Academic calendar
Fall Semester 2026 runs Aug 20, 2026 – Dec 15, 2026. Calendar aliases that share a date range are grouped together, with every source term still shown.
- Spring Semester 2026
- Fall Semester 2026Relevant now
- Spring Semester 2027
- Fall Semester 2027
- Spring Semester 2028
Campus language
Search the full glossary. Nothing is sampled or hidden when the search field is empty.
Showing 22 of 22 terms
B
- Belk
- Shorthand for Belk Hall, a large residence hall.
C
- Chidsey
- Shorthand for Chidsey Hall, a prominent residence hall on campus.
- Commons
- Vail Commons, the primary all-you-care-to-eat dining hall on campus.
- CTL
- Center for Teaching and Learning, providing academic support and resources.
D
- Davis Cafe
- The casual dining area located within the Alvarez College Union.
- Dorm Row
- A collective name for the line of residence halls including Cannon, Sentelle, and Watts.
- Duke
- Shorthand for Duke Hall, a residence hall often associated with upperclassmen.
E
- Eating Houses
- Unique-to-Davidson women's social organizations that focus on community and shared meals.
L
- Little Dorm
- A specific residence hall (Little Dormitory) historically used for women's housing.
N
- NPHC
- National Pan-Hellenic Council, representing historically Black Greek-letter organizations.
P
- PCC
- Patterson Court Council, the governing body for fraternities and eating houses.
R
- Richardson
- Shorthand for Richardson Hall, a residence hall located near the center of campus.
- RLO
- Residence Life Office, responsible for housing and student life in dorms.
S
- Self-Scheduled Exams
- A hallmark of the Honor Code allowing students to choose their own final exam times.
- Self-Selection
- The non-hierarchical process by which students join eating houses.
- SGA
- Student Government Association, the primary student representative body.
- Summit
- The Summit Coffee Outpost, a popular on-campus coffee shop.
T
- The Cake
- The student nickname for 'The Waves,' a white-tiled sculpture by Jean-Pierre Raynaud.
- The Court
- Patterson Court, the physical and social hub for fraternities and eating houses.
- The Union
- Refers to the Alvarez College Union, which houses multiple dining and social spaces.
- The Yowl
- The satirical section of the student newspaper, The Davidsonian.
W
- Wildcat Den
- A dining location situated in the Baker Sports Complex.
Places and practicalities
Buildings, logistics, and other local references drawn from the approved campus snapshot.
- Add/drop
- The designated period at the start of each semester for students to modify their course schedules.
- Baker
- The Baker Sports Complex, the main hub for athletics and recreation.
- CatCard
- The multi-purpose student ID card used for building access, meal swipes, and laundry.
- Chambers
- The Chambers Building, the central and most iconic academic building on campus.
- davis_caf
- Davis Café
- Dining Dollars
- Funds included in meal plans that can be used at retail dining locations like Davis Cafe.
- Eumenean
- Eumenean Hall, one of the two historic literary society buildings on the quad.
- F-Lot
- A large student parking lot often cited for its distance from the main academic buildings.
- Lake Campus
- A college-owned recreational area on Lake Norman, located a short drive from the main campus.
- Philanthropic
- Philanthropic Hall (often 'Phi'), the second historic literary society building.
- vail_commons
- Vail Commons
- Wall
- The Wall Academic Center, the primary facility for science and interdisciplinary studies.
- WebTree
- The online system used by students for course registration and scheduling.
- wildcat_den
- Wildcat Den
Quick answers
Useful facts students can verify from the guide above.
- What academic term is relevant now?
- Fall Semester 2026 runs Aug 20, 2026 – Dec 15, 2026.
- How much campus context is included?
- 22 approved campus terms and 14 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.