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Notre Dame is in Eastern Time Zone, and Indiana participates in daylight savings.
Notre Dame weather is very unpredictable at all times during the year. It can snow in April and May but also be 80 degrees the very next day! The Midwest can truly never pick what weather it wants. Early fall and occasionally late spring tend to be very hot and humid (bring fans because Lyons does not have AC), while the winter is very long and cold. Be sure to prepare for anything and definitely bring sweaters, rain boots, umbrellas, hats, mittens, winter boots, and a long parka! South Bend has four seasons so know what to bring for each of these seasons!
In most cases, no. Permissions for early move-in are handled by Residential Life and are only given to those meeting specific criteria (athletic obligations, band auditions, entrance testing, etc). Early move-in is only allowed for those who have been approved by Residential Life.
Each year, some Lyons First Years move in early, so you will not be alone. In addition to other first year students, Lyons Hall Staff, the Welcome Weekend Committee, and a few other Lyons residents will already be on campus when you arrive. Official orientation activities will not begin until after regular move-in, but everyone will be eager to help you move in and welcome you to your new home!
Most of the stores or buildings on campus provide anything students may need. However, sometimes you need a little break from campus or may want to go explore the South Bend area. Uber, as well as traditional Taxi services, are available for students to help get around off campus. Similarly, the local bus system offers two free TRANSPO routes for Notre Dame students- one runs between ND, St. Mary’s and Holy Cross while the other runs to the local mall. From the mall, another bus can take you around to other local stores for free with a student ID. Finally, some students on campus have their own vehicle and are willing to take you off campus to run errands or grab food.
Notre Dame offers six meal plans for use in both SDH & NDH. All students are placed on the Block 250 Plan, which offers 250 entries into the dining halls and $500 in Flex Points for the semester. Students have the opportunity to switch to a different plan within the first 2 weeks of the semester. For more information about meal plans (including reducing yours), visit https://dining.nd.edu/services/meal-plans/on-campus-undergrads/.
Lyons has a laundry room in the basement, equipped with 6 washers and 8 dryers, along with an ironing board and iron. Laundry is FREE! You can also sign up for St. Michael's Laundry Service. They will pick up your clothes at the hall, wash them, and deliver them back to the hall for you. First years will receive information about registration and cost, check their website here for more information. Dry cleaning services are provided at the St. Michael's building behind the dome or at their off campus plant.
Undergraduate students receive $20 PrintND Dollars for the Academic year, and it costs only a few cents per black and white page (single or double-sided) and more for for each color page (single or double-sided). There are printers all around campus, so printing is never really an issue. All you need is your ID card or netID and password, and you’re good to go! There is even a printer in every dorm—the Lyons’ printer is located in the second floor lounge!
Flex Points are part of the on-campus dining plan and are only accept at on-campus retail food service establishments. Unused Flex Points DO rollover from the Fall to Spring Semesters. For the default meal plan (the Gold Plan), students receive 500 flex points.
Domer Dollars are accepted at all on-campus retail food establishments, in campus laundry, vending machines, and some off-campus locations. Domer Dollars do NOT expire, as you have to add them as you go, but will remain on your campus ID card until you separate from the University. Parents can also go online and add Domer Dollars for their student if desired.
Luckily, Lyons has a full kitchen on every floor! Each kitchen is fully equipped with some pots, pans, utensils, measuring cups, and cookie sheets. The kitchens have a stove, oven, and microwave, as well as a refrigerator/freezer available for residents to store things that are properly labeled. Residents who use the kitchen are expected to clean up after themselves and wash all used dishes. Remember, even though we have two lovely housekeepers that help keep our home tidy, it is not their responsibility to clean up our messes!
Every room in Lyons has its own mailbox, meaning you will share a mailbox with your roommate(s). Our mail room is located on the first floor. You can access your mailbox anytime with your room key. Your mailing address is:
Resident Name
[room #] Lyons Hall
Notre Dame, IN 46556-5617
If you are expecting a package, you can pick it up from the mail room during designated Package Hours that are set every semester. Amazon, UPS, and FedEx packages are often delivered straight to the resident's door. Check the calendar tab for mail hours each week!
There are two communal bathrooms on each floor, except the basement which has one. Most bathrooms have three stalls, one sink (each room in Lyons has its own sink as well) and two or three shower stalls. There are shelves in each bathroom where you can store a shower caddy. In addition, there is a men’s bathroom located on the first floor.
Wi-Fi is available throughout campus and during Welcome Weekend, First Years will be taught how to properly connect to the internet and printing service. (student Wi-Fi network is "eduroam")
Lyons Hall has two lovely housekeepers; however, they are not responsible for cleaning individual rooms. The housekeepers will help clean the hallways, common spaces, and bathrooms. Over breaks, they will clean residents' sinks and mirrors, but they will not be responsible for cleaning individual rooms during the regular school year.
Every student will have to swipe their Notre Dame ID to access the dorm. Between midnight and 9am on weekdays and 2am and 9am on weekends, only Lyons residents will be able to access the hall, and they will have to input a personal security code.
Lyons is very special because each room in the hall is different; therefore, we don't have room dimensions available. Most freshmen will be in doubles or quads, which tend to be a bit small, so we suggest not buying any large items like shelves/furniture/rugs until you see your room for the first time. Check out the "Dorm Rooms" page for more information about what your room will look like.
A bike is definitely helpful but not necessary. Most students tend to walk, scooter, or skateboard around campus, but many students do chose to bring a bike to campus. Most important buildings are less than a fifteen minute walk from Lyons. With a bike, most important buildings are within ten minutes. If you do chose to bring a bike, make sure to buy a U-lock. Notre Dame students like to hang bikes in trees that are left unlocked! Notre Dame also provides free storage for bikes in the stadium for the winter.
Feel free to contact us (lyonshallnd@gmail.com) as we would be glad to answer any questions you may have. Please don't hesitate to reach out to any Lyonite and if we can't answer your question, we can point you to someone who can help!