Service & Maintenance Staff
710
Student Centers
Murray D. Lincoln Campus Center/Student Union
Main Libraries
- Integrated Sciences & Engineering Library (ISEL)
- W.E.B. Du Bois Library
Popular Places to Chill
- Campus Center
- Campus Pond
- Dining Commons
- Dorms
- Student Union
Bar on Campus
Graduate Lounge in the Campus Center
Coffeehouse on Campus
There are plenty of places around campus to get coffee.
Movie Theater on Campus
University Programming Council shows movies in the Cape Cod Lounge in the Student Union on the weekends.
"Green" Initiatives
UMass Amherst is doing a lot to make its campus environmentally friendly. The Environmental Performance Advisory Committee is a group of administrators, faculty, and students that is looking at ways to reduce the campus' greenhouse emissions. The campus has greatly reduced its water consumption rate over the last 10 years, and UMass Dining Services buys a decent percentage of its food from local sources. For students looking to get involved, there are several organizations at UMass that focus on green living and sustainability.
School Slang
- The Bowl: Area in Orchard Hill between all of the buildings that is a round lawn shaped like a bowl in the center
- The Cage: Curry Hicks Athletic Field
- The Cluster Office: Every three dorms or so have a "headquarters," where students can obtain different objects or services. This is also where students have to report when they get in trouble.
- The DC: Dining Commons (cafeteria)
- FAC: Fine Arts Center
- Frat Row: The street between campus and Amherst where most of the frats are located
- Haigis Mall: Not really a mall, this is the area in front of the Fine Arts Center.
- The Horseshoe: A wrap-around road in Southwest near the basketball courts
- Puffer's: Puffer's Pond, a popular swimming hole near campus
- The Quad: Campus Pond or the Northeast Quad
- Rape Trails: Various trails around campus through secluded spots that students sometimes take as a short cut at their own risk
- Round Robin: A drinking event that occurs in the dorms
- SOM: School of Management
- Wicked: Very
- The Zoo: UMass
Traditions
- First Week: During the first week of school, the University sponsors a series of events to welcome students.
- Lobster and Steak on Halloween: Every Halloween, the DCs serve lobster and steak for all students with a meal plan.
- Spring Concert: In the spring, well-known musicians perform at the Mullins Center. Past performers have included Ludacris, New Found Glory, Sara Bareilles, and OK Go!
- Streaking: As a way to blow off steam each semester before finals, hundreds of UMass students will run butt-naked through the Northeast Quad at night as a break from studying.
Urban Legends
- Don't cross the circle next to Curry Hicks or you will fail your classes that semester (or so the legend says).
- Every year, the rumor that Bill Cosby is going to speak at graduation gets circulated around the entire campus.
- Kissing the Sam the Minuteman statue by the Campus Pond before finals is said to bring good luck.
- Scooby Doo was created by a UMass alumnus, and it's said that each of the characters represents one of five colleges—Scooby is UMass, Fred is Amherst, Velma is Smith, Daphne is Mount Holyoke, and Shaggy is Hampshire.
Favorite Things To Do
The Blue Wall Café in the Campus Center often has live music acts and open-mic nights that students like to check out. Most of the dorms have pool tables and lounges with nice TVs where students watch movies or just relax. Also, there are plays throughout the year that are quite popular. Students also like to participate in intramural sports, go to parties, join one of the more than 200 registered student organizations, go on a hike, or go shopping at Holyoke Mall.
Clubs and Organizations on Campus
There are hundreds of student-run clubs on campus, so everyone will likely find one that interests them. If not, all a student needs to create a club is six friends to apply with them. There is also an activity fair during First Week, which is a great way to check out some of the clubs offered on campus.
Student Activities Offered
- Campus ministries
- Choral groups
- Concert band
- Dance
- Drama/theater
- International student organization
- Jazz band
- Literary magazine
- Marching band
- Model UN
- Music ensembles
- Musical theater
- Opera
- Pep band
- Radio station
- Student government
- Student newspaper
- Student-run film society
- Symphony orchestra
- Television station
ROTC
Air Force ROTC:
YesNavy ROTC:
NoArmy ROTC:
YesDid You Know?
UMass is known for its music scene, with many local venues right in town—many indie and mainstream musicians play there. The school also hosts many musicians throughout the year, from rappers to rock musicians to electronic music DJs. There is a huge music group on campus known as MASS EDMC, which helps bring a wide variety of electronic music artists to campus.