Academic calendar
Full Summer Session 2026 runs May 4, 2026 – Aug 14, 2026. Calendar aliases that share a date range are grouped together, with every source term still shown.
- Full Summer Session 2026Summer Session 1 2026Relevant now
- Rice in Country 3 2026
- Full Summer Session 2026
- Summer Block C1 2026
- Summer Block B1 2026
- Summer Block D1 2026
- Summer Session 6 2026
- Summer Block E1 2026
- Summer Block B2 2026
- Summer Block C2 2026
- Summer Session 7 2026
- Summer Session 2 2026
- Fall Semester 2026
- Spring Semester 2027
- Full Summer Session 2027Summer Session 1 2027
Campus language
Search the full glossary. Nothing is sampled or hidden when the search field is empty.
Showing 61 of 61 terms
B
- Baker 13
- A tradition where students run across campus wearing only shaving cream on the 13th and 31st of the month.
- Beer Bike
- The annual intramural bicycle race and water balloon fight, Rice's biggest tradition.
- Brown
- Brown College, a residential college located on the north side of campus.
C
- Chaus
- Shorthand for the Rice Coffeehouse, a popular student-run cafe in the RMC.
- Chaüs
- Rice Coffeehouse, the student-run coffee shop in the Rice Memorial Center.
- Chauss
- Rice Coffeehouse, the student-run coffee shop located in the Rice Memorial Center.
- Chouse
- Rice Coffeehouse, the student-run coffee shop in the RMC.
- Coffeehouse
- The student-run coffee shop located in the Rice Memorial Center, often called 'Chouse'.
D
- Dunc
- Duncan College, the first LEED Gold certified residential college, located next to McMurtry.
G
- GSA
- The Graduate Student Association, often referring to the graduate student housing or the organization itself.
H
- HACER
- Hispanic Association for Cultural Enrichment at Rice.
- Hanszen
- Hanszen College, one of the oldest residential colleges on campus.
J
- Jack
- A student prank, typically involving the creative relocation of furniture or objects.
- Jacking
- The tradition of pulling elaborate pranks, often involving moving furniture or altering a room.
- Jones
- Jones College, the first residential college to be established at Rice.
K
- KTRU
- The student-run radio station of Rice University.
L
- Lovett
- Lovett College, easily identified by its distinct 'brutalist' architecture.
M
- McM
- McMurtry College, one of the newer residential colleges located on the north side of campus.
- McMurt
- Shorthand for McMurtry College.
- McMurtry
- McMurtry College, one of the newer residential colleges located on the north side of campus.
- Murt
- McMurtry College, one of the newer residential colleges on the north side of campus.
N
- New Sid
- The modern Sid Richardson building completed in 2021, distinguishing it from the 'Old Sid' tower.
- New Wing
- Refers to the modern additions built onto older colleges like Baker or Will Rice.
- NOD
- Night of Decadence, a large-scale themed Halloween party hosted by Wiess College.
- North
- The North Servery, which primarily serves Brown, Jones, and Martel colleges.
- North Colleges
- A collective term for Brown, Jones, Martel, McMurtry, and Duncan colleges based on their campus location.
O
- O-Week
- Orientation Week, the intensive first-year introduction program held before classes begin.
- OC
- Off-Campus; refers to students who do not live in the residential colleges.
P
- PAA
- Peer Academic Advisor, a student volunteer trained to help peers with course selection and academic requirements.
- Public
- A large, themed party hosted by a residential college that is open to the entire student body.
- Publics
- Large-scale parties hosted by residential colleges that are open to the entire campus.
R
- REMS
- Rice Emergency Medical Services, a student-run volunteer first-responder organization.
- RHA
- Rice Health Advisor, a student trained to provide health resources and basic first-aid supplies to their college.
- RPC
- Rice Program Council, the primary student organization responsible for campus-wide social events.
- RSVP
- Rice Student Volunteer Program, the primary student-led service organization.
- RUPD
- Rice University Police Department, the campus law enforcement agency.
S
- SA
- The Student Association, the undergraduate student government at Rice.
- Screw
- Screw Your Roommate, a tradition where students set their roommates up on blind dates.
- Screw-Yer-Roommate
- A traditional event where students set their roommates up on blind dates.
- Seibel
- The servery located between Will Rice and Lovett colleges.
- Servery
- A dining hall shared by two or more residential colleges.
- Sid
- Sid Richardson College, known for its high-rise tower and strong community identity.
- Sid Rich
- A common shorthand for Sid Richardson College.
- South
- The South Servery, which primarily serves Hanszen and Wiess colleges.
- South Colleges
- A collective term for Baker, Will Rice, Hanszen, Wiess, Lovett, and Sid Richardson colleges.
- STRIVE
- Sexual Training Response Initiatives and Valuing Education, a peer education group.
T
- Tetra
- The campus currency used to purchase food at non-servery locations like the RMC or coffee shops.
- The Bubble
- The feeling of isolation from the rest of Houston due to the self-contained campus.
- The Hedge
- The physical boundary of campus; 'leaving the hedges' is a common metaphor for graduating.
- The Hoot
- A student-run late-night food service located in the Rice Memorial Center (RMC).
- The Loop
- The Inner Loop, the main circular road that encompasses the academic core of the campus.
