Student Life
Residence Halls The residence halls on the Texas Woman's University campus at Denton and at the Houston and Dallas Centers provide a wide range of choices in student living styles. Each residence hall is centrally air conditioned and offers a variety of facilities for students, including study lounges, piano practice areas, living rooms, television lounges, laundry rooms, computer rooms, vending machines, room refrigerators, TV cable hookup, voice mail, and telephones in each student room. Students are assigned to the halls of their choice to the extent possible.
Nelda C. Stark and John A. Guinn Halls are contemporary, high-rise buildings, 21 and 24 stories respectively, which lend architectural distinction to the Denton skyline. Nelda C. Stark Hall has double-occupancy rooms and two room suites with private baths. John A. Guinn Hall is a residence hall and conference center housing conference/workshop participants and guests as well as students, both single and married, male and female. The double-occupancy rooms offer private baths. In addition, married couples with one child or single parents with a maximum of two children twelve years of age or older may reside in the Guinn Hall rooms and apartments. Traditional rooms and one- and two-bedroom as well as efficiency apartments are available in Guinn Hall. Reagan Houston Hall has double-occupancy rooms and one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments in a three story building built around two courtyards. The hall has semi-private baths and houses both male and female students, as well as students with families in apartments. Mary Hufford Hall provides 16 architecturally separate units with courtyard entrances. Housing is provided for 37 families comprising no more than four members. Families may reside in efficiency or two-bedroom apartments. The Houston Center and the Dallas-Parkland
sites provide contemporary residence facilities adjoining TWU education centers in the
medical center complexes. Each residence hall accommodates female and male
under
Meal Services Meals are served on the Denton campus in Hubbard Hall and in the Student Center in the Garden Room and the Underground. Vending services are available in Dallas at Faye Pannell Hall and a cafeteria is available at the Houston Center residence hall. Denton campus resident students are required to purchase one of several meal plans unless they reside in one of the on-campus apartments. Meals are planned to fulfill the basic nutritional requirements of residents; special diet plans also are available. For further information on meal plan options, contact the Food Services Administrator, Texas Woman's University, Box 425380, Denton, Texas 76204-5380.
Residence Hall Staff The residence halls are supervised by student life coordinators (Dallas/Houston) and residence directors. These professional staff members have major responsibility for the overall operations of a residence hall and aid residents in their adjustment to university life. Each residence hall has a staff of resident assistants and student office assistants.
Residence Hall Activities A wide variety of educational, social, and recreational activities take place in the residence halls. Speakers, concerts, study skills groups, intramural athletics, and special events are just a few of the activities offered to residents. Residents are encouraged to be involved in hall activities. Each residence hall elects a hall council or house council whose responsibilities include developing hall policies and planning activities.
Residence Hall Association The Residence Hall Association is a coordinating body for the residence hall communities and is comprised of voting representatives from each residence hall community. The RHA works with the Housing staff and residents in the development and initiation of residence hall policies, programs, and facility improvements.
Residential Learning Communities NET (Neighbors Educated Together) is a distinct residential learning community at TWU. This program offers students the unique opportunity to develop an academic peer support group in the residence hall environment during their first year at the University. All students participating in NET will enroll in the same three courses in English, History and University 1000 (Orientation to the University) for the fall semester and English, History, and Women's Studies (Women in Learning Communities) courses in the spring semester.
Clubhouse After School and Summer Recreation Program The Clubhouse, located in Mary Hufford Hall, is a children's after-school and summer recreation program designed for 5-12 year-old children of TWU students. The Clubhouse is open from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. during the Fall and Spring semesters and from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. in the summer. Children must be 5 years old by September 1 to enroll in the Clubhouse program. The program is available Monday through Friday. Limited after-school pick-up service is available to bring children to the Clubhouse. For more information call 817/898-3653 or 898-3676.
Residency Requirement The TWU Board of Regents requires that all full-time, single undergraduates who have not completed 60 credit hours, who are under the age of 21, who are not veterans, and who are not living with parents or legal guardians within commuting distance live in University residence halls.
Room Assignments and Contract The housing-food services contract guarantees a bed space in a double-occupancy room. Assignments to residence halls are made on a space-available basis, based on the date that the application and deposit are received at the Department of University Housing. Private rooms may be requested at any time and will be confirmed if space is available, based on the date that the application was received. Students have the opportunity to contract for one semester or for two semesters. Students who break their housing-food services contract will lose their deposit and be assessed a $300 contract breakage fee for failure to complete the contract. It is imperative that the terms and conditions of the contract be read carefully. Housing applications and/or further information may be obtained by contacting the Department of University Housing, Texas Woman's University, Box 425380, Denton, Texas 76204-5380.
Costs Associated with Housing Texas Woman's University keeps student costs at a minimum. Rates available through the Department of University Housing are for the regular fall and spring semesters which are approximately four and one-half months long, and the summer terms which are five and one-half weeks. A three-payment installment plan is available for housing and food services charges for the Fall and Spring semesters. Minimal charges for post office box rental and residence hall dues, for programs and activities, should be included in the resident student's budget. All mail to the Denton campus is delivered to a U.S. Post Office located in the Student Center. Mail for the Houston and Dallas Center residents is delivered to mail boxes in the residence hall.
Student Government On the Denton campus and at the Dallas and Houston Centers, all registered students are members of their respective Student Government Associations. The SGA allows students the opportunity to participate in a large variety of all-campus activities and to work with University faculty and administration in developing University policies and programs of special interest to the student body.
