Academic calendar
Summer 2026 runs Jun 25, 2026 – Aug 6, 2026. Calendar aliases that share a date range are grouped together, with every source term still shown.
- Summer 2026Relevant now
- Fall Semester 2026
- Wintersession 2027
Campus language
Search the full glossary. Nothing is sampled or hidden when the search field is empty.
Showing 36 of 36 terms
1
- 15 West
- 15 West Hall, a major residence hall and home to the Fleet Library.
C
- CAPS
- Counseling and Psychological Services, providing mental health support for students.
- Colonial
- Colonial Apartments, a student residence building located on South Main Street.
- Crit
- Short for Critique, the intensive formal review sessions where faculty and peers evaluate student work.
- CSI
- Center for Student Involvement, the hub for student clubs and activities.
D
- Dwight
- Dwight House, a small residence hall often used for upperclassman housing.
E
- EFS
- Experimental and Foundation Studies, the department governing the freshman year experience.
F
- Foundation
- The rigorous first-year curriculum that all undergraduate students must complete.
- Foundations
- The rigorous first-year core curriculum required for all undergraduate students.
- Foundies
- A nickname for first-year students or the 'Foundation Year' curriculum.
H
- Hill
- Hill House, a residence hall located on the hill near the main campus core.
- Hill Houses
- A collection of historic colonial houses on the hill used as student housing.
- Homer
- Homer Hall, a primary first-year dormitory.
I
- ISS
- International Student Services, providing support for the international student community.
J
- Jolly
- The Jolly Roger, a cafe and snack bar located in the CIT.
M
- MUSE
- Museum Undergraduate Student Educators, students who lead tours and programs at the RISD Museum.
N
- Nickerson
- Nickerson Hall, a first-year residence hall.
P
- Portfolio
- Portfolio Cafe, a dining location offering prepared foods and coffee.
R
- RISD CAT
- Computing and Technology, the campus IT department.
- RISD CATS
- Community Art and Teaching Students, an organization focused on art education outreach.
- Rosie's
- Rosie's, a late-night dining and convenience spot.
S
- SEB
- Student Entertainment Board, the student-led group that organizes major campus events.
- SEI
- Social Equity and Inclusion, the office dedicated to campus diversity and equity initiatives.
- SGA
- Student Government Association, the representative body for the student population.
- South Hall
- A residence hall typically housing upperclassmen.
T
- The Beach
- The brick-paved plaza outside 15 West Hall; it is a popular hangout spot despite having no sand.
- The Fleet
- The Fleet Library at RISD, often used to refer to the entire 15 West building complex.
- The Hill
- The steep geographic area of College Hill where many dorms and academic buildings are located.
- The Hill Houses
- A collective term for the smaller residence halls located on the hill, such as East House and Farnum House.
- The Met
- Metcalf Refectory, the main dining hall on campus.
- The Quad
- The first-year housing complex consisting of Nickerson, Homer, South, and East Halls.
- The Store
- The RISD Art Supply Store, the main on-campus source for specialized art materials.
W
- Water Cooler
- A cafe located in the Center for Integrative Technologies (CIT) building.
- Waterdrop
- Waterdrop Cafe, located in the RISD Museum/Chace Center.
- Waterman
- Waterman Street Café, a quick-service dining spot known for coffee and snacks.
- Wintersession
- The mandatory five-week academic term in January between the fall and spring semesters.
Places and practicalities
Buildings, logistics, and other local references drawn from the approved campus snapshot.
- BEB
- The Bayard Ewing Building, which houses the Architecture department.
- Brown-RISD Shuttle
- A shared transportation service allowing RISD students to use Brown University's shuttle system.
- Card Access
- The requirement to use a student ID to unlock studios and residential buildings after hours.
- carr_haus_caf
- Carr Haus Café
- Chace
- The Chace Center, a prominent building connecting the RISD Museum to the campus.
- CIT
- The Center for Integrative Technologies, also known as the Mason Building.
- Fletcher
- The Fletcher Building, primarily used for graduate student studios and programs.
- ISB
- Illustration Studies Building, dedicated to the Illustration major.
- jolly_roger_caf
- Jolly Roger Café
- Market House
- A historic building used for Liberal Arts classes and administrative offices.
- PaperCut
- The campus-wide system used to manage and pay for printing and plotting services.
- portfolio_caf
- Portfolio Café
- RIPTA
- The Rhode Island Public Transit Authority; students ride state buses for free with their RISD ID.
- RISD Bucks
- A declining balance account on the student ID card used for laundry, printing, and some food.
- RISD ID
- The official identification card required for building access, meal plans, and library services.
- RISD Rides
- The campus shuttle and safe-ride service for students traveling around campus and nearby areas.
- The Chace
- The Chace Center, the main entrance to the RISD Museum and home to several classrooms.
- The Store
- The RISD Store, the official on-campus shop for specialized art and design supplies.
- The Tunnel
- The underground walkway connecting the Metcalf Refectory to nearby residence halls.
- the_met
- The Met
- UPass
- The program providing students with free access to the RIPTA state bus system.
- watermark_caf
- Watermark Café
- Woods-Gerry
- The Woods-Gerry House, home to the Admissions office and a student gallery.
- Workday
- The administrative software used for course registration, student employment, and personal records.
Quick answers
Useful facts students can verify from the guide above.
- What academic term is relevant now?
- Summer 2026 runs Jun 25, 2026 – Aug 6, 2026.
- How much campus context is included?
- 36 approved campus terms and 24 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.