Academic calendar
Fall Semester 2026 runs Aug 18, 2026 – Dec 14, 2026. Calendar aliases that share a date range are grouped together, with every source term still shown.
- Fall Semester 2026Relevant now
- Spring Semester 2027
Campus language
Search the full glossary. Nothing is sampled or hidden when the search field is empty.
Showing 36 of 36 terms
A
- ACA
- African Caribbean Association, a prominent cultural student organization.
- ASFC
- Alumni Sports & Fitness Center, often used to refer to the athletic department or the building itself.
B
- Ben-in-the-Box
- A student nickname for the statue of Benjamin Franklin located on campus.
- Blue Line
- The Blue Line Cafe (now officially the Diplomatic Cafe), a popular coffee and sandwich shop in Distler House.
- Bonchek
- Bonchek College House, a residential community often contrasted with newer halls.
- Brooks
- Brooks College House, a residential community located near the campus center.
C
- CAB
- Club Affairs Board, the student-run body that oversees and advocates for campus organizations.
- CC
- The dining options located within the Steinman College Center, such as Grill Off the Green.
- CEC
- College Entertainment Committee, which plans weekend events like concerts and bingo.
- College Row
- An apartment-style housing complex located across from the main campus, often housing upperclassmen.
D
- D-Hall
- The Restaurants at Ben Franklin, the primary campus dining hall.
- Dip Deal
- A meal exchange option at retail locations including an entree, side, and drink.
- Dip Deals
- A meal exchange option at retail dining locations that includes an entree, side, and drink.
- DipCon
- Diplomatic Congress, the central student government body at F&M.
- Dips
- The official nickname for F&M students and athletic teams (short for Diplomats).
F
- Flavors
- Flavors at LS&P, a retail dining location in the Barshinger Life Sciences & Philosophy Building.
G
- Gallows Hill
- The nickname for the hill where Old Main stands, formerly a site for public executions.
K
- Kivo
- A dining station in D-Hall standing for Kosher, International, Vegan, and Organic.
M
- Marshall
- Marshall Hall, a residence building within the Brooks College House community.
P
- PAC
- The Performing Arts Center, often referring to the Barshinger or Roschel facilities.
R
- Roschel
- Roschel College House, formerly known as New College House (NCH).
S
- SAFC
- Student Activities & Finance Committee, responsible for allocating funds to student groups.
- SAGA
- Sexuality and Gender Alliance, the primary LGBTQ+ student advocacy and social group.
- SCC
- Steinman College Center, the primary hub for retail dining and student activities.
- South Ben
- South Benjamin Franklin Hall, the building that houses Bonchek College House.
T
- TCR
- The College Reporter, the independent student-run newspaper of the college.
- The Blue Line
- A cafe and retail dining location situated within the Steinman College Center (SCC).
- The Cage
- The wrestling venue within the Mayser Center, known for its intense atmosphere.
- The Dip
- The Diplomat, the independent student newspaper of Franklin & Marshall.
- The Green
- Hartman Green, the large central lawn used for events, relaxation, and ceremonies.
- The Onion Dip
- The satire and humor section of the student newspaper, The College Reporter.
- Thomas
- Thomas Hall, a residence hall known for being significantly newer and nicer than older houses.
- Townie
- A local Lancaster resident who is not affiliated with the college.
- Trellis
- The plant-based dining station located within the KIVO area of the main dining hall.
W
- Ware
- Ware College House, one of the five residential College Houses.
- Weis
- Weis College House, one of the five residential College Houses.
Places and practicalities
Buildings, logistics, and other local references drawn from the approved campus snapshot.
- ASFC
- The Ann & Richard Barshinger Life Sciences & Philosophy Building (often used for the Athletic & Fitness Center).
- Barshinger
- The Barshinger Center for Musical Arts, the primary venue for concerts and Common Hour.
- Ben's Bucks
- A debit-like account on the student ID used for on-campus purchases and select off-campus vendors.
- Bite App
- The mobile application students use to check daily menus and nutritional info for campus dining.
- Common Hour
- A weekly period on Thursdays at 11:30 AM where no classes are held to allow for campus-wide speakers and events.
- Connections
- The required first-year seminar course that determines which College House a student is assigned to.
- Diplomat Card
- The official student identification card used for building access, meal swipes, and Ben's Bucks.
- Distler
- Distler House, the building housing the Diplomatic Cafe and the campus bookstore.
- flavors_at_ls_p
- Flavors at LS&P
- Flex Points
- Dining currency included in meal plans for smaller purchases or retail upgrades.
- Harris
- The Harris Center, an academic building often used for business and social science classes.
- Hartman Green
- The central campus lawn used for social gatherings, events, and 'Afterdances'.
- House Don
- A faculty member who lives in or is closely associated with a College House to provide mentorship.
- Keiper
- Keiper Liberal Arts Building, which houses various academic departments and classrooms.
- LS&P
- The Barshinger Life Sciences & Philosophy Building, often shortened to LSP.
- LSP
- The Ann & Richard Barshinger Life Sciences & Philosophy Building.
- Meal Swipes
- The standard currency for entry into D-Hall or for 'Dip Deals' at retail locations.
- mein_bowl
- Mein Bowl
- Old Main
- The iconic Gothic Revival building at the highest point of campus, allegedly haunted.
- Public Safety
- The campus security office, frequently referred to by students as 'Pub Safe'.
- restaurants_at_ben_franklin
- Restaurants at Ben Franklin
- SCC
- Steinman College Center, the hub for student activities and retail dining.
- Shad
- The Shadek-Fackenthal Library, the primary campus library for humanities and social sciences.
- Shadek
- Shadek-Fackenthal Library, the main research and study library on campus.
- Steinman
- Steinman College Center, the campus student union and home to the Phillips Museum of Art.
- The Dip
- The Diplomat Center for Wellness and Athletic Training, or more broadly, the athletic complex.
- The Hub
- The academic support center located on the ground floor of the Patricia E. Harris Center.
- The Shadek
- The Shadek-Fackenthal Library, the college's primary research library.
- the_diplomatic_cafe
- The Diplomatic Cafe
- the_grill_off_the_green
- The Grill Off the Green
Quick answers
Useful facts students can verify from the guide above.
- What academic term is relevant now?
- Fall Semester 2026 runs Aug 18, 2026 – Dec 14, 2026.
- How much campus context is included?
- 36 approved campus terms and 30 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.