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Guide to Commuter Life
Important Information for Students Living Off Campus
This Guide to Commuter Life is designed to provide answers to questions about commuter life at Hood and to offer references for other resources available to you. It is a supplement to the student planner that you received through communes. If you have not yet received a student planner, pick one up in the student activities suite on the second floor in the Whitaker Campus CenterHood is very supportive of its commuter students, offering a large commuter lounge in the Whitaker Campus Center and support services through the student activities office.
I encourage you to take advantage of all that Hood has to offer, including commuter programs, student organizations and clubs, academic and departmental organizations and events, athletics and intramurals! I also encourage you to read and utilize the student handbook and catalog. These resources offer information about services available to you and identify offices and individuals who can assist you.
As the director of student activities, I serve as a support person to commuter students and advise both the Commuter Student Union and Commuter Council. If you have ideas for programs or services, need help getting involved in campus life or simply want to talk, please drop by the office or call (301) 696-3575.
Once again, welcome! I look forward to meeting you!
Don Miller
Director, Student Activities/New Student Orientation
Student Activities Suite,Whitaker Campus Center
(301) 696-3575
millerd@hood.edu
Banking Services on or Near Campus
Sovereign Bank ATM on 1st floor of Whitaker Campus CenterF&M ATM Frederick Memorial Hospital Main Lobby
F&M 7th Street Shopping Center
BB&T 1305 West 7th Street
BB&T 1605 Rosemont Avenue
M&T 929 West 7th Street
Bank of America 805 West 7th Street
Bicycles
For students who choose to commute to Hood College by bicycle, the bicycle rack is located on the Whitaker Campus Center patio.
Communication
Campus Mail/Post Office
The post office on campus is a full-service post office that distributes both campus and U.S. mail. All full-time matriculated students are assigned campus mailboxes. Part-time students are not automatically assigned mailboxes but may, and should, request one. The post office is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; some services are not available on government holidays. The College distributes important information every day so it is important to check your mailbox each time you are on campus. You can also use campus mail to get in touch with faculty, staff and other students.Bulletin Boards
The commuter lounge has several bulletin boards that contain information about commuter events as well as campus-wide events. Checkthe “Next Free Food Event” bulletin board in the commuter lounge for the time and place of any free food offerings on campus.
The Commuter Centers
Whitaker Campus CenterThe Whitaker Campus Center houses the commuter lounge, an ATM, post office, bookstore, SGA office, Campus Activity Board office, Hood Today office, Blazer Express snack bar, information desk, copy machine, outdoor patio area and offices for some campus-wide organizations. Administrative offices located in the Whitaker Campus Center include student activities, multicultural affairs, residence life and the assistant dean of students.
Commuter Lounge
The two-floor commuter lounge located in the Whitaker Campus Center has comfortable
seats, couches and quiet study areas. The
lounge, open 24 hours a day, also has lockers, a television, computers and
a printer, and a kitchen complete with a stove, microwave and
refrigerator. Commuters are invited to use the dishes, glassware, utensils,
etc., but must wash and put away those items. Food can be
stored in the refrigerator, which is cleaned out every Friday afternoon.
Please make sure food is clearly labeled. Often there is “community
food” available for anyone to use. These items will be clearly marked.
** Children under the age of 16 cannot use the commuter lounge unless they
are accompanied by a commuter student. **
Commuter Forums
Commuter Student UnionAll undergraduate students who are classified as commuter students automatically qualify as members of the Commuter Student Union, a branch of the Hood College Student Government Association.
Commuter Council
The Commuter Council is a group of elected officers who represent the CSU
and administer its programs and activities.
Emergencies
Class absencesStudents who are unable to attend classes due to an illness or other personal reason should notify professors before the class meets. Also, notify the Dean of Students who will send a note of verification to specific professors provided there is a legitimate reason for missing class.
Emergency Communication From Home
Weekdays
On weekdays during regular office hours, family members can call Campus Safety
at (301) 696-3548 or the Dean of Students at
(301) 696-3573 to get a message to you.
Nights and weekends
Family members can call the College’s main number (301) 663-3131 to
speak with the safety officer on duty who will attempt to find you
on campus.
Food Services
On CampusOn-campus food service is provided by Sodexho Food Services. Blazer Express Snack Bar located in the Whitaker Campus Center.
Coblentz Dining Hall
The dining hall is open for lunch from 11:15 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. and for
dinner from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. The cost for lunch is $4.50;
dinner is $5.50.
Commuter students can have money credited to their ID card in Coblentz
Dining Hall, which can be used at either the Blazer Express or
in Coblentz Dining Hall. For further information call (301) 696-3988.
Vending machines
Vending machines are located on the basement level of most buildings.
