All Things Student Life for Fall Term

Departure

• Christine Congelosi-Lulla, Assistant Director of Residential Life

Interested in getting more involved on campus? Get to know our campus clubs and organizations at our Student Engagement Fair on Saturday, September 6 from 2:00-4:00 pm. Representatives from all active student organizations will be present to talk about their groups, and if there’s a club you’re interested in starting find Xander Holt and you can start promoting it ASAP! Be on the lookout for more information in the coming weeks.

Looking to connect with the Programming & Activity Council (PAC)? Have an idea for a band or virtual campus event? Reach out to PAC! Additionally, be sure to follow PAC’s instagram (@PACatBennington) to stay up-to-date with forthcoming events. 

Does your club or organization already have an idea for an event this term? Wondering how best to navigate these events in a digital space while taking advantage of existing campus (or other) resources? In need of budget or other logistical considerations? Schedule a meeting with Xander Holt, Assistant Director of Student Engagement, to get up to speed with a wide range of opportunities awaiting you this year.

Campus Safety is available 24/7 for assistance in room unlocks, emergency response, and general assistance after hours. They may be reached at all times by phone at 802-447-4250 or in person at the Campus Safety Booth. They are also available to offer rides on campus for students with mobility issues or safety concerns.

Parking Decals

All student vehicles must be registered with the Campus Safety office. If you have a vehicle on campus, you must purchase and display a permanent decal on your vehicle by Monday, September 8. Students parking/operating unregistered vehicles on campus after 9/8 may be fined $250, towed and or booted at the owners expense, and may lose on-campus vehicle privileges.

1. Registration should be initially filled out on StarRez, then you can stop by the Campus Safety Booth with a copy of your vehicle registration and valid insurance to receive your parking decal, which must be displayed in the rear window on the drivers side.
2. The registration cost is $50/academic year. Students will be billed at the time of registration.
3. Registration will be charged to your student bill. Payments cannot be accepted at the Campus Safety Office.

Students may ONLY park in

• the large VAPA lot, Alabama lot, or the Ohio lot.
• Students may park temporarily, 30 minutes or less, with the flashers on in a marked loading zone. If a vehicle is parked in a loading zone without the flashers on and/or in excess of 30 minutes, the vehicle will be ticketed and may be towed.

Temporary Permits

If a student has a need to park in an area other than the large VAPA lot, Alabama lot, or the Ohio lot, they must receive advanced notice from the Campus Safety Office or the Office of Student Accessibility Services and will be issued a special, temporary permit.

Ticketing

Students parking in visitor, staff, or faculty areas will be issued a ticket. All ticketed cars will be photographed parking in the violation area and logged into the Campus Safety reporting system, which documents the time, date, location, vehicle license plate, and registration. Parking violation fees increase based on the number of offenses. Please consult the Student Handbook for details.

Fire Lanes, Grass Areas, and Signed Handicap Parking Spaces

All College streets, with the exception of the street immediately in front of Health Services, are considered fire lanes. Any vehicle parked in a fire lane will be ticketed and may be towed at the owner’s expense. Registered vehicles will be towed to the Ohio parking lot and the vehicle owner will be billed for the expense. Unregistered vehicles will be towed to the Ohio Lot and booted. The owner is responsible for all costs.

No parking is allowed on any grass area of the college. Any vehicle parked in a grass area of the College campus will be ticketed and may be towed to the Ohio Lot at the owner’s expense..

Only vehicles with Bennington College handicap permits or state-issued handicap permits may park in a handicap parking space. All other vehicles parked in a handicap parking area will be towed at the owner’s expense and ticketed $100 per offense. 

Our Chefs are continually creating new and flavorful dishes alongside much-loved staples featuring sustainably sourced products from our local farmers and producers. Meals offer students a wide range of options, drawing on cuisines from around the world, and including vegetarian, vegan, and made-without-gluten selections at every meal. Visit the Dining Services page for hours and menus.

