Academic calendar
Summer Session D (Twelve-Week) 2026 runs May 26, 2026 – Aug 14, 2026. Calendar aliases that share a date range are grouped together, with every source term still shown.
- Summer Session A (First Six-Week) 2026
- Summer Session D (Twelve-Week) 2026Relevant now
- Summer Session B (Eight-Week) 2026
- Summer Session C (Second Six-Week) 2026
- Fall Semester 2026
- Fall 1st 8-Week Session 2026
- Fall 2nd 8-Week Session 2026
- Spring Semester 2027
- Spring 1st 8-Week Session 2027
- Spring 2nd 8-Week Session 2027
- Summer Session A (First Six-Week) 2027
- Summer Session D (Twelve-Week) 2027
- Summer Session B (Eight-Week) 2027
- Summer Session C (Second Six-Week) 2027
Campus language
Search the full glossary. Nothing is sampled or hidden when the search field is empty.
Showing 69 of 69 terms
A
- ASUCM
- Associated Students of the University of California, Merced; the undergraduate student government.
B
- Beginnings
- The large metal sculpture (The Beginnings Sculpture) located near the library, a common landmark.
- Bobcat
- The official mascot and the term used to refer to any UC Merced student.
- Bobcat Day
- The major spring open house event for admitted students.
- Bobcat Den
- A retail dining location offering quick meals and snacks, often referred to as the Den.
- Bobcat Rocks
- Painted rocks hidden around campus by students for others to find and re-hide.
C
- CAB
- Campus Activities Board; the student-run organization that plans major events like concerts and festivals.
- CatDollar$
- The campus currency loaded onto student IDs for use at all dining locations.
- Chrome Chromosome
- The 'Beginnings' sculpture located near the library, nicknamed for its DNA-like appearance.
D
- DCC
- Dining Center Consortium; often used in student employment contexts regarding dining services.
- Diesel
- The Diesel Dogs food truck or station, a popular campus quick-bite option.
E
- El Cap
- Shorthand for El Capitan Hall, a residential building.
F
- Fairy Ring
- A circular stone seating arrangement near the library often associated with campus myths or quiet study.
- Fairy Shrimp
- A local endangered species in the vernal pools that famously limits where the campus can expand.
G
- Glacier
- Shorthand for Glacier Point, a large mid-campus residence hall.
- Granite
- Shorthand for Granite Pass, a residence hall often housing first-year students.
- GSA
- Graduate Student Association, the representative body for graduate students.
H
- Half Dome
- The Half Dome residency hall, often used to refer to the building and its specific community.
J
- Journey
- The 'Journey' statue of a bobcat located near the library.
L
- Lantern
- The Lantern Cafe located in the Leo and Dottie Kolligian Library.
- Little Lake
- The pond area near the library, a popular spot for photos and relaxation.
M
- Mer-dead
- A common student nickname for the city of Merced, referring to its perceived lack of nightlife.
- Merced
- Often used by students to refer to the city itself, distinct from the campus 'bubble'.
- Merdead
- A common student term for the city of Merced, implying a lack of nightlife or entertainment.
O
- Oakhurst
- The Oakhurst Grill, a specific food station within the Pavilion dining hall.
- OED
- Office of Equity and Diversity, which handles campus climate and inclusion initiatives.
- OSL
- Office of Student Life; the hub for student clubs and leadership activities.
P
- PAB
- Programming Advisory Board, responsible for allocating funds to student organizations.
- Produce
- Produce on the Go, a mobile market providing fresh fruits and vegetables.
R
- RHA
- Residence Hall Association; the representative body for students living on campus.
S
- Scholar's
- Scholar's Bridge, the main pedestrian bridge connecting the academic side of campus to the housing side.
- Scholar's Bridge
- The main pedestrian bridge connecting the residential side of campus to the academic side.
- Sentinel
- Shorthand for Sentinel Rock, one of the newer residence halls on the 2020 Project expansion side.
- SHAC
- Student Health Advisory Committee, which works with Health Services to improve student wellness.
- Sierra
- Sierra Terraces, which includes the Mariposa and Tuolumne residence halls.
- ST
- Sierra Terraces, which includes the Mariposa and Tuolumne residence halls.
- Summits
- The Summits Marketplace, a convenience store located near the residence halls.
- Summits Marketplace
- A convenience store located within the Glacier Point residence hall.
T
- TAPS
- Transportation and Parking Services, the department managing parking permits and campus shuttles.
- The 2020
- Refers to the massive 'Merced 2020' project that doubled the physical size of the campus.
- The 2020 Project
- A term used to describe the massive campus expansion that doubled the university's physical size.
- The Beginnings
- The large chrome sculpture/archway where students take photos during matriculation and graduation.
- The Bowl
- The grassy amphitheater area used for outdoor events and lounging.
