Residence Name Change is Official

Community Input

Purchase College has a history of empowering its students in creative decisions about student life matters, dating back to its early years when students chose the school’s first colors, heliotrope and puce.

In 1989, the students voted to name the residence halls on campus, which were previously known only by letter identification. The first-year residence A/B was renamed Big Haus, along with Crossroads and Farside from C/D and E/F respectively. 

In recent years, students and community members have expressed the desire to change the name to reflect one that’s more inclusive and without negative historical connotations.

It’s Central

The residence is now called Central, marking both its location and the desire to bring people together.

The Purchase College Council voted to make it official on July 25, 2022. According to President Milly Peña, the new name “denotes the residence hall’s location, which is indeed centrally located among the six traditional residence halls, but it has a deeper meaning that we believe will resonate with the community. Central represents a meeting place where we can gather to speak and be heard, and a place to come together to move forward.”

Land Acknowledgment

The renaming of the residence hall is part of the college’s concerted effort to acknowledge and share the campus’s history in Westchester County, which includes honoring both the indigenous people of the region and those who were enslaved on campus and nearby.