We work diligently to accommodate guests with dietary restrictions to create a safe dining experience for all in the Dining Hall. Staff members are happy to discuss menu items and ingredients at any time, and all menu items are clearly labeled with top allergens, including gluten, dairy, and soy. Please email the Dining team at dining@bennington.edu with questions, concerns, or to speak with someone about navigating the Dining Hall with your specific dietary restrictions.

Missing a favorite meal, side dish, or dessert? Submit your Recipe From Home, and we will work to feature it on the menu.

Meal Plans

• The Residential Full Board Plan grants unlimited access to the Dining Hall during service hours. All students living in campus housing, except Welling Townhouse, are required to purchase the full board plan. Declining balances, via the Bennington Card, can be added and used at the Byte machines and Roz’s Cafe at face value.

The Bennington Card and Meal Plans

A student’s Bennington Card is required for entry to the Commons Dining Hall. At the beginning of each term, students’ ID cards are programmed as proof of payment for a meal plan. Students must present their ID cards at each meal and when entering Commons Dining Hall at any time.

If your ID is lost or stolen, you must purchase a new card at the cost of $15 by emailing the Help Desk and picking up the new ID card at the Help Desk located between Roz’s and the Bookstore, just off the 70’s Lounge in the basement of Commons. New card replacements for cards that are lost or stolen Monday through Friday must be picked up by lunch the following day. If lost on a Friday, the new card must be presented by lunch on the following Monday. No access to the Dining Hall will be permitted outside of this timeframe. 

Meal plans are non-transferable and non-cumulative. Students who attempt to use another student’s meal plan/ID card may be referred to the Office of Student Life for disciplinary review. Use of another student’s card will not be permitted.

More information coming soon.

Dining Hall Policies

• Unauthorized removal of food or service ware, including coffee mugs, glassware, china, or silverware from dining facilities is considered theft and is prohibited and subject to restitution and possible disciplinary action. The use of personal containers such as Tupperware, etc. is prohibited per VT Department of Health regulations. Dining Service food or service ware recovered from student housing is subject to a $25 fine for each offense and/or possible disciplinary action. Items recovered from common spaces during house inspections will be the responsibility of the house members collectively. 
• Per Vermont Health Code, Dining Services requires patrons to wear proper attire in any food service location. This includes pants, shirts, and shoes worn in the intended manner.

Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) offers regular business hours and full services will begin on Tuesday, September 2. A mixture of in-person and telehealth services will be available this semester. To book an appointment or to request on-going psychotherapy sessions, visit our website: CAPS Website . On the website you will find links for requesting walk-in sessions or you can complete a google form in order to request on-going therapy. Please note that the google form for requesting on-going therapy will become available a week before classes begin.

Health Services staff includes Dianne Villani, Director and full-time Nurse Practitioner; Wendy Sergeant, part-time Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner; and Kat Seelye, the office administrator.

Our hours of operation are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 9am to 5pm, and Wednesday 9am to 12pm. Visits with our Nurse Practitioners are by appointment only. We do not offer walk-in services. Appointments can be made at:

Request an appointment with the NP

Request an appointment with the Psychiatric NP

Health Insurance

All full-time Bennington College students must be covered by a health insurance policy. College-sponsored insurance plans are not available to us. Student must provide their own insurance coverage. If you do not have insurance coverage, you will not be able to enroll or attend as a student at Bennington. Students need to provide Proof of Health Insurance with a copy of their insurance card to Bennington College and need to plan accordingly to pay their bill for services in the Health Center. Please review our Student Health Insurance Policy for more information. 

If you are an International student, The IFS Secure Plus Plan is required. With the approved IFS Secure Plus Plan, most campus services will have no copays, deductibles, or coinsurance. Students must sign up for the plan by August 1 (unless delayed entry into the US) for coverage starting August 15 (or if Spring entry, February 1 for coverage starting February 15). If policy info is not provided by the 1st, the College will purchase the plan on the student’s behalf and will post the cost to the student bill with a $100 administrative fee. If you will be studying abroad, please email tsholes@bennington.edu to discuss appropriate enrollment dates for your policy. For international students who hold a green card: either an individual plan offered by home state that includes benefits when away from home or the state exchange via Vermont Health Connect.

