Academic calendar
Fall 2026 runs Sep 1, 2026 – Dec 21, 2026. Calendar aliases that share a date range are grouped together, with every source term still shown.
- Summer 2026
- Fall 2026Relevant now
- Winter 2027
- Spring 2027
Campus language
Search the full glossary. Nothing is sampled or hidden when the search field is empty.
Showing 41 of 41 terms
A
- Andrews
- Andrews Commons, a dining area on North Campus known for pizza, pasta, and international cuisine.
- Andrews Commons
- A dining hall on North Campus known for pizza, pasta, and stir-fry.
B
- BCA
- Brown Concert Agency, the student group that organizes the annual Spring Weekend festival.
- BCSC
- Brown Center for Students of Color, a hub for identity-based student organizations and support.
- BDH
- The Brown Daily Herald, the student-run daily newspaper.
G
- Grad Center
- The Graduate Center, a brutalist-style dormitory complex housing both undergrads and graduate students.
- GSC
- Graduate Student Council, representing the interests of graduate students.
I
- Ivy Room
- A dining location in the basement of Sharpe Refectory specializing in vegetarian and international cuisine.
J
- Jo's
- Josiah's, a late-night dining option known for burgers and spicy with (chicken sandwiches).
K
- Keeney
- Keeney Quadrangle, the primary residential area for first-year students.
M
- Miller-Metcalf
- A pair of connected first-year residence halls on the North Campus.
- Minden
- Minden Hall, a former hotel converted into a student residence.
N
- New Dorm
- Vartan Gregorian Quad, a residential complex for upperclassmen.
- New Pembroke
- A residential complex on North Campus, often abbreviated as NP.
- NP
- New Pembroke, a residential area on the north side of campus.
P
- Perkins
- Perkins Hall, a dormitory known for its distance from the main campus center.
S
- S/NC
- Satisfactory/No Credit, Brown's version of a Pass/Fail grading option.
- SAP
- Sexual Assault Peer Education, a student group focused on prevention and education.
- SAPE
- Sexual Assault Peer Education, a student group providing education and resources regarding sexual violence.
- Shopping Period
- The first two weeks of each semester when students can attend any class before officially registering.
- SPEC
- Student Planning and Events Committee, responsible for organizing major campus events like Spring Weekend.
- Spicy With
- A signature Josiah's sandwich consisting of a spicy chicken patty with cheese.
- Spring Weekend
- The university's annual large-scale music festival held in April.
T
- Thayer
- Thayer Street, the main commercial road adjacent to campus with shops and restaurants.
- The Blue Room
- A popular cafe in Faunce House known for sandwiches, muffins, and coffee.
- The Gates
- The Van Wickle Gates, which are only opened inward for Convocation and outward for Commencement.
- The Hill
- College Hill, the historic neighborhood in Providence where the campus is situated.
- The Ivy
- The Ivy Room, a dining space in the basement of the Ratty specializing in vegetarian and kosher options.
- The Ivy Room
- A vegetarian-friendly dining location located below the Sharpe Refectory.
- The Main Green
- The central grassy quadrangle where students congregate and events are held.
- The Mods
- The Graduate Center apartments, often used for upperclassman housing.
- The Open Curriculum
- Brown's flexible study plan that lacks core requirements, allowing students to design their own education.
- The Ratty
- Sharpe Refectory, the largest traditional dining hall on campus.
- The V-Dub
- Verney-Woolley Dining Hall, located on North Campus and known for its smaller, community feel.
U
- UCS
- Undergraduate Council of Students, the primary student government body.
- UFB
- Undergraduate Finance Board, the body that allocates funding to student organizations.
- Unit
- A specific residential suite or grouping within a larger dormitory building.
V
- V-Dub
- Verney-Woolley Dining Hall, located on North Campus and known for its smaller atmosphere.
W
- Wayland
- Wayland House, a centrally located dormitory on the Main Green.
- Wriston
- Wriston Quadrangle, home to many Greek houses and program houses.
Y
- Young O
- Young Orchard, an apartment-style residence hall.
Places and practicalities
Buildings, logistics, and other local references drawn from the approved campus snapshot.
- B&H
- Barus and Holley, the primary building for the School of Engineering and Physics department.
- Banner
- The online portal used for course registration, viewing grades, and managing student records.
- Bear Bucks
- A debit-like account on the Brown Card used for laundry, printing, and some off-campus vendors.
- Brown Card
- The official multi-purpose student identification card used for building access and payments.
- Brown First
- The university's policy regarding catering and event planning on campus.
- CIT
- The Watson Center for Information Technology, home to the Computer Science department.
- Faunce
- The Stephen Robert '62 Campus Center, the central hub for student life.
- Flex Points
- Dining credits included with meal plans that can be used at retail dining locations like the Blue Room.
- RIPTA
- Rhode Island Public Transit Authority; students ride any RIPTA bus for free by swiping their Brown ID.
- SafeWalk
- A student-run service that provides walking escorts for students traveling across campus at night.
- school_of_engineering_cafe
- School of Engineering Cafe
- SciLi
- The Sciences Library, a high-rise building housing science resources and study spaces.
- sharpe_refectory_the_ratty
- Sharpe Refectory (The Ratty)
- The CIT
- The Watson Center for Information Technology, home to the Computer Science department.
- The Hay
- The John Hay Library, which houses the university's special collections and archives.
- The PAC
- The Perry and Marty Granoff Center for the Creative Arts.
- The Rock
- The Rockefeller Library, the primary library for humanities and social sciences.
- The SciLi
- The Sciences Library, a high-rise building housing science resources and the Friedman Study Center.
- the_blue_room
- The Blue Room
- verney_woolley_v_dub
- Verney-Woolley (V-Dub)
Quick answers
Useful facts students can verify from the guide above.
- What academic term is relevant now?
- Fall 2026 runs Sep 1, 2026 – Dec 21, 2026.
- How much campus context is included?
- 41 approved campus terms and 20 local details are included in full.
- Are all approved campus terms included?
- Yes. The complete approved glossary is available in the scrollable, searchable campus-language section.
- Where does this guide come from?
- Calendar dates, campus terms, and local details come from DormWay's approved campus reference library.