While shelter quiet, silent in the dormitory? (6)
I believe the answer is:
asleep
'silent in the dormitory?' is the definition.
(as in sleeping in a dormitory)
'while shelter quiet' is the wordplay.
'while' becomes 'as'.
'shelter' becomes 'lee' (I've seen this before).
'quiet' becomes 'p' (music symbol for 'piano', ie soft or quiet).
'as'+'lee'+'p'='ASLEEP'
(Other definitions for asleep that I've seen before include "Slumbering" , "Please be at rest (6)." , "In slumber" , "Having forty winks" , "coiled up?" .)