Fast Food (Off Campus)
The following fast food outlets are located within a mile of campus:
Subway — College Plaza Shopping Center
Taco Bell — College Plaza Shopping Center
Manhattan Bagel — 7th Street Shopping Center
Papa Johns — 7th Street Shopping Center (Delivery - (301) 698-7272)
McDonalds — West 7th Street
Spirit Shoppe Deli — West 7th Street
Pizza Hut — Rosemont Avenue
— 540 W. South Street (Delivery - (301) 662-1700)
Sheetz — Rosemont Avenue
ID Cards
ID cards are issued by the Office of Campus Safety, located on the third floor of the Whitaker Campus Center. After normal business hours, please stop by the communication center on the first floor of the Whitaker Campus Center for assistance.
Inclement Weather
The decision to cancel or delay the start of classes due to inclement weather is generally made by 6 a.m. Decisions about evening classes and early closings are generally made as inclement weather situations develop. Closing and delay information is broadcast on local radio stations and a tape recording on the College’s main line, (301) 663-3131, will be activated to announce the cancellation or delay. If you can’t get to campus and classes have not been cancelled, contact your professor or the academic department.
Parking
Vehicles parked on Hood College property must display a vehicle registration tag, which is available for purchase from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. at the communication center in the Whitaker Campus Center. The fee for a parking sticker is $50 for two years. The parking lot in front of the Whitaker Campus Center is designated as a commuter and staff parking lot and is available to resident students from 10 p.m. - 8 a.m. only. Parking is provided on a space-available basis. Other lots are located behind the Chapel and next to the Huntsinger Aquatic Center.
Phone System
Campus phonesCampus phones are found in every office on campus and on the first floor of each residence hall. If a campus phone book is not available, dial “0” and the operator will connect you with the person or office you wish to call.While on campus, dial the last 4 digits of a phone number to contact an office or a student. Off campus, you must dial the area code and three-digit exchange (360 for students and 696 for offices). For your convenience, a campus phone is located in the commuter lounge in the Whitaker Campus Center.
Pay phones
Pay phones are located on the first floor of the Whitaker Campus Center,
basement of Alumnae Hall, Rosenstock Hall, Library, Gambrill
Gymnasium, basement of Tatem Arts Center, Hodson Science and Technology Center,
basement of the Dining Hall, the Marx Center
and in each residence hall.
Call box
Located by the front door of each residence hall, these phones can be used
to contact a resident of that hall. Visitors may use the call box
to dial a student’s room; the student can then come to the front door
and let the guest in.
Campus Publications
Blue and Grey Today The bi-monthly student newspaper.College catalog
Published jointly by the Registrar and the Office of Marketing and Communications
every other year, the catalog contains academic and
other policies and a description of the curriculum. Catalogs can be picked
up at the Registrar’s Office.
Student handbook
Published by the Student Life Team, this handbook contains college policies
and procedures governing student life as well as information
on the Student Government Association (SGA).
Touchstone
The college yearbook is distributed to full- and part- time students in the
fall of each year. Touchstone is funded by the Hood College
Student Government Association and is available at no additional charge to
students who pay the student activities fee. Yearbooks are
automatically ordered for seniors and all underclassmen who had their portraits
taken for the book. Students who are unable to have their
portraits taken must order a yearbook by sending a written request through
communes to Touchstone by October 1. Yearbook pictures are
taken early in the fall semester; notification of session times and places
is posted around campus. The yearbook is mailed to students who
graduated the previous May; all other students pick up their yearbooks in
the student activities office.
Wisteria
Yearly literary magazine.
Safety and Security
Campus Safety is located in the Apple Resource Center, mezzanine level. Security officers patrol the campus 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Dial “0” from campus phones to report problems. A safety officer will provide necessary escort services at any time. Please call ext. 3548 for this service.Red emergency phones
In case of emergency, pick up the nearest red phone and tell the telecommunications
officer the nature of the emergency. This service is
offered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Red phones are located in all residence
halls, the commuter lounge, the Whitaker Campus Center,
Gambrill Gymnasium,Wellness Center and Sports Medicine Center.
Blue Phones
These phones also give immediate access to the telecommunications officer
24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and are located behind
Brodbeck Hall, in front of the French House, behind Alumnae House, in the
Whitaker Campus Center parking lot, the Chapel parking
lot and at the Huntsinger Aquatic Center (outdoor pool).
Lost and found
Lost and misplaced items are held at the Communication Center on the first
floor of the Whitaker Campus Center.
Wellness Center
Health CenterHood College has an ambulatory facility, staffed by a registered nurse, that is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. when classes are in session. Physician clinics are held Tuesday,Wednesday and Thursday; students are seen by appointment only. Commuter students, including adult students, are eligible for services at the Health Center. If you have any questions, call the Health Center at ext. 3439.
Counseling Center
Staff counselors are available for brief supportive counseling, consultation
and referral services. Commuter students are eligible for these
services at no cost. Call the counseling center at ext. 3440 for an appointment.