Dorm Days

As architect Mies van der Rohe said, "God is in the details," which is to say that small elements matter. On campus, the buildings where the small details of collegiate life happen-where roommates first meet, lifelong friendships form and conversations take place over meals and countless cups of coffee-often matter as much as calculus or English. These are the places where memories are built.

In October 2024, Vanderbilt announced plans to build residential colleges in a new Central Neighborhood on campus. When these new residential colleges are completed and students move in, they will imbue their new home-away-from home with treasured experiences.

To create the new residential colleges, the University Club and the Community Partnership House have already come down. Branscomb Quad is being demolished. McTyeire is being used for office space and no longer housing students as the Central Neighborhood evolves.

As we heard from alumni and current students on social media, Branscomb and McTyeire were the heart and soul of many fond campus experiences, some of them life-changing.

In the mornings, before walking to the Engineering School, I would stop to get a homemade breakfast sandwich from the Munchie Mart at Branscomb. I loved those steak, egg and cheese sandwiches with mixed fruit jelly!
-Dana Winbush Taylor, BS'98

I lived in McTyeire for two and a half years. It changed my life and trajectory. Hopefully we all found our tribes, and mine was there. The daily international feasts from our own dorm kitchen, speaking our respective foreign languages (sort of), regular dance parties, fireside chats, and visits from international cultural and arts figures-but mostly finding my tribe that I cherish every day.
-Brett Barfield, BA'85

No matter what you did on a Saturday night on campus, everyone ended up at breakfast at Branscomb by 1 a.m. Even if I didn't go out, sometimes I would stay up late enough to walk over and indulge in those rich biscuits and gravy with eggs. All this after the Saturday brunch buffet in Rand. Having to cook my own meals now, I definitely appreciate how well Vandy fed us!
-Erin Pfaff, BS'03, PhD'17

In 1992, I moved into Scales 2 in Branscomb. My future husband, Ryan Arney, BA'96, lived in Lupton, and we ended up having two classes together our freshman fall semester. We started dating during the winter and got married in 1998, having dated since our freshman year in Branscomb. Fast forward to the fall of 2024 when our daughter, Claire Arney, Class of 2027, moved into Scales 3. We are thrilled that our daughter chose to attend Vanderbilt, and it's even more fun that she lived in the same dorm we lived in many years ago.
-Marisa Hudson-Arney, BA'96

I credit McTyeire for who I am today. Because of my time in McTyeire I became truly fluent in French and married a Frenchman that I dated during my time in Aix-en-Provence [during spring semester my junior year]. The language skills I gained in McTyeire allowed me to live in Bordeaux after graduation from Vanderbilt. My [future] husband even visited me in McTyeire and stayed there for a few weeks!
-Rebecca Dupuy, BA'95, MBA'01

I remember with fondness what happened on my first birthday away from home. My roommate and hallmates planned a surprise birthday party for me in our Stapleton dorm room, complete with decorations, gifts from home and a birthday cake with 19 candles. It may not have been home, but I was happy. I was celebrating and making memories with the people who had become my friends inside the four walls that had become my home.
-Amy LaFrentz, BA'91