Academic calendar
Fall 2026 runs Aug 24, 2026 – Dec 11, 2026. Calendar aliases that share a date range are grouped together, with every source term still shown.
- Fall 2026Relevant now
- Spring 2027
Campus language
Search the full glossary. Nothing is sampled or hidden when the search field is empty.
Showing 35 of 35 terms
A
- ACE
- APIDA Community & Empowerment, a student organization for Asian Pacific Islander Desi American students.
C
- Campus Cash
- Funds loaded onto a student's Campus Card used to pay for food at Dunn Bros and Tiffin Man.
- CCAMPIS
- Child Care Access Means Parents In School, a federal grant program that helps student-parents pay for childcare.
- CCN
- The City College News, the official student-run newspaper of Minneapolis College.
F
- First Light
- The name of the mandatory orientation program for new students.
H
- Hell's Kitchen
- A popular nearby restaurant frequently visited by students for off-campus dining.
J
- Josephine's
- The Dunn Bros Coffee shop located on the skyway level of the Technical Building.
K
- Kopp
- Common shorthand for the Kopp Student Center, the primary hub for dining and student activities.
L
- LEAD
- Leadership Education and Development, a student leadership program.
- Loring
- Loring Park, the large public park adjacent to campus used by students for breaks and recreation.
- LUCHA
- Latinos Unidos for College and Higher Achievement, a student organization focused on Latino culture and success.
M
- MCTC
- The common shorthand name for the college used by students and locals, predating the 2022 rebrand.
- MCTC
- The legacy acronym for Minneapolis Community and Technical College, still widely used by students despite the official rebrand to Minneapolis College.
- Minneapolis College
- The official shortened name and preferred nickname adopted by the institution in 2022.
- Minnesota Nice
- A local term for the stereotypical polite but reserved social behavior encountered on and off campus.
O
- Ope
- A ubiquitous Upper Midwestern exclamation used by students when bumping into someone or making a minor mistake.
- OSA
- Office of Student Activities, which oversees campus clubs and events.
P
- Plaza Cafeteria
- The main dining area located on the Plaza level of the Technical Building.
- PTK
- Phi Theta Kappa, the international honor society for two-year colleges.
S
- SAHH
- Students Against Hunger and Homelessness, a student group that operates Amy's Pantry.
- SGA
- Student Government Association, often referred to as the Student Senate.
- SLBC
- Student Life Budget Committee, the group responsible for funding campus clubs and activities.
- SORC
- Student Organization Resource Center, the hub for student clubs in the Helland Center.
T
- TEFAP
- The Emergency Food Assistance Program, which provides free groceries through the campus food pantry.
- The Bistro
- The main cafeteria located on the second floor of the Kopp Student Center.
- The Bridge
- Specifically refers to the skyway spanning Hennepin Avenue.
- The Caf
- The main cafeteria located in the T-Building.
- The Cities
- Local shorthand for the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area.
- The Coffee Shop
- The campus cafe serving Starbucks products, located in the Kopp Student Center.
- The Plaza
- The central outdoor courtyard area between the T and H buildings.
- The Ramp
- The multi-level parking garage connected to the campus, used specifically to refer to the MCTC parking facility.
- The Skyway
- The enclosed pedestrian bridge system connecting campus buildings to the rest of downtown Minneapolis.
- The Store
- The Campus Store, which provides snacks, beverages, and school supplies.
- Tiffin Man
- The primary food service provider on campus, Tiffin Man Global Kitchen, located in the T Building.
- TRIO
- Federal student support services for first-generation and low-income students.
Places and practicalities
Buildings, logistics, and other local references drawn from the approved campus snapshot.
- A
- Bowman Hall, the main administrative building.
- A Building
- The Allied Health Building, used for nursing and health-related science courses.
- Campus Card
- The multi-function student ID used for the library, printing, parking, and as a debit card for on-campus dining.
- College Pass
- A discounted Metro Transit pass available to students for unlimited bus and light rail rides.
- D2L
- Desire2Learn (Brightspace), the online platform where students access course materials and submit assignments.
- eServices
- The online student portal used for registering for classes, checking grades, and paying tuition.
- F
- Fine Arts Building, housing music, theater, and art programs.
- F Building
- The Fine Arts Building, home to music, art, and theater classrooms.
- Go-To College Pass
- A discounted Metro Transit pass available to students for unlimited bus and light rail rides.
- H
- Helland Center, the primary location for student life and activities.
- H Building
- The Helland Center, a central hub for student life, activities, and the bookstore.
- Helland
- The Helland Student Center, which houses Student Life, the health clinic, and the student senate.
- josephine_s_caf_dunn_bros_coffee
- Josephine's Café (Dunn Bros Coffee)
- K Building
- The Kopp Student Center, where dining and student life are centered.
- L Building
- The Library and Learning Center, officially known as Wheelock Whitney Hall.
- Late Start
- Classes that begin several weeks into the semester rather than on the official start date.
- Metro Pass
- The discounted transit pass available to students for unlimited use of buses and light rail.
- Parking Voucher
- A physical ticket purchased at the College Store used for a single entry into the campus parking ramp.
- S
- Science Center, containing labs and science classrooms.
- StarID
- The universal username and password used to log into all Minnesota State system computers and accounts.
- Student Pass
- The discounted unlimited-ride Metro Transit pass available to enrolled students.
- T
- Technical Building, the main campus hub for classes and services.
- T Building
- The Technical Building, the main campus hub housing student services, the bookstore, and the cafeteria.
- The Hub
- The centralized service center in the T-Building for registration, records, and financial aid.
- The Plaza
- The outdoor central gathering space and courtyard between the main campus buildings.
- The Skyway
- The enclosed bridge system, specifically the Hennepin Skyway, connecting the parking ramp and campus buildings.
- tiffin_man_cafeteria_plaza_cafeteria
- Tiffin Man Cafeteria (Plaza Cafeteria)
- W
- Wheelock Whitney Hall, which houses the campus library.
- Whitney
- Wheelock Whitney Hall, the building that houses the campus library.
Quick answers
Useful facts students can verify from the guide above.
- What academic term is relevant now?
- Fall 2026 runs Aug 24, 2026 – Dec 11, 2026.
- How much campus context is included?
- 35 approved campus terms and 29 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.