Christon Jackson & President Keith Elder Ph.D., MPH, MPA In Front Of Pacelli The Xavierite
Having lived in Pacelli Hall as a freshman and a resident assistant (RA), I’ve grown a special attachment to it. Through my short yet active time as a student, Pacelli has been a cradle for my collegiate journey.
Despite its age, for me that building is filled with fond memories and comfort.
Pacelli has seen it all. Bomb threats, closures, renovations and expansions. It’s the oldest residence hall on campus, reserved for freshmen only, and has been the launching pad for many new students over the years.
Even though it’s so integral to and storied within the SXU community, Pacelli has a terrible reputation.
If you spend any time inside of the hall, it’s easy to see why.
Like many other places on campus, it looks like it’s stuck in the 2000s. It’s the only residence hall where students don’t get a private bathroom and shower, the elevator is slow, the rooms are cramped, and the walls are thin.
Beyond the physical problems of Pacelli, there is an identity of chaos bound to the building.
If one spots a fire truck or an ambulance on campus, your eyes fall next on Pacelli Hall. In my first year alone there were numerous fire scares, domestic situations, heated arguments, room changes, medical emergencies, the whole nine yards.
Pacelli has one thing no other residence hall has though, and it’s the one thing upperclassmen miss once they’ve moved on from the building.
While Morris, McCarthy, and Rubloff have small gathering rooms on their ground floors, their common areas can’t rival Pacelli Lounge.
Pacelli Lounge is the center of student activity after hours, as it’s large enough to host a variety of events.
As a freshman, if you wanted to find someone, you went to the lounge first. If they weren’t down there, you asked the other twelve people who were.
The lounge is also the place where I met my good friend, Alex Velasquez.
One night after Drama Club rehearsal was over, I saw him down in the lounge talking to some other friends of mine and decided to introduce myself.
Immediately, we bonded over music, clothes, movies, and a mutual inclination towards self-improvement. To this day Alex remains a confidante and he’s someone I always make time for.
That chance for connection isn’t available in any other residence halls.
I’ve walked the other buildings and sat in the other lounges. They’re cold and empty at all times of the day. People stick to their ponds at night, and the draw of community is lost at SXU.
Pacelli also inspired collaboration. Everyone you knew was never too far, and never too busy to lock in for a study session, or go grab a meal from the diner.
Just one person being down there drew a crowd, and from that crowd sprung a genuine synergy among my graduating class.
I have a wealth of memories from all those Pacelli nights. Waiting for the sun to rise over Warde, watching Evil Dead on the TV in October, winning an hour long ten person game of Uno.
Even the experience of moving into the hall is forever crystalized in my mind, my first steps into adulthood made immortal by the fluorescent lobby lights.
All the nostalgia can’t mask its bumps and bruises though.
There’s more often than not the odor of weed sitting in the hallway. Walking to anywhere from Pacelli feels like a chore, and you never really get used to the shower stalls.
But for every flaw, there’s the echo of a laugh, the memory of a friend, and the crumbs of a meal.
Pacelli is an old lady of a building. She’s polite and out of the way. Small and full of problems it might be too late to fix.
But she’s still standing, and she’ll always be there for you. For that, you’ve got to respect her, and naturally, you come to love her.
So when you’re an upperclassman, enjoying another night in your cozy suite, don’t forget about Pacelli. They say the hand that rocks the cradle rules the world.
And if Pacelli is the origin of all that happens here at SXU, then she can’t be that bad after all, can she?