Ruffin, Jr. Residence Hall
103 Emerson Drive
Chapel Hill, NC 27514
Building Number: 117
Ruffin Residence Hall, formerly named for Thomas Ruffin Sr., is currently named for Thomas Ruffin Jr. Ruffin Sr.'s name was removed in 2020 by the Board of Trustees. Completed in 1922, this residence hall bears the name of Thomas Ruffin, a North Carolina lawyer and judge. Trustee Thomas Ruffin served on the North Carolina Supreme Court, where he wrote one of the most important decisions in the law of American slavery. His opinion in the decision in State v. Mann (1829) banned the prosecution of masters for mistreating slaves by ruling that "the power of the master must be absolute to render the submission of the slave perfect."
The Commission on History, Race, and a Way Forward recommended the name removal due to the following information:
- Ruffin Sr. enslaved one hundred and thirty-give men, women, and children in Alamance and Rockingham Counties.
- He invested in an profited from the domestic slave trade; used his authority as a jurist to normalize the violence inherent in slavery.
- He fortified the institution of racial slavery against abolitionists and Black insurrectionists.
Hall Details
- Year Built: 1922
- Hall Population: 95
- Elevator: No
- Fire Safety: Smoke detectors, alarms and sprinkler system
- Resident Advisors: 3
- Amenities: study rooms, kitchen and ice machine, laundry, TV room, lounges, recreation room, vending machines
Room Details
- Average Room Measurements: 13' x 15'
- Window Measurements: 81" x 38"
- Window Coverings: Horizontal blinds
- Air-Conditioning: Central A/C in all rooms
- Furniture: Movable dressers, desks and study chairs. Movable beds may be bunked or lofted; no self-built lofts permitted.
- Closet: Closet with door
- Mattress Size: 80" long, 36" wide, 6" deep
DID YOU KNOW? Fun Facts About Ruffin, Jr.:
- Part of the closest community to the main academic quad (approx. 4 mins. walk to Polk Place)
- Closest hall to Davis Library and Davis Library ATMs
- Laundry is located in Manly, across small quad
- Closest hall to Lenoir Dining Hall
- Bathrooms are very nice as they have been recently renovated