Residential and Student Life

Built in 1932, St. Mary’s Hall was named for the county of St. Mary’s, located in southern Maryland. St. Mary’s hall is a co-educational residence hall that houses Language House students in several apartments dedicated to each cluster. Individual apartments may be co-educational or single-sex. More information can be found on ResLife’s page.

Language House students are supported by two groups of staff who live in the building. For language immersion, each language cluster has a Mentor, who is a native speaker. St. Mary's Hall also has two Resident Assistants (RAs), who live on each side of the building. The Program and Resident Staff are responsible for management of the residence halls, and for cultural, social, educational, and recreational programming. Students can aid the Staff in programming and become involved in their living environment. Language House administration can be found here.

To ensure the safety of residents in St. Mary's, the residents must swipe their uniquely-coded student ID to enter the building and access the hallways. In addition, Residential Facilities provides a team of Security Staff who work from dusk till dawn inspecting each of the residence halls and ensuring locked doors and the overall safety of the buildings. A 24-hour service center is available by phone [(301) 314-9675] in the case that problems arise with the facilities. In the event of fire, St. Mary's Hall is equipped with automatic sprinklers.

Students in St. Mary's currently have access to the service desk located in Queen Anne's Hall. The Service Desk is run by Community Assistants (CA) and serves as a center for information about student and campus group phone numbers, university resources, and is the place to borrow keys if locked out, and to pick up packages.

The Language House offers various room types within St. Mary's with different costs. Please see Residence Life's housing fee page for current information.

The Language House is wired for both Comcast Cable and the University's campus cable. Each apartment living room and both downstairs meeting rooms provide 24 hour satellite programming in each of the ten languages of the program. Televisions, remotes and A/B switches are provided to students in each of the nineteen apartments.

The Language House features a computer lab, a paid printing station, and a TV specially designed and equipped for the needs of the international and foreign language community. During the semester, the computer lab is open to Language House students from 7:00 am to 12:00 am.

The lounge at the Language House hosts events such as the weekly Coffee Conversations and meetings of various language clubs. At night, it transforms into an easily accessible study lounge. Circular tables provide a comfortable atmosphere for small groups to work, or just discuss interests in language and culture. Sofas and a TV/VCR/DVD allow students to watch movies and multi-lingual programs.

The café features both indoor and outdoor eating areas overlooking the McKeldin Mall. This area is also used for house gatherings and is a perfect place to sit and study.

The Multipurpose Room truly lives up to its name. Language House residents, the Language Departments, and Resident Life use it to host events such as dances, dinners, and small group activities. With a modern multimedia center, it is ideal for conferences, receptions, and large lectures.

St. Mary's Hall is an apartment-style dorm. Clusters live together in apartments. Large clusters may be spread out over multiple apartments, while smaller clusters may live in a single co-ed apartment. Bedrooms measure approximately 12' x 14' and have standard campus housing furniture. Most apartments house five people and include a kitchen, a furnished living room and a bathroom. Students who live in St. Marys do not need to sign up for a meal plan. Click Here to see Resident Life's Floor Plans of St. Mary's Hall.