The Spirit of Hood

College Life

Hood believes that living as a member of a community provides the best atmosphere for individual growth, so all students are afforded varied opportunities to participate in and lead activities at the College. Because Hood recognizes that students require both challenges and caring guidance to grow, a full range of student services and activities is available. The College is committed to supporting the personal and social development of all students, recognizing that life beyond the classroom walls is a vitally important part of the college experience.

Hood: A Place of Honor and Respect

As a place of honor and respect, all members of the College assume the obligation to maintain the principles of honesty, responsibility and intellectual integrity in all activities relating to their Hood College experience. It is the responsibility of each student to support these values through maturity of thought, expression and action. Members of the faculty, staff and administration are available to assist students in this process.

The Academic Honor Code and Code of Conduct

Academic life at Hood is guided by an honor system. The basic aims of the honor system are: to encourage and promote a trustful relationship among all members of the College community, to offer students the opportunity to exercise responsibilities and shared governance on campus and to make students more aware of their personal principles of honor.

The academic Honor Code is shared between the faculty, administration and the students. A judicial system of students, faculty and administrators considers and adjudicates violations of academic integrity.

The Honor Pledge reads as follows:

“Recognizing the importance and value of the Hood College honor system, I pledge on my personal honor that I will uphold the honor system for the duration of my enrollment at Hood College. Furthermore, I pledge that I will read and make every effort to understand the concepts of the honor system.”

Social behavior is governed by the Code of Conduct. Violations of the Code of Conduct are adjudicated through the Office of Residence Life, the Dean of Student’s Office, Department of Campus Safety and/or student review boards as appropriate to the violation. Student staff members are employed by the Office of Residence Life as resident assistants to assist in reporting violations, although all students retain the rights and responsibilities to report any infractions they witness.

Dean of Students Office

The Dean of Students Office supports the mission of the College through strategic planning initiatives that enhance the quality of student life. The staff is committed to providing co-curricular experiences that promote scholarship, service and respect for diversity in a challenging and inclusive environment. Programs and services are designed to retain students and to encourage student leadership, development and lifelong learning.

Working collaboratively with other divisions of the College, the Dean’s Office holds primary responsibility for the overall management of programs and services of the Athletic Department, Department of Campus Safety, Office of the Dean of the Chapel, Office of Residence Life and Student Conduct, Office of Diversity and Inclusion, Office of Student Engagement and Orientation, Wellness Center (Counseling and Health Services), and Student Media Organizations Board. The Dean of Students also advises the Executive Board of the Hood College Student Government Association (SGA). Through the programs and services of these offices, students are offered a plethora of opportunities for personal and professional growth.

Residence Life

The residence life program provides students with an opportunity to live with students from diverse backgrounds, encouraging them to learn from others’ experiences. Living in the residence halls helps students learn communication, negotiation and conflict management skills.

There are five traditional-style residence halls on campus (Coblentz, Coblentz Memorial, Meyran, Shriner and Smith) that house between 100 and 145 students each. Smaller language housing options for between five and 12 students each attract students who are interested in a French, German or Spanish living experience. One faculty member from the Department of Global Languages and Cultures serves as the language house coordinator. A native speaking student lives in the residence full time. Upperclass Honors Program students are also eligible to reside in Hood’s Honors House, a small community of six students.

Traditional-aged first-year students and sophomore students are required to live on campus and have roommates unless they are commuting from their parents’ home within a 30-mile drive from campus. Juniors and seniors are eligible for singles on a space-available basis. Students may apply for a housing accommodation based on medical, psychological, disability, religious, cultural, ethnic and/or gender-related needs. Instructions for requesting such accommodations can be found on the residence life portion of the Hood website.

During the summer prior to their arrival, first-year students are assigned a roommate based on a preference-questionnaire. First-year students may request a specific roommate if they know someone else coming to Hood with whom they would like to live. During the spring semester, all current resident students select their rooms and roommates for the upcoming academic year.

