic university, it is easy to see the physical manifestation of faith present on campus. For instance, a statue of the Virgin Mary stands atop the Main Building’s dome, there is a mural of Jesus on the side of our library, and chapels are located in every residence hall. At the same time, however, there are many Notre Dame students who are not Catholic or who are non-practicing Catholics—we welcome people of all different faiths and practices to the University! We ask only that they be willing to dive into discussions involving faith and spirituality and also be supportive of the University’s mission.
Many different religious services are offered throughout the week at Notre Dame including over 100 Catholic masses. Campus Ministry facilitates many activities for all students and works to ensure that the atmosphere at Notre Dame is supportive and welcoming to all. Included in this mission is the task of making sure that students who are not Catholic can find masses or services in the South Bend community and also transportation to their respective churches, temples, synagogues, or mosques.
Does Notre Dame offer laundry services to students?
All dorms have laundry rooms with washers($1.25 per load) and driers($0.75 per load). Another on-campus option is St. Michael’s Laundry Center. For a reasonable price, a St. Michael’s employee will pick up your laundry at your dorm, launder it, then return it to you about 2 days later.
Does Notre Dame have intramural sports?
Notre Dame has one of the best intramural sports programs in the country. We are the only non-academy school to have full-pad, full-contact men’s interhall football. We facilitate nearly any sport you might be interested in continuing. The level of commitment required of intramural athletes really depends on the sport as well as on the level of commitment that your team chooses to exert. Obviously a team sport will take a little more effort than individual. For more information, feel free to check out ND RecSports website.
What is the Greek life like at Notre Dame?
The University of Notre Dame hosts neither fraternities nor sororities. Instead, the residential nature of the campus and its unique stay-hall system, in which students typically remain in the same dormitory for their entire time on campus, fosters a strong sense of community.
What kind of food options are available on campus?
Students at Notre Dame certainly do not go hungry!
The Notre Dame campus is home to two dining halls. North Dining Hall resides on North Quad while South Dining Hall, not surprisingly, is located on South Quad. Both dining halls serve roughly the same food and students can use their meal plans at either location.
There are two meal plans that students can choose from: the Premium 21 and the Flex 14. The Premium 21 meal plan provides a student with twenty-one meals in the dining hall per week – 3 meals per day, 7 days a week. A student can only enter the dining hall once per meal period (for instance, if a student eats lunch at noon, he or she cannot leave and return for another lunch at 1:30PM). However, once inside the dining hall, the portions are all-you-can-eat. The Flex 14 plan includes fourteen dining hall meals per week. The seven meals that the student has given up are credited back to his or her account in the form of Flex Points. These Flex Points can be used to purchase food at any of the cafes and restaurants on campus.
For more information regarding the dining halls or restaurants on campus, or if you are simply curious to see what is on the menu for a given day, please consult the Notre Dame Food Services’ website by clicking here.
Is Notre Dame a safe campus?
Yes, our campus is very safe for students. It is a highly residential campus, so access by car is limited by monitored security gates. Notre Dame Security Police patrol the campus by car, bike, and foot. There are also emergency call stations located around the exterior of the campus. The crime rate on campus is extremely low and students report feeling very safe at Notre Dame.
How do I audition for the marching band?
Marching Band auditions are conducted at the end of Band Camp, which is held immediately before the start of school in the Fall. Arrangements are made for all auditioning and returning Band students to move into their dorm the Wednesday before classes begin. Each applicant is assigned a Core Band member and a “Band Buddy” to help teach the Notre Dame marching styles and guide them through the audition process.
If you are an incoming freshman at Notre Dame, Saint Mary’s or Holy Cross, you should be receiving band sign up information through the mail. Simply return the enclosed information card to be added to the Band Camp audition roster. You will receive more information by mail and email throughout the summer.
What are parietals?
At Notre Dame, we have twenty-seven, single-sex residence halls. There are fourteen male and thirteen female dorms. “Parietals” are the hours when members of the opposite sex are permitted in individual dorm rooms. Parietals run from 9 a.m. to midnight Sunday through Thursday and 9 a.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday. The residence halls all have lounges where people can meet 24 hours a day.There are also various places around campus that are open twenty-four hours for studying, eating, and meeting with fellow students.
