Virginia-Snider Commons

Virginia-Snider Commons Crest

Reason | Integrity | Strength

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.

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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)

Virgina Double

 

Suite double room (Snider)


Snider Double

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  as a community need in Dallas. Virginia-Snider students address this by collaborating on service events and activities with local partners, , , and , 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 ÃÛÌÒ½´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 Students riding climbing wall in the courtyard.

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 ÃÛÌÒ½´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

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

Faculty-in-Residence

Carol Dickson-Carr, AKA Prof DC, her daughter Maya (ÃÛÌÒ½´Class of ’22 and Psych Major), and her husband, Darryl (ÃÛÌÒ½´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

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.