Academic calendar
Fall 2026 1st 5 Week Session runs Aug 26, 2026 – Oct 1, 2026. Calendar aliases that share a date range are grouped together, with every source term still shown.
- Summer 2026 Regular Full TermSummer Semester 2026
- Summer 2026 8 Week Session D
- Summer 2026 5 Week Session 2
- Fall 2026 1st 5 Week SessionRelevant now
- Fall 2026 1st 7.5 Week Session
- Fall 2026 1st 10 Week Session
- Fall 2026 15 Week SessionFall Semester 2026
- Fall 2026 12 Week Late Start
- Fall 2026 11 Week Session
- Fall 2026 2nd 5 Week Session
- Fall 2026 2nd 10 Week Session
- Fall 2026 2nd 7.5 Week Session
- Fall 2026 3rd 5 Week Session
- Fall 2026 4 Week Session
Campus language
Search the full glossary. Nothing is sampled or hidden when the search field is empty.
Showing 41 of 41 terms
A
- AAC
- Academic Achievement Center; the campus hub for tutoring, testing, and academic support services.
- ASA
- African Student Association, a student organization focused on African culture and community.
B
- Bear Country
- A collective term for the DMACC community and campuses, referencing the school's mascot.
- Boone Apartments
- The on-campus housing facilities specifically for the Boone Campus.
- Boone Cafe
- The main dining area located in the Courter Center on the Boone Campus.
- Boone Housing
- The residential apartments located on the DMACC Boone campus, the only other campus besides Ankeny with on-site living.
- Borgen Square
- The primary student housing complex located at the DMACC Boone Campus.
- BPA
- Business Professionals of America, a student organization for those pursuing careers in business and technology.
- BSA
- Black Student Alliance; a student organization focused on cultural awareness and community.
- BSU
- Black Students United; a student organization focused on supporting underrepresented minority students.
- Bucky
- The official name of the DMACC Bear mascot seen at athletic and campus events.
- Building 5 Cafe
- The central food court and dining area located in the Ankeny Student Center.
- Bytes Café
- The quick-serve dining location and computer station area at the DMACC West Campus.
C
- Cafe X
- The coffee and snack kiosk located in the Urban Campus (Des Moines).
- Café X
- The coffee and snack shop located inside the Building 5 Student Center on the Ankeny Campus.
- Campus Town
- A student housing development located adjacent to the Ankeny Campus.
- Campus View
- Privately owned student apartments located directly on the Ankeny Campus, often treated as the default 'on-campus' housing.
- Canvas
- The Learning Management System (LMS) where students access course materials and submit assignments.
D
- Dee-Mack
- The common phonetic pronunciation of the DMACC acronym used by students and staff.
H
- Hope Hall
- The designated student housing facility for the DMACC Carroll Campus.
I
- ICI
- Iowa Culinary Institute; the prestigious culinary school located on the Ankeny Campus.
L
- Lucky Bamboo
- The Asian-cuisine dining station located in the Ankeny Campus food court.
M
- myDMACC
- The universal term for the student web portal used to access grades, registration, and email.
O
- OneCard
- The official DMACC student identification card used for library services and campus identification.
P
- Prairie Pointe
- A popular student-focused apartment complex located near the Ankeny Campus.
- PTK
- Phi Theta Kappa, the international honor society for two-year college students.
S
- SAB
- Student Activity Board, the group responsible for planning and executing campus events.
- SAC
- Student Activities Council; the student-led group responsible for planning campus events and entertainment.
- SGA
- Student Government Association; the representative body for the student population.
T
- Taza
- Short for Taza Mediterranean Grill, a dining option in the Ankeny Building 5 food court.
- The Bear
- The DMACC mascot, often used in campus branding and student cheers.
- The Bear's Den
- The main snack bar and dining area located on the Boone campus.
- The Bistro
- A student-run gourmet restaurant operated by the Culinary Arts program in Building 7 on the Ankeny campus.
- The Cafe
- Common shorthand for the Trailblazer Cafe in Building 5.
- The Chronicle
- Shorthand for The Campus Chronicle, the student-run newspaper for the Ankeny Campus.
- The Snack Bar
- A quick-service food counter located within the Building 5 Student Center.
- Trailblazer Cafe
- The main cafeteria and dining area located in the Building 5 Student Center.
- TRIO
- Federal outreach and student services programs designed to identify and provide services for individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds.
U
- Urban
- Shorthand for the DMACC Urban Campus located in downtown Des Moines.
- Urban Cafe
- The dining area located at the DMACC Urban Campus in Des Moines.
W
- West
- Common shorthand for the DMACC West Des Moines Campus.
Places and practicalities
Buildings, logistics, and other local references drawn from the approved campus snapshot.
- Banner
- The self-service system used for course registration, checking grades, and managing financial aid.
- Bear Alert
- The emergency notification system that sends text and email alerts regarding campus closures or safety issues.
- Betts
- The Betts Building (Building 4) on the Des Moines/Urban Campus.
- Borgen
- The Borgen Administration Center on the Ankeny Campus, where most administrative and business offices are located.
- Building 1
- The main administration building where admissions, registration, and financial aid services are located.
- Building 24
- The Health Sciences building, home to nursing and medical programs.
- Building 5
- The Student Center on the Ankeny Campus, housing the food court, bookstore, and student activities.
- Building 7
- The building housing the Library, Media Center, and the Culinary Arts program.
- caf_x
- Café X
- Canvas
- The online learning management system where students access course materials and submit assignments.
- Courter Center
- The central student hub and dining area on the Boone Campus.
- DART
- The Des Moines Area Regional Transit bus system, which DMACC students can ride for free using a mobile pass.
- dmacc_bistro
- DMACC Bistro
- Eversman Hall
- Also known as Building 3 on the Ankeny campus, housing various classrooms and faculty offices.
- FFA Center
- The FFA Enrichment Center, a large event and classroom space located on the north end of the Ankeny campus.
- Hamlett
- The Hamlett Building (Building 5) on the Des Moines/Urban Campus.
- Late Start
- Refers to condensed academic sessions (like 12-week or 8-week terms) that begin after the regular semester start date.
- lucky_bamboo
- Lucky Bamboo
- myDMACC
- The central web portal used by students to access email, Canvas, and personal records.
- OneCard
- The official DMACC student ID card, used for library access, financial aid refunds, and campus events.
- subway
- Subway
- taza_mediterranean_grill
- Taza Mediterranean Grill
- Trail Point
- The Trail Point Aquatics and Wellness Center, the main fitness and recreation facility on the Ankeny Campus.
- Work-Study
- A financial aid program that allows students to work part-time jobs on campus to earn money for education expenses.
Quick answers
Useful facts students can verify from the guide above.
- What academic term is relevant now?
- Fall 2026 1st 5 Week Session runs Aug 26, 2026 – Oct 1, 2026.
- How much campus context is included?
- 41 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.