Campus Life

You have the opportunity to pursue your personal interests through a variety of cocurricular and extracurricular activities. Moreover, you are encouraged to help to meet the needs of others through a host of service programs. There are also ample avenues to develop your leadership skills, whether on a campus activity board or on the athletic fields, as well as to grow spiritually through reflective and outreach programs.

To help you make the most of your Holy Cross education, we encourage you to take advantage of our many support services. From college-life transition to academic support to wellness programs, they are designed to fully engage you — mind, body, and spirit.

Campus Recreation

The Office of Campus Recreation offers opportunities for students to take part in recreation, fitness and sports activities. These programs enhance the college experience by promoting sportsmanship; encouraging a healthy lifestyle and the development of lifelong habits; and by providing student leadership opportunities.

Chaplains’ Office

The Office of the College Chaplains supports the mission of Holy Cross through worship, community building, dialogue, service, prayer, and solidarity. In this spirit, we encourage all members of the campus community to participate in the intellectual life of the College, in the search for truth, faith, and justice.

Community Standards

The Office of Student Integrity and Community Standards supports the College's mission “to build a community marked by freedom, mutual respect, and civility.” When you enter the College, you are accepting an invitation to participate in the growth and development of our community. The high standards set for membership in this community include those of personal conduct and behavior. These standards are detailed in the College’s Community Standards Process and Procedures. All new students are expected to read, review, and understand the College’s Community Standards prior to their arrival on campus.

Dining

Recently named one of the “7 Healthiest College Dining Halls in the Country” by Bon Appétit magazine, Holy Cross offers full-service dining services to the entire campus community, including students, faculty, staff, alumni, parents, and campus guests. Students are our first priority, and you will get to know us well during your years on The Hill. We firmly believe that today’s hard-working college students should be rewarded with a dining experience that is palate-pleasing, healthy, and entertaining.

Dining Services offers an all-you-care-to-eat style of service in the award-winning Kimball Main Dining Room, as well as à la carte menus — with the option of dine-in or take-out — at our retail eateries in the Hogan Campus Center, O'Connor Family Cafe at the Performing Arts Center, Cafe Babel Starbucks, and D’Agostino Cafe.

Meal Plans

All resident students are required to purchase a meal plan.

All resident students are automatically assigned to the Standard Food Plan at $3,925 per semester and are billed through the bursar system. This plan provides unlimited access to our all-you-care-to-eat dining room located in Kimball Hall. The plan also includes 8 meal swipes per week that can be used at participating retail locations. Beyond our meal swipe options our plan includes $425 Dining Dollars, to be used at our retail dining locations across campus. Dining Dollars do not carry over and must be used before the end of the semester. Review retail location details, menus, and hours of operation.

Physical Student I.D. cards (OneCard) are required to access your Standard Food Plan at all dining locations. Photos of ID cards will not be accepted. Learn more about our meal plans. If you have any questions or need assistance with your plan, call Dining Services at 508-793-3385 or email wdavey@holycross.edu.

Holy Cross Bands

Established in 1845, the College's bands include the Goodtime Marching Band and the Bettertime Pep Band. The Holy Cross Bands are committed to serving and engaging the campus community with quality music, talented musicians and creating memorable experiences. Members of HC Bands participate in an inclusive and safe environment in which all are welcomed and valued. This is manifested through a commitment to upholding the highest standards, academically and musically.

We are actively seeking new members to participate in our ensembles. We accept all interested members, including those with no experience. Band Camp starts on Saturday, August 17, so register here to join us for the 2024-25 season!

Cheer Team

The Cheer Team is responsible for promoting Holy Cross Athletic competitions, generating school spirit and fan engagement at various events campus wide. The cheer team is present at home football, men’s and women’s basketball games and participates in select travel games each year. Members come from a variety of backgrounds including all star cheer, high school varsity cheer team, and or a number of other sports such as gymnastics, dance, and more.

We are actively seeking new members to join the cheer team. We accept all interested members, including those with no experience. Cheer Camp starts on Saturday, August 17, so register here to join us for the 2024-25 season!