- The Bridge
- Scholar's Bridge, the iconic bridge connecting the main campus to the residential and athletic areas.
- The Chrome Nut
- The 'Beginnings' sculpture located near the library, a common meeting point.
- The Cow Smell
- The distinct agricultural scent from nearby dairy farms, a common topic of student humor.
- The Cows
- A reference to the smell of manure from nearby dairy farms, a staple of the campus experience
- The DC
- The Yablokoff-Wallace Dining Center; though largely superseded by the Pavilion, the term is still used for the building or legacy dining services.
- The Den
- A dining location in the Summits housing area known for late-night food and snacks.
- The Fairy
- The 'Beginnings' sculpture near the library, often called the Fairy Ring by students.
- The Fairy Ring
- A circular seating area near the library often used for small gatherings or outdoor studying.
- The Hill
- The main campus area, which is physically elevated above the surrounding Merced grasslands.
- The Lake
- Little Lake, the small body of water located in the center of the older part of campus.
- The Lantern
- The Lantern Café located in the Leo and Dottie Kolligian Library.
- The Little Lake
- Lake Yosemite, located immediately adjacent to campus and used for student recreation.
- The Market
- The Summits Marketplace, a campus convenience store for snacks and essentials.
- The Marketplace
- The retail food court area in the Summits housing area.
- The O
- The 'Beginnings' sculpture, a large circular chrome statue that is a campus landmark.
- The Paperclip
- The 'Beginnings' sculpture near the library, named for its curved metal shape.
- The Pav
- The Pavilion, the primary large-scale dining hall on campus.
- The Prodigy
- The official student-run newspaper of UC Merced.
- The Statue
- The 'Beginnings' sculpture (the large chrome 'U'), a primary landmark and meeting spot.
- The Summits
- Refers to the Tenaya and Cathedral residence halls located at the highest point of the residential area.
- The Terraces
- Collective name for the Valley Terraces and Sierra Terraces apartment-style and suite-style housing.
- The UC
- A common way students refer to the campus itself within the local Merced community.
- The Valleys
- The housing area comprising Mariposa and Tuolumne Halls.
V
- Valley
- Valley Terraces, the apartment-style housing for continuing students.
- VT
- Valley Terraces, the apartment-style housing complex typically for continuing students.
Y
- Yablokoff
- Occasional shorthand for the original dining center building.
Places and practicalities
Buildings, logistics, and other local references drawn from the approved campus snapshot.
- ACS
- Academic Center for Excellence; refers to the tutoring and academic support space.
- Bellevue
- The primary student parking lot located on the edge of campus.
- BSB
- Biomedical Sciences and Physics Building.
- BSP
- Biomedical Sciences and Physics Building.
- CatCard
- The official student ID card used for building access, meal plans, and library services.
- CatCourses
- The Canvas-based learning management system used for all classes.
- CatLife
- The online platform used to manage student organizations and track event attendance.
- CatTracks
- The campus-operated bus system that connects the university to the city of Merced and the Amtrak station.
- COB
- Classroom and Office Building (COB1 and COB2), where many general education lectures are held.
- COB2
- Classroom and Office Building 2, located near the library.
- Duo
- The two-factor authentication system required for logging into all campus portals (Connect, CatCourses).
- KL
- The Leo and Dottie Kolligian Library, the main library and administrative hub.
- Mobile ID
- The digital version of the CatCard used on smartphones for contactless entry and payments.
- MobileID
- The CBORD Mobile ID app used by students to unlock residence hall doors via smartphone.
- Oakhurst
- Refers to the UC Merced Oakhurst center, a satellite location for specific programs.
- OIT
- Office of Information Technology, the primary contact for student tech support and Wi-Fi issues.
- S&E
- Science and Engineering Buildings (S&E1 and S&E2).
- SAAS
- Student Academic Academic Services, often used to refer to the wing of the library housing student support.
- SAE
- The Student Academic Enrichment building.
- SE
- The Science and Engineering Building (SE1 or SE2).
- SE2
- Science and Engineering Building 2.
- SRE
- Sustainability Research and Engineering Building.
- SSB
- Student Services Building, where financial aid and registrar offices are located.
- SSM
- Social Sciences and Management Building.
- TAPS
- Transportation and Parking Services; the office responsible for parking permits and enforcement.
- The Bus
- The Merced County Transit system, which students can often ride for free with their CatCard.
- The Portal
- Connect UC Merced, the central web gateway for grades, registration, and financial info.
- the_pavilion
- The Pavilion
- yablokoff_wallace_dining_center
- Yablokoff-Wallace Dining Center
Quick answers
Useful facts students can verify from the guide above.
- What academic term is relevant now?
- Summer Session D (Twelve-Week) 2026 runs May 26, 2026 – Aug 14, 2026.
- How much campus context is included?
- 69 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.