Scholars Commons
Scholars Commons consists of four buildings: Augustine Hall, Thomas Aquinas Hall, Teresa of Avila Hall & John Henry Newman Hall. Each building consists of ten apartments, housing 300 sophomore students in total, staffed by eight student Resident Success Assistants and one Professional Residence Hall Director. Scholars Commons is conveniently located next to the Campus Field, JP's Diner and the William Pitt Athletic & Convocation Center, allowing continual access to campus while achieving a greater level of independence.
Building Amenities
- 24-hour security presence
- Card swipe entry at the main entrance
- Vending machines located throughout the building
- Laundry machines throughout the building
- Fitness facility located in Theresa of Avila Hall
- All-gender public bathrooms on the first floor of each building
Apartment Amenities
- Each suite houses seven or eight same gender students
- Kitchen
- Spacious dining/living room area
- Large bathroom
- Cable jack in living room
- Fully furnished
Room Amenities
- Double or triple occupancy
- Window coverings
- Desks (one per resident)
- Chairs (one per resident)
- Adjustable bed (one per resident)
- Dresser drawer (one per resident)
- Closet armoire (one per resident)
- Cable television jack (one per room)
- Air conditioning/heating unit
- Wireless internet access
Meet the Staff
Residential Life Central Office
203-416-3417
Tyler Shaw
Residence Hall Director
203-365-7693
shawt2@sacredheart.edu
Resident Success Assistant
- Zaida Witkowski (SRSA)
- Jake Strain
- Taylor Batterton
- Carlo Gulia
- Kenzie Trpicovsky
- Stephen Palermo
- Sydney Stavraka
- Jeremiah Iyonsi
Who is St. Augustine?
St. Augustine of Hippo
354-430
Augustine was born in Tagaste (modern Souk Ahras, Algeria), Africa in 354 and died almost 76 years later in Hippo (modern Annaba, Algeria) on the Mediterranean coast, 60 miles away. He relentlessly searched the world for truth—he thought he had found it many times in various philosophies and ethical systems, but was disappointed until he discovered the Christian faith. A Christian at 33, a priest at 36 and a bishop at 41, St. Augustine is often remembered as a sinner-turned-saint. Classic writings, such as his Confessions and Retractions, reveal soulful insights into the life of one who passionately lived in this world while focusing on the next. He lived his life with intensity, whether his path led away from or toward God. His times were decadent and dangerous — politically, socially and morally. He answered his world with the zealous and honest gift of his heart, mind and life.
Who is St. Thomas Aquinas?
St. Thomas Aquinas
1225-1274
Saint Thomas Aquinas was a Catholic Priest in the Dominican Order and one of the most important Medieval philosophers and theologians. He was immensely influenced by scholasticism and Aristotle. Although he wrote many works of philosophy and theology throughout his life, his most influential work is the Summa Theologica. His Christian-Aristotelian synthesis remains, to this day, one of the greatest integrated systems of thought with very few historical parallels. Aquinas, the Angelic Doctor, was a figure of towering intellect, rich poetic sensibility and deep spiritual interiority. In addition to the Summa Theologica, Aquinas wrote the Summa Contra Gentiles as well as a large collection of hymns.
Who is St. Teresa of Avila?
St. Teresa of Avila
1515-1582
St. Teresa was born in Avila, Spain, in 1515, the daughter of a Toledo merchant and his second wife, who died when Teresa was 15. Shortly after this event, Teresa, one of 10 children, was entrusted to the care of the Augustinian nuns. After reading the letters of St. Jerome, Teresa resolved to enter into religious life. In 1535, she joined the Carmelite Order. When she set herself to the reformation of her Order, she met with much resistance but succeeded with undaunted courage to create a more basic type of Carmelite life called the Discalced (“shoeless”) Carmelites. St. Teresa left to posterity many new convents that she continued founding up to the year of her death in 1582. She also left a significant legacy of profound and poetic writings that are important benchmarks in the history of Christian mysticism. These works include the Way of Perfection, the Interior Castle as well as her autobiography, one of the great classics in Christian literature. In 1970, Pope Paul VI recognized Teresa for her profound writing as the first woman Doctor of the Church, and she took her place alongside such great names as St. Augustine and St. Jerome.
Who is St. John Henry Newman?
St. John Henry Newman
1801-1890
St. John Henry Cardinal Newman was a leading figure in the Church of England prior to his conversion to Catholicism in 1845. He was a scholar at Oxford who possessed brilliant speaking and writing abilities. His Parochial and Plain Sermons (1834-42) are considered by many to be the best sermons in the English language. He was one of the prime movers of the Oxford (or Tractarian) movement that sought to find communion between the various branches of the Christian Church. From 1851 to 1858, Newman founded and presided over the Catholic University of Ireland justifying Catholic liberal education in the now classic Idea of a University. He became a cardinal in 1877. A man of solitude and action, Newman possessed tremendous capacity for friendship and human sympathy. Among the many things he was interested in were the sacred duty of developing one’s gifts and liberal education as the cultivation of a healthy mind. His ideas had significant influence at the Second Vatican Council, particularly his ecclesiology, ecumenical sensitivities, theory of doctrinal development, defense of conscience and theology of the laity. Pope John Paul II declared him “venerable” in 1991. St. John Henry Newman was canonized by Pope Francis in 2019.