Dorm vs. Residence Hall

Ever wonder why Jessica is so nuts about using the naughty word DORM?

Some of you might think I am ridiculous, you might even ask yourself is this age old debate between residence hall and dorm just a matter of semantics? Does it really make a difference what they are called?

The dictionary defines a dormitory as “a room for sleeping, especially a large room containing a number of beds.” It defines a residence as “a building used as a home.” Just as more occurs in a home than just sleeping, more also occurs in a residence hall. The professional and RA staff in the residence halls provide programming, tutoring, socializing, counseling, emotional support, discipline, leadership skills acquisition and a myriad of opportunities to grow and develop.

Over the years, residence hall staffs have come up with a number of acronyms to illustrate the difference. For example, “DORM” stands for “Dreary Old Room of Mine”. “RESIDENCE HALL” stands for "Really Exciting Sensational Individually-Designed Enlightening New College Experience that Houses an Abundance of Life and Love.” Or as Jessica likes to call it- a residence hall is a WORLD OF WONDER. You sleep in a dorm, you LIVE in a residence hall.

There is an old story about a wealthy jeweler on a cruise. She compliments the captain on his wonderful boat. The captain explains that it is not a boat; it is a ship. However, over the next few days, the woman continues to refer to the vessel as a boat. The captain, not the most patient of people, finally says to her, “Madam, if you are going to continue to call this a boat, than I must counter by calling those expensive pearls you are wearing ‘beads’ and that fine steak you are eating as a piece of meat.” While all ships are, in fact, boats, all boats are not ships. A boat goes from one place to another on the water. There is much more occurring on a ship. All pearls may be nominally beads, but not all beads are pearls, and all steaks are meat, but not all meats are steak. Ships, pearls and steaks are the higher, more special versions of those items, as are residence halls.
Jessica also found that while reading on the internets- that some schools changed the names of their halls from dorms to residence halls in the 1920s to convey to Trustees and others that a residence hall is worth the money used to construct it, as it would better the education with all of the living and learning that goes on in those buildings.

So the next time Jessica corrects you, please know that it is just because she does not want you to devalue the work we do, making the residence halls wonderful places to live, learn, socialize, and just BE.