Domestic students who need to enroll or change their coverage have a 30-day window when they move to campus (called a qualifying event) to make policy changes. Window specifics vary depending upon policy.

The Bennington College Health Center charges usual and customary fees, just like any private doctor’s office. It is your responsibility to review your insurance options and determine whether your chosen coverage will pay for services away from home, as you will be billed for any fees that are not covered. If at any time your insurance policy changes, go online and submit new information at: ​​https://app.dashquill.com/bennington-college-student-health/insurance-form.

Meyer Rec Barn & Campus Recreation

The Meyer Rec Barn will be open at the beginning of term. The climbing wall will be open as well. Hours TBD, information will be included in the welcome packet. Students must wipe machines down before and after using any equipment. Please contact Xander Holt, Assistant Director of Student Engagement, with any questions.

Printing

Students can print from their own devices or from any public access computer, such as those in Commons, Crossett Library, and any of the computer labs. Please see “Getting Started with IT@Bennington” to walk you through how to login and use the system.

Respecting Intellectual Property

Information Technology would like to remind students to respect the work and intellectual property of others and to remain in compliance with Bennington policies as outlined in the Bennington Student Handbook for more information on our policy or contact IT at helpdesk@bennington.edu with questions.

Composting

Student houses - Again this fall, the College Buildings and Grounds (B&G) staff will be collecting composting from all student houses. Last year, we supplied all student houses with a small stainless steel kitchen composting bucket. We will be using these buckets for composting this fall. The expectation for students is as follows: when this bin in your kitchen is full, students must bring it outside to a larger five gallon composting pail located at each house's trash location. B&G staff will check these buckets several times a week. B&G will bring the five gallon buckets of composting to the Dining Hall composting dump location and return the empty buckets to each house. If this bin is missing from your trash location, please reach out to Buildings and Grounds, and they will get you a new one.

Staff and faculty houses - All staff and faculty houses will be required to bring compost to the Dining Hall composting location (at the exterior trash area near Commons). Please note that when you are bringing compost and dumping it in the Dining Hall compost, it cannot be in a plastic bag. Please either transfer compost directly from your bucket into the composting bins, or utilize a compostable paper bag.

Housing assignments for the academic year can be found on StarRez.

As a reminder, the entrances to houses are locked 24/7. Bennington students who live in campus housing will have their Bennington IDs programmed with access to all houses. Students need to carry their IDs with them while on campus.

As a reminder please do not remove any college-issued furniture from your room.  

All students are required to move out at the end of the fall term unless they apply for and receive approval for non-term housing. Non-term housing is charged separately. More detailed information will be sent in October.

Crossett Library Information

The Guide to Library Services and Resources contains information about library hours, your library account, course reserve books, electronic and print resources and more. If you need additional information please stop by the library or email us at library@bennington.edu.

Little Extras Pantry 

The Little Extras Pantry is open to all currently enrolled students. The Pantry is located in the cubbies outside of the Institutional Advancement Office (Barn 105). The Barn remains open until 10:00 pm every day of the week. If you are a student and you feel that you can benefit from the pantry, please do not hesitate to take any item(s) that you need. 

We are currently accepting donations for the pantry. If you would like to donate non-perishable food items and/or supplies, such as toiletries, you can send an email to FLoW to schedule a drop-off or address any questions or concerns. We ask that all food donation items be unopened and unexpired.

Students are responsible for reviewing and ensuring the accuracy of their record in Populi. Please use this form to notify the Registrar's Office of any updates to your name or the pronouns you use. You can also use this form to update your name with diacritical marks (accents, tildes, etc.) if they are not currently reflected in Populi. Only use this form if your current record is not correct. You must be logged into your Bennington email account to use this form.

Please check that your contact information is up-to-date by reviewing the Info tab on your Populi profile.  You can make changes to your parent/guardian, emergency, or missing person contact information by updating specific sections on the Contact Information Update Form. After submitting the form, return to your Info tab in Populi to confirm that your information has been saved correctly.

If you were unable to attend Commencement, you can watch videos of specific speeches and the conferring of degrees.