Student Activities The Department of Student Activities provides educational, social, cultural, and recreational activities designed to attract the interests of a diverse student body. Each semester, a calendar of activities and events are programmed to give all students an opportunity to participate in a wide variety of events. The Student Organization for Activities Programming (S.O.A.P.) is found in the Student Activities Center. On the Dallas and Houston campuses, the student life coordinator is responsible for student activities. On the Denton campus, tickets to a variety of amusements and events in the Metroplex are available through the Student Activities Center. Airport shuttle service is available before and after holidays and semester breaks. Specific dates are in the Student Activities calendar. Outdoor recreation equipment rental is available at little or no cost to students. Intramural sports, club sports and other recreational activities are an integral part of student life at TWU. Bowling, volleyball, ultimate frisbee, aerobics, tennis, golf, basketball, and softball are some of the sports available to students.
Orientation Another function of the office of Student Activities is student orientation. The orientation experience is designed to inform students of the many academic and social opportunities available to them at TWU. Mandatory freshman orientation is a four-day program held several times during the summer, which includes placement tests, advising and registration. Special population orientation are one-day programs designed for the specific needs of graduate, transfer, non-traditional and international students and are held prior to the beginning of the fall semester. A mini-orientation for new students is held at the beginning of the spring semester and all three summer sessions.
Student Organization for Activities Programming (S.O.A.P.) On the Denton campus, an all-campus programming board, the Student Organization for Activities Programming, is a student-run organization responsible for the development, planning and coordination of recreational, social, cultural and educational activities and programs for the student body and the university community. At the Dallas and Houston campuses, activities are sponsored through the student life coordinators. Students are encouraged to participate in all campus activities. Programs, such as lectures, dances, speakers, movies, picnics and special events are open to all students. A few of the traditional activities are Family Weekend, South of the Border Fiesta, Black History Month, Homecoming, and the Redbud Awards Festival. Day and weekend trips are available at minimal cost to students and their families. These activities include trips such as rockclimbing, camping, horseback riding, skiing, white water rafting, area museums, zoos, amusement parks and major shopping centers.
Office of the Director of the Student Center
The Mary Eleanor Brackenridge Student Center is named for the
1913 president of the Texas Woman Suffrage Association. In 1924, Ms.
Brackenridge was one of two women appointed as a member of a Texas Board of
Regents, and she remains an example of the important roles women have assumed in
the life of the university.
The Student Center on the Denton campus provides facilities for
social, cultural, recreational, and educational programs that promote dialogue,
debate, discussion, and opportunities for leadership and growth in
individual social competence and group effectiveness. The Student Center is the site
for a variety of food service venues, leisure and recreational opportunities,
the campus Bookstore, campus P.O. boxes and a branch of the U.S. Post Office.
In addition, the underground TV lounges and meeting facilities for campus
and community programs are located in the building. The student life
coordinators
Staff members in the office of the Student Center Director are
responsible for reserving space, facilitating renovation projects, and supervising
building maintenance and operation. As the gathering place for student
activities, meetings, and special events, the building also houses offices that enhance
the quality of cocurricular life on campus.
Office of Student Development
The Office of Student Development serves students, staff,
and faculty within the TWU community. Student Development
facilitates students' interpersonal development; promotes leadership
development opportunities through seminars, workshops, programs, and retreats;
promotes service leadership through an outreach program by utilizing
a volunteer resource network; promotes student involvement by
educating students about the benefits of group participation, provides services
for commuter students.
Students at TWU are encouraged to take advantage of both
the formal leadership development programs and the informal opportunities
to develop personal and professional skills. This approach to
leadership ensures that students can tailor their own program around their
individual needs. The Leadership Program provides a strong basis so that students
can easily make transitions from the university to the work force. The
Leadership Program including the Leadership Retreat can be an integral part of
a student's college experience.
The Office of Student Development maintains resource
information to assist commuting students in locating individuals who are interested
in carpooling, living arrangements, and child care. Van pools are
coordinated with the University of North Texas so that students from the Dallas and
Fort Worth areas can find alternative methods of transportation to the
Denton campus. Emergency contact service is available for commuting
students who need to be contacted in the event of an emergency.
Student organizations such as the Student Government Association,
University honor societies, departmental honor societies and professional
groups, national and local sororities, class organizations, and various student
interest groups are vital parts of the educational experience at Texas Woman's
University. Opportunities to participate and assume leadership in a wide variety
of group activities are important in each student's intellectual and
professional development.
Student organizations must be registered with the Office of
Student Development in order to use University facilities and services. Student
organizations must submit registration forms each fall semester. Rules
which govern student organizations are designed to ensure order and
responsible action among the many student groups.
Academic and social standards for members and officers of
student organizations are stipulated in the respective constitutions and bylaws.
In some cases, organizational requirements may be above the University
requirements.
In order to qualify for elected or appointed posts, a student must be in
good standing with the University, be currently enrolled at TWU, and have
a cumulative grade point average of 2.0 or higher.
Listed below are some of the currently registered student organizations
on the Texas Woman's University campuses.
Membership in one of the honor societies listed below is a means by
which students who have achieved distinction in some important aspect of
University life (in addition to their academic departments) are recognized.
Alpha Chi (general scholarship, open to top 10% of juniors and
seniors; requires a 3.5 GPA)
Business and Economics
Communication Sciences and Disorders
Dental Hygiene
Early Childhood and Special Education
English, Speech and Foreign Languages
Fashion and Textiles
Family Sciences
Health Studies
History and Government
Library and Information Studies
Mass Communications
Nursing
Nutrition and Food Sciences
Occupational Therapy
Physical Therapy
Performing Arts
Psychology and Philosophy
Reading and Bilingual Education
Sociology and Social Work
Criminal Justice Club
Visual Arts
Student Publications and Media
Intercollegiate Athletics
For additional information concerning TWU athletics programs,
contact the Director, Intercollegiate Athletics, Texas Woman's University, Box
425349 Denton, Texas 76204-5349 or call 817/898-2378.
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