- The North Colleges
- A collective term for Brown, Jones, and Martel colleges located at the north end of campus.
- The Pub
- Willy's Pub, the student-run campus bar located in the basement of the RMC.
- The South Colleges
- A collective term for Baker, Will Rice, Lovett, Hanszen, Wiess, and Sid Richardson colleges.
- The Toaster
- A common nickname for Lovett College due to its distinctive concrete grating architecture.
V
- VADA
- The Department of Visual and Dramatic Arts.
W
- West
- Refers to West Servery, which serves Duncan and McMurtry colleges.
- Wiess
- Wiess College, known for its unique traditions and the 'Wiessman' identity.
- Will Rice
- Will Rice College, one of the original residential colleges at Rice.
- Willy
- The statue of founder William Marsh Rice in the academic quad.
- WRC
- Will Rice College, one of the founding residential colleges.
Places and practicalities
Buildings, logistics, and other local references drawn from the approved campus snapshot.
- baker_servery
- Baker Servery
- BRC
- BioScience Research Collaborative, a major research building located across Main Street.
- Brochstein
- The Raymond and Susan Brochstein Pavilion, a glass-walled cafe and study space in the central quad.
- Brockman
- The Brockman Hall for Physics, a prominent building for science and engineering.
- Canvas
- The Learning Management System where professors post syllabi and assignments.
- DCH
- Duncan Hall, the building housing the Computer Science and Engineering departments.
- Duncan Hall
- The Anne and Charles Duncan Hall, which houses engineering departments (distinct from Duncan College).
- Esther
- The online student portal used for registration, viewing grades, and managing financial records.
- Fondy
- Fondren Library, the main academic library on campus.
- Hedge Hopper
- The campus shuttle bus system that transports students around the Inner and Outer Loops.
- Hedgehopper
- A student discount program valid at various businesses in the nearby Rice Village.
- Hertzstein
- Hertzstein Hall, a central building often used for large introductory lectures.
- Herzstein
- Herzstein Hall, home to the physics and astronomy departments and a major auditorium.
- Inner Loop
- The main one-way road that circles the academic quad and residential colleges.
- NetID
- The unique username used to access all Rice digital services and email.
- Night Escort
- A safety service provided by RUPD to transport students across campus after dark.
- Night Owl
- The late-night shuttle service that provides transportation around campus and to nearby graduate housing.
- Night Shuttle
- The late-night transportation service that provides safe rides around campus.
- north_servery
- North Servery
- O-Week
- Orientation Week, the intensive first-year introduction to Rice's academic and social culture.
- Outer Loop
- The 2.9-mile gravel path surrounding the campus perimeter, popular for running.
- Owlnest
- The official platform for managing student organizations and campus event listings.
- Rice Alert
- The university's emergency notification system for safety and weather updates.
- Rice Card
- The official student ID used for building access, meal swipes, and library services.
- Rice ID
- The official identification card used for building access, meal plans, and library services.
- Rice Points
- A form of campus currency used to purchase additional meals or items at serveries.
- Rice Shuttle
- The campus bus system that runs routes including the Inner Loop and Greater Loop.
- Rice Village
- A nearby shopping and dining district frequently visited by students, often called 'The Village.'
- RMC
- Rice Memorial Center, the student union building housing the bookstore and dining.
- Sallyport
- The iconic archway in Lovett Hall that students walk through during matriculation and graduation.
- seibel_servery
- Seibel Servery
- south_servery
- South Servery
- Tetra
- Flexible spending points included in meal plans for use at campus cafes and convenience stores.
- The BRC
- BioScience Research Collaborative, a major research facility located just off the main campus.
- The Broch
- Brockman Hall for Physics, a major research and classroom building.
- The Graduate
- The shuttle route specifically serving the Graduate Apartments and off-campus housing.
- The Hedge
- The physical boundary of the campus; 'beyond the hedges' refers to the world outside Rice University.
- The Hedges
- The physical perimeter of the campus, often used in the phrase 'Beyond the Hedges' to refer to the world outside Rice.
- The Hoot
- A student-run late-night snack bar located in the RMC.
- The Inner Loop
- The primary one-way road that circles the academic core of the campus.
- The Ley
- Ley Student Center, part of the RMC complex.
- The Pub
- Willy’s Pub, the on-campus student-run bar located in the basement of the RMC.
- The Quad
- The Academic Quad, the central open space surrounded by the university's original buildings.
- The Rec
- The Barbara and David Gibbs Recreation and Wellness Center.
- The RMC
- The Rice Memorial Center, the campus student union building.
- The Sallyport
- The iconic archway in Lovett Hall; tradition dictates students only walk through it twice: at matriculation and graduation.
- The Shuttle
- The campus bus system that runs routes including the Inner Loop and Greater Loop.
- The Village
- Rice Village, a popular shopping and dining district located just off-campus within walking distance.
- VADA
- The Visual and Dramatic Arts department, often used to refer to its specific campus area.
- west_servery
- West Servery
- Willy's Pub
- The student-run bar located in the basement of the Rice Memorial Center.
Quick answers
Useful facts students can verify from the guide above.
- What academic term is relevant now?
- Full Summer Session 2026 runs May 4, 2026 – Aug 14, 2026.
- How much campus context is included?
- 61 approved campus terms and 51 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.