Housing

All residence halls also have study areas, community living rooms, and shared kitchens. Each floor is staffed by a resident assistant (RA) who helps maintain a healthy environment that promotes academic success, individual growth, and respect for others. In addition, area coordinators (ACs), who are full-time live-in staff professionals, help create an environment that fosters principles of academic excellence, student development, and community responsibility.

Telephone Services

Holy Cross can provide you with local telephone service for your room on campus upon request, though most students now use their cell phones. If you wish to activate the telephone jack in your room, please call the ITS Help Desk at 508-793-3548. You will need to supply your own telephone handset. This will allow incoming phone calls and outgoing local calls but would require a calling card to make any calls outside the Worcester area.

Ethernet and Wi-Fi

All residence halls offer Wi-Fi service. Each room also has two Ethernet ports for students who wish to use a wired connection. The wireless network, HCWireless, requires your network username and passphrase, which needs to be re-entered on all your devices when your passphrase changes. The guest wireless network, HCGuest, requires a guest registration daily. If your guests are from another institution that participates in Eduroam, they can connect to the Eduroam wireless network. You can use Eduroam when visiting other campuses that participate in this wireless network by using your email address and network passphrase for authentication.

There is a range of personal electronic devices we support on campus; however, the manufacturer may not have designed the device to work on a network larger than the one you have at home. Please report any issues you may have to the Help Desk and they can usually get the device to work on a campus-sized network.

MicroFridge Rentals

MicroFridges — a two-door refrigerator and freezer combined with a microwave—are available for students to rent or purchase from Collegiate Concepts, Inc. The units are specially wired to meet fire code regulations in the residence halls. Due to electrical load limits, freestanding microwaves are not allowed in the residence halls. For more information, please visit www.collegefridge.com or call 888-929-0806. MicroFridge will donate a portion of the proceeds to support programming and development for our resident assistants.

Laundry/Linen

Each residence hall is equipped with common laundry facilities, which include washers and dryers. The College has a “Free Start” Laundry program in all residence halls. There is no need for quarters or a credit card to use the machine. You will select the machine to use and just follow the instructions to complete your laundry.

Students can find available laundry machines and receive text alerts when their cycle is completed at Laundry Tracker Connect. When purchasing bed linens, please keep in mind that you will be fitting a twin extra-long bed (80" long by 36" wide).

Laundry and Dry Cleaning Services

The Campus Laundry, located within the Hogan Campus Center, is provided by E&R Cleaners. They offer plans for weekly wash/dry/fold service, fresh towel rentals, fresh bed and bath linen rentals, fresh comforter and blanket plans, and weekly dry cleaning plans.

Environmental Services

Holy Cross Environmental Services staff clean and maintain all common areas in the residence halls, including lounges, hallways, and bathrooms. In addition, once a week they empty the garbage and vacuum the floors of all student rooms. If a room generates a large amount of trash that cannot wait for weekly removal by the building services staff, students should dispose of it in the residence hall dumpster.

Furnishings

All residence hall rooms are furnished with a bed (twin extra-long), a desk/chair, and a dresser for each student. Individual closet spaces/wardrobes are also provided. Windows have either curtains or blinds.

Personal Property

Due to space constraints, the college is unable to store personal property outside the normal academic year. We also suggest that students and/or parents consider ensuring that personal property is insured either through parents, homeowners insurance, or by purchasing additional insurance coverage. Residence Life and Housing has worked with National Student Services Inc. (NSSI) in the past, and we have brochures that will be available.

Americans with Disability Act

Students requesting housing accommodation under the Americans with Disability Act must provide all supporting documentation in the Accomodate portal by June 28, 2024. Please follow the documentation guidelines as indicated on the Office of Accessibility Services website.

Access to Resident Facilities

All exterior doors to student resident halls and female corridors are locked 24 hours a day. An electronic computerized card access system monitors all exterior doors and the corridor doors to the women’s areas.

