When a new residence hall opened in 2015 to accommodate the growing number of undergraduate students (the hall was originally called The Apartments at 1576), a group of students saw an opportunity to recognize Stephanie Tubbs Jones, a Case Western Reserve alumna and longtime friend of the university. President Snyder responded enthusiastically to a suggestion made by the #webelonghere student group to change the building’s name to the Stephanie Tubbs Jones Residence Hall, and the university’s Board of Trustees voted unanimously to make the change.

Tubbs Jones, who grew up in Cleveland’s Collinwood neighborhood and earned her undergraduate and law degrees at Case Western Reserve, was the first African American to become a Common Pleas court judge in Ohio and later became the first African-American woman elected to represent Ohio in Congress. She served five terms in Congress and was a loyal friend to Case Western Reserve. Tubbs Jones died suddenly, while still in office, in 2008.

Located at 1576 E. 115th St., in the heart of a number of developments made to the campus landscape, the Stephanie Tubbs Jones Residence Hall has 160 one- to four-bedroom apartments with room for 290 students and eight townhouse-style units. The building has a residential lounge with space for studying and gatherings.

“I want to thank the #webelonghere members for making such a wonderful suggestion,” President Snyder said in 2016, when the residence hall name was announced. “Throughout all of her extraordinary achievements, Stephanie stayed involved with her alma mater and our students. We are proud to honor her legacy in this way on our campus, and in Greater Cleveland as well.”