Hood’s residence halls are part of a shared governance system and residents elect representatives to House Forum through their individual house councils. Students decide when their quiet hours will be and when visitors may be in the halls (within certain minimum guidelines). In addition, the governing bodies of the halls work to provide educational and social activities for their residents.

Resident assistants live on each residence hall floor and are available to students who have personal or academic concerns, are having problems with their roommates or just need advice, guidance or a referral. They plan programs, disseminate information and work to build a positive community on their floor by enforcing College policies. The RAs are supervised by professional staff members who live on campus full-time. Responsibilities of the professional staff include community-building, shaping positive student behavior, programming, student support and supervision of building staff.

For further information about the resident experience at Hood, please contact the Residence Life Office at residencelife@hood.edu

Commuter Life

Commuter students represent a diverse population. When not attending classes, many commuters spend time in the Whitaker Campus Center.

The Commuter Council serves as the voice of the commuter students on campus and provides programming and services to commuter students. Various members of Commuter Council sit on student government committees and boards, giving voice to and representing commuter interests.

Parking

Vehicle registration and a parking hang tag are required to park on campus. Vehicles registered for the regular academic year do not require an additional tag for the summer session.

A parking hang tag does not guarantee the holder a parking space, which is on a space-available basis. Parking in the Whitaker Campus Center lot is restricted to commuter students. Vehicles parked in violation will be ticketed. Campus Safety may designate certain areas as no parking zones for snow removal purposes. Vehicle registration is available through Self-Service on the Hood College website.  A copy of the email confirmation must be taken to the Switchboard Office to pick up the hang tag. Please refer to the student handbook for details, or contact the Department of Campus Safety at 301-696-3548.

Student Government

All undergraduate, matriculated students are members of the Hood College Student Government Association. The student government at Hood represents the voice of the student body to the faculty and administration and is responsible for overseeing many vital aspects of student life. The HCSGA consists of a student senate, which takes up issues of importance to the student body and enacts legislation; a judicial branch, which is responsible for the academic honor system; and an executive board, which administers the business of the student government and oversees its committees.

The Campus Activities Board schedules, coordinates and implements a plethora of programs and social activities for students. The Finance Committee allocates the student activities fees to support the administration and programs of the organizations under its auspices. House Forum oversees the governance of the residence halls, working with the director of residence life to implement policies and procedures, while Commuter Council, working with the director of commuter life and student engagement, oversees the Commuter Student Union and its programs. The Academic Affairs Committee has members serving on or observing at many academic committees of the College, representing student views. The Student Life Committee serves as another voice for students regarding individual or group concerns. The dean of students serves as adviser to HCSGA.

Student Organizations

Clubs and organizations provide students with opportunities to meet others with similar interests as well as to develop leadership, organizational and management skills. A wide variety of clubs and organizations are vailable. In addition, a number of student groups and honorary organizations are sponsored by departments of the College. Each year, as new students with new interests join the Hood community, new clubs and interest groups are formed.

For a list of clubs, organizations and interest groups currently active on the Hood campus visit www.hood.edu/studentorganizations.

Honor Societies

Student Engagement

Through both classroom and extracurricular activities, Hood stresses the development of leadership skills. Hood students are encouraged to develop the skills they need to become effective contributors to their families, professions, communities and society. Noncredit workshops and programs, in addition to credit coursework, offer strong support for the development and acquisition of leadership skills and knowledge. Training is provided for key leaders by selected offices in the division of Student Life.

Educational Activities

Through various programs, departments and student organizations, a wide variety of special events and lectures is offered every year. In past years, events and speakers have included Steve Coll, author/journalist; Tony Mendez, retired American CIA Technical Operations Officer; Eli Clare, writer, speaker, activist and teacher; Cofer Black, top U.S. terrorism export; Wil Haygood, acclaimed journalist and best-selling author; Fred D. Gray, attorney, civil rights and human rights activist; Jessica Jackley, co-founder of KIVA, the world’s first peer-to-peer micro-lending website; Elijah Cummings, U.S. Representative for Maryland's 7th congressional district; Ishmael Beah, former child soldier, author and human rights activist; and Baroness Emma Nicholson of Winterbourne House of Lords, United Kingdom.