Access to the halls is by the Holy Cross Crusader One Cards, which are issued by the Department of Public Safety. The cards are programmed to allow access into the resident halls. Students are encouraged to report all missing and lost cards as soon as possible. All reported missing and lost cards are immediately removed from the card access system when replacement cards are issued. All exterior doors to the resident halls are equipped with an anti-prop/vandalism device. This device activates an alarm in the Public Safety Dispatch Center when a door is propped or held open. When an alarm is activated, a public safety officer will be dispatched to investigate the cause of the alarm.

Residence Hall Room Accessories

Holy Cross provides each student with an extra-long twin bed, a dresser, and desk/chair. The room also has either a built-in closet or wardrobe. Storage space is limited, therefore we suggest you contact your assigned roommate(s) to discuss what each plans to bring, to avoid duplication. For media access, each room contains an Ethernet jack. Each residence hall also has Wi-Fi service.

Moving In

Move-in for the Class of 2028 will take place Wednesday, August 21, 2024. First-year students should sign up for time slots on their given move-in days. Information and directions will be sent to students once the process has been finalized, usually a week before move-in is to take place. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Residence Life and Housing at reslife@holycross.edu or 508-793-2411.

What to Pack

Label your packed items with your name and room number. Our suggested packing list includes:

Identification

For students who are applying for a job on campus, please pack I-9 acceptable forms of identification

Apparel

Clothes for summer/fall and all types of weather (check out the typical weather in Worcester for August-December to help you decide what you may need)

Linens

Hangers
Laundry bag & detergent
Mattress pad
Pillow, pillowcases, sheet, and bedspread/comforter (Twin XL)
Towels and washcloths

Office Supplies

Computer
Portable laptop power bank
Pens and/or pencils
Stapler
3M Command brand hooks or adhesive strips (use of nails, screws, and tape is not allowed)

Toiletries

Shower bucket/tote
Shower shoes such as flip-flops
Personal toiletries

Home Goods

Plastic storage bins/boxes
Alarm clock
Surge protector power strips
Umbrella
Cleaning/Disinfectant supplies
Bed risers (store-bought only — no cinder blocks)
Flashlight and batteries
UL-approved lamp
Plates, cups, bowls, and utensils
Food storage containers (tightly sealed)
Pitcher with water filter
Window fan

Items Not Allowed in Residence Halls

Examples of items that are considered potential fire hazards:

Large tapestries
Curtains
Toasters/toaster ovens
Hot plates/George Foreman grills
Candles or incense
Extension cords (please use surge protectors instead)
Halogen lamps

Examples of items that cause disruption of services:

Wireless routers and wireless printers (may be used when set up with ITS assistance)
Air conditioners (any type)
Microwaves (except MicroFridge units)

Examples of items that jeopardize the health and safety of others:

Pets (up to 10-gallon fish tanks only are allowed)
Cinder blocks
Firearms (including paintball and AirSoft)
Bows
Lofts (that create a bunk-bed structure)

Please review the On-Campus Living Responsibilities section (pages 28-31) of the Community Standards Process and Procedures document. This is a great resource to learn what items are prohibited in the residence halls, as well as the responsibilities of residents. Keep these details in mind as you pack for the fall semester.

Justice, Equity, Belonging, and Identity (JEBI)

The Office of Justice, Equity, Belonging, and Identity (JEBI) welcomes our first-year students and embraces the rich diversity you bring to Holy Cross. The JEBI Office works to promote and further the College’s commitment to inclusive excellence, belonging, and social justice. Each year, we recognize and celebrate the many identities and experiences of the Holy Cross community through events and programming that are social, educational, engaging, and fun. We are committed to your development of a strong sense of belonging with the campus community. We foster opportunities to make connections, access resources, and engage in leadership and service.

Student Involvement and Leadership

The Office of Student Involvement provides an array of opportunities for students to get involved: from leadership development programs to over 100 clubs and organizations, these opportunities help new students, in particular, meet new people, make friends, explore your interests, and contribute to a vibrant campus culture.

Learn more about the Clubs and Organizations offered at Holy Cross and the Student Government Association.

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