WCSU Undergraduate Catalog 2023-2024

The Campus

The Campus

Midtown

Midtown, Western’s original campus, is located in downtown Danbury. The many recent renovations, additions and new buildings have transformed the Midtown campus into a modern college setting while retaining Western’s traditional character.

The Midtown campus features:

ALUMNI HALL — A 8,434-square-foot building that houses a lecture hall, administrative offices and the WCSU Child Care Center.

BERKSHIRE HALL – This facility includes classrooms and offices for English, writing, world languages, communication, health promotion and theatre arts, the Language Lab and the Learning Centers (math, writing, study skills). The Berkshire Theatre, Bill Williams Gymnasium and fitness center are also located on the premises.

HIGGINS HALL AND HIGGINS ANNEX – Higgins Hall classroom building, and its annex, are home to the mathematics, English and writing departments, including the MFA program.  The Academic Advisement Center, the CONNCAP/Upward Bound program, the Educational Achievement and Access Program (EAP), are located in Higgins.  The Annex includes AccessAbility Services, Math Emporium, Art Gallery, International Center, Women’s Center, and offices for German Studies, Pre-Collegiate & Access Programs.

WHITE HALL – This classroom building is also home to the Ives Concert Hall.  Located on the first floor, it is often used for performances and large all-campus lectures. The nursing and social work offices are located here, as well as the Office of the Dean of Professional Studies.  The lower level contains viewing rooms and classrooms, and also houses Media Services and the campus chapter of Roots & Shoots.

FAIRFIELD HALL – The oldest residence hall on campus, it was once an all-female dormitory.  Fully renovated in 2008, it has now been converted to a coed dorm for first-year students.

LITCHFIELD HALL – A coed building, Litchfield Hall is an active, program-filled residence hall that houses first-year students. It also is home to the university’s Health Services office and the Alcohol and Substance Abuse Prevention office (CHOICES).

NEWBURY HALL – Also a coed building for first-year students, Newbury Hall is another active, programming-intensive hall with a long tradition of student involvement. Newbury is home to the Housing & Residence Life office.

FIFTH AVENUE GARAGE — This 800-car, student parking garage is located on the corner of Fifth Avenue and Osborne Street.

OLD MAIN — The original building of the Danbury State Normal School dating back to 1904, Old Main houses the Admissions Office for undergraduate students, Enrollment Services, the Division of Graduate Studies, Honors Program office, and one-stop student services that include the Office of Financial Aid & Student Employment, Registrar’s Office, Cashier’s Office and the WestConnect Office.

POLICE STATION – Located on Roberts Avenue, the Police Station houses the University Police Department. This 10,636 square feet of space on one floor for a wide range of University Police Department law enforcement, administrative and storage functions.  Facilities include a reception area; conference, interview, briefing, training, dispatch and detective squad rooms; a prisoner processing area and holding cell; evidence receiving, processing and storage rooms; and space for communications equipment, records retention, armory and lockers.

RUTH A. HAAS LIBRARY — The Haas Library has more than 200,000 volumes and more than 400,000 bound periodicals, microforms, government documents, music scores, electronic resources and audio-visual items. The Midtown Computer Center is housed on the first floor. Throughout the school year, the library’s fifth-floor meeting room hosts poetry readings, concerts, films and lectures.

SCIENCE BUILDING — Opened in fall 2005, this award-winning building houses the university’s biology, chemistry, physics, earth and planetary sciences, and meteorology programs and science laboratories.

STUDENT CENTER — The Student Center houses campus dining facilities, the university bookstore, mail services, student government and student organization offices, billiard lounge, campus ministries, meeting rooms, Echo Office (student newspaper), WXCI (student FM radio station), the Student Technology Training Center, Career Development Center, the Counseling Center and the Veterans’ Oasis Lounge.  On the main level is the Information Center for the University.

UNIVERSITY HALL — A four-level office building that houses administrative offices.

WARNER HALL — This 34,078-square-foot building houses classrooms, the psychology, social sciences and history departments, meeting rooms, gallery/lounge and administrative and faculty offices.

WHITE STREET PARKING GARAGE — This is a three-level, 900-car, accessible parking garage with a covered skywalk crossing White Street.

BOILER HOUSE/ENERGY PLANT –This facility houses the energy plant and maintenance offices.

PEDESTRIAN MALL – Throughout the Midtown Campus, brick paved walkways and quad, ornamental site lighting and landscaping, expanses of green lawn and park benches, provide for a unified and contemplative university environment.