Religious and Spiritual Life at Hood

The Dean of the Chapel offers support to students, staff and faculty of all spiritual backgrounds. Along with individual pastoral care and spiritual direction, there are a variety of opportunities for religious activity, spiritual exploration and worship with various faith communities at the college and in the greater Frederick area. Each fall students are invited to visit area faith communities to find a spiritual “home away from home.” Every semester brings new possibilities for spiritual nurture and growth. Some of these include Bible studies, a meditation group, spiritual direction, service projects, prayer and pastoral care.

Christian chapel services with an interfaith theme are held weekly during the school year and interfaith prayer services occur throughout the year commemorating celebrations like Thanksgiving and Holocaust Remembrance Day (Yom Ha’Shoah.) There are chapters of Intervarsity Christian Fellowship, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Young Life, Muslim Student Association, Hillel Jewish student association, and a secular humanist group as well as other informal student lead groups.

Other events during the year include a campus-wide Ramadan feast, a Sukkot booth on the Quad, Holiday Candlelight Vespers service, Ash Wednesday observance, Liberation of the Black Mind worship service, to name a few. Hood’s Gospel Ensemble combines faith, music and fellowship in their rehearsals and concerts.

A Baccalaureate Service closes each year with a celebration of faith and learning. Hood College maintains its historic connection with the United Church of Christ, a Protestant denomination, while honoring the rich diversity of faith expressions on our campus..

Intercollegiate Athletics

The Athletic Department at Hood College is proud to adhere to the philosophy of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, Division III. Hood College is a member of the Middle Atlantic Conferences, competing in the MAC Commonwealth. The MAC sponsors 23 conference sports that include student-athletes from 17 schools spanning two leagues - the MAC Commonwealth and the MAC Freedom. As a member of the MAC Commonwealth, Hood will compete against Albright College, Alvernia University, Arcadia University, Lebanon Valley College, Lycoming College, Messiah College, Stevenson University and Widener University in the sports of baseball, basketball, field hockey, lacrosse, men's golf, soccer, softball, tennis and volleyball. The sports such as cross country, women’s golf, swimming and track and field, will compete against both the MAC Commonwealth schools as well as the MAC Freedom schools. The MAC Freedom is comprised of Delaware Valley College, DeSales University, Eastern University, Florham Campus - Fairleigh Dickinson University, Kings College, Manhattanville College, Misericordia University and Wilkes University.

Hood College athletics are designed to contribute to the student’s overall educational experience. Each athletic program is conducted in a manner designed to protect and enhance the physical, educational and spiritual well-being of the student-athlete.

Those interested in women’s intercollegiate competition can compete in basketball, cross country, field hockey, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, indoor and outdoor track and field and volleyball. Men’s intercollegiate sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, swimming, soccer, lacrosse, indoor and outdoor track and field and tennis. An equestrian team is also offered as a club sport.

Two full-time certified athletic trainers work with athletes and coaches in all phases of sports medicine including off-season and in-season strength and conditioning. The intercollegiate athletic program at Hood College complements and enhances the learning experience inherent in a liberal arts education. The program provides the opportunity for athletes to excel physically, emotionally and spiritually. Each athlete is challenged to appreciate and respect individual differences, to work collaboratively to achieve a common goal and to strive for excellence.

To be eligible to participate in intercollegiate sports, a student must be enrolled for at least 12 credits, be in good academic standing and maintain a cumulative 2.0 G.P.A. Students on academic or social probation are not permitted to participate in varsity or club sports.

Recreation

Recreational activities are provided for members of the Hood College community—students, faculty and staff. A wide variety of activities is offered in response to participant interest. Community and area facilities are used for activities such as skiing, rafting and golf. On-campus facilities are used for activities such as aerobics and volleyball. Fitness equipment in the Hodson Fitness Center is available for use by all members of the Hood College community (students, faculty and staff with a Hood College ID card). The swimming pool, outdoor volleyball court, turf field and tennis courts are also available for recreational use upon availability.