Virginia-Snider Commons

Get a sense of the community

Get a feel for all that Virginia-Snider Commons has to offer by scrolling through the photo gallery or viewing the video. If you prefer, check it out for yourself by visiting campus, or take an online 360°room tour.

We've got a lot to offer

Amenities

Fully furnished rooms

Furniture (per resident): desk, chair, bed, & dresser
Wired and wireless internet
Free on-site washer/dryers
ADA-compliant rooms available
Electricity, water, sewer, &recycling/trash service included

Designed for community

Free laundry
Movable furniture
Study rooms and spaces
Game room
Community microwaves

Convenient location

Walk or bike to class
Nearby parking in Binkley garage or Airline Garage
Easy access to Umphrey Lee
Central location on-campus

An academically-oriented environment

24-hour study rooms and spaces
Faculty-in-Residence
Peer Academic Leaders (PALs), Honors Mentors, and Wellness Education Student Team(WEST)
Educational programs

Worry-free features

Professional, on-site maintenance
24-hour, on-call staff
Card-controlled building access
Security escorts
Roommate matching available
Adjacent bicycle racks

Building facts

Community abbreviations	VS
Building capacity	256
Year built	1926
Residential area	North
Physical address	3301 Dyer Street
Room types	Singles and doubles
Gender	Co-ed by gender by room

Sample floor plans

Sketches are for illustration only; actual room layouts and furnishings may vary.

Community bath double room (Virginia)

Suite double room (Snider)

About our namesakes

J. Virginia Hall is described as having “a gable over the main entrance decorated with an oval window and festoons of fruit and drapery.” She is named for Virginia K. Johnson, a religious and social worker in the Methodist Church who established an occupational training school for at-risk women in Dallas’ Oak Cliff neighborhood.

Snider Hall has “a central gable sporting an unusual polychromatic elephant, purchased overseas by a benefactor of SMU, and festoons of foliage.” Snider Hall is named for local real estate magnate C.W. Snider, of Snider Plaza fame.

Room and furniture dimensions

Description of room

The Virginia side of the building features community-style bathrooms. The Snider side of the building features suite-style bathrooms. Most of the rooms off a suite configuration with a study room.

Furniture dimensions

Desk: 2'6" H x 4" W x 2' D
Dresser: 2'6" H x 2'6" W x 2' D
Bed: 80" L x 36" W (XL Length Loftable Twin)
Window: 6'9" H x 2'9" W

Serve where you live: Engage Dallas

Engage Dallas is a place-based community engagement initiative via SMU’s Residential Commons to address community needs focusing on South and West Dallas. The initiative is a long-term, university-wide commitment led by students to partner with local residents, organizations, and other leaders to positively impact the community. There is equal emphasis on campus and community impact stemming from the initiative.

Virginia Snider Commons crest, Childhood Literacy

In Virginia-Snider Commons, we focus on Childhood Literacy as a community need in Dallas. Virginia-Snider students address this by collaborating on service events and activities with local partners, Voice of Hope, Reading Partners, and Readers 2 Leaders, to directly help those most in need. Our students who serve gain a broader understanding of current social problems, build community with both the city and their peers, and can earn their Community Engagement and Civics & Individual Ethics proficiencies required for graduation. Engage Dallas cultivates unique and enriching experiences for SMU students to explore and serve Dallas!

Start serving today!

Questions? Email your Virginia-Snider Engage Dallas Student Director, MacKenzie Thierry at kthierry@gmail.com

What you can expect

VieSta

VisSta is the signature event for Virginia-Snider Commons and is one of the most anticipated events of the year. This annual event is hosted by the Virginia-Snider Leadership team, which is comprised of Commons Council, Peer Leaders, and Resident Assistants. VieSta is an outdoor event that is hosted in the Health Center Quad nestled outside of Virginia-Snider. The event is comprised of inflatables, food, and most importantly fun. VieSta occurs in the Spring semester and celebrates all the memories made throughout the year as a commons.

Order of the Elephant Knighting Ceremony

The Knighting Ceremony is an annual tradition held in Virginia-Snider Commons where all the new members of the VS community are inducted into the Order of the Elephant and receive their Elephant Lapel Pin. This ceremony serves as a formal education to the values of the community for new members and to assist in creating connections with other affiliated members of Virginia-Snider. Delicious food from SMU Catering is also served at this event!

Live, learn, achieve—together

Get to know the Faculty-in-Residence of Virginia-Snider Commons.

Carol Dickson-Carr; a.k.a. Prof Carol (She/her/hers)

Faculty-in-Residence

Carol Dickson-Carr, AKA Prof DC, her daughter Maya (SMU Class of ’22 and Psych Major), and her husband, Darryl (SMU Professor of English and outgoing department Chair), serve the Virginia-Snider Commons community. They love music, food, and lively discussion that centers on making the community, and by extension, the world a better place. Learn more about Dr. Dickson-Carr and her family.

Ryan Nelson (He/him/his)

Residential Community Director

Ryan Nelson is from Florence, SC and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Mass Communications from the University of South Carolina in the spring. He is passionate about supporting first and second year students as they transition from living at home to living in an on-campus community. He is a huge Houston sports fan and enjoys watching sports and playing video games in his free time.