 

Westside

The 364-acre Westside campus features:

  • ATHLETIC STADIUM — This facility includes a synthetic field surface, locker rooms, coaches’ offices, press box and concessions area.
  • ATHLETIC FIELDS & TENNIS COURTS — The Westside campus has fully-lighted intramural baseball and softball fields, soccer and lacrosse practice fields, and six tennis courts.
  • CENTENNIAL HALL & PARKING STRUCTURE —A 417-bed dormitory-style residence hall, its’ parking garage complements the two apartment-style residence halls at Westside.
  • ELLA GRASSO HALL — An apartment-style residence hall designed to house 261 students.
  • WESTSIDE CLASSROOM BUILDING — The Westside Classroom Building houses undergraduate and graduate programs in business and many graduate programs in education. It is home to the Ancell School of Business, the Justice and Law Administration department, and the Education and Educational Psychology division.  It features the Robert S. Young Library and the Learning Commons, many microcomputer labs, classrooms and faculty offices, as well as the University Police Department Parking Office.
  • THE O’NEILL ATHLETIC & CONVOCATION CENTER—A multi-purpose athletic facility, which houses many of WCSU’s athletic and recreational offices and the Feldman Arena.  The arena is home to WCSU’s basketball and volleyball teams, can seat 4,500 spectators, and is often used for concerts, keynote speakers and a variety of college shows.
  • PINNEY HALL — A 426-bed, apartment-style residence hall.
  • THE CHARLES IVES CENTER FOR THE ARTS — A 40-acre outdoor performance amphitheater.
  • VISUAL & PERFORMING ARTS CENTER—The newly constructed 137,000 sq. ft. facility is home to the School of Visual and Performing Arts.  It includes a 350-seat concert hall, 350-seat theater, an art gallery, a recording studio, as well as state-of-the-art rehearsal and practice rooms, classrooms and studio arts facilities.
  • WESTSIDE CAMPUS CENTER — This 49,000-square-foot student center provides a full-service dining facility, game/club room, cardio-fitness center, ballroom, meeting and conference rooms, student activity space, a computer center, lounge areas and related campus-life and student-life facilities.
  • WESTSIDE NATURE PRESERVE (WNP) — The 33-acre nature preserve, the WNP is an outdoor laboratory with maintained trails.
  • WESTSIDE OBSERVATORY- The observatory houses a planetarium and a 20-inch Ritchey-Chrétien Telescope, equipped with digital cameras and spectrometers.

 

Western at Waterbury

Western Connecticut State University at Waterbury is located in Founders Hall on the Naugatuck Valley Community College campus, 750 Chase Parkway, Waterbury. In addition to offering bachelor degree-completion programs in nursing and management, Western at Waterbury offers selected general education and graduate classes. For more information on these programs, contact Western at the Waterbury office, Founders Hall 129, (203) 596-8777. 

Parking & Transportation

WCSU has designated parking areas for students, faculty and staff. Commuter student parking is available in a garage on Fifth Avenue and Osborne Street on the Midtown campus. All other surface lots are restricted for faculty and staff parking on the Midtown campus. The White Street garage is designated for Midtown residents, staff and faculty parking. Detailed parking information and maps of surface lots for both campuses are available on the website at wcsu.edu/parking.

Every student, faculty and staff member must display a valid parking permit when parking on university property. Parking permits are available from the University Police Department Parking Office on the Westside campus, the Westside Classroom Building, Rm. 247D. Hours of operation are Monday – Thursday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Fridays, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information, call (203) 837-3289.

In order to obtain a parking permit, a student must present a valid vehicle registration document from the state in which the vehicle is registered. Each student will be issued only one active parking permit at a time and may register only one primary vehicle at a time. For more information, visit the website at wcsu.edu/parking. The first permit is free; however, there is a $10 charge for replacement permits.

Visitors to either campus should park in designated visitor lots. Those parking in the Old Main lot who expect to be there for more than one hour must obtain a visitor permit from the University Police Department on Roberts Avenue. For more information, please visit the website at wcsu.edu/parking.

Vehicles that are improperly parked are subject to ticketing and towing at the owner’s expense. All parking areas are clearly identified by signs posted at the entrance to each lot. To avoid having your car towed from an authorized area, please read and obey the signs.

All those parking on state property are obligated to know and obey the university parking regulations which are available at the University Police Department Parking Office on the Westside campus, the University Police Department on Roberts Avenue or online at the University Police Department’s homepage, wcsu.edu/police. University parking regulations and Connecticut motor vehicle laws are subject to enforcement by the university police department and violation may result in the issuance of a state court summons or an arrest.

WCSU is a very active community for both vehicle and pedestrian traffic. Please use caution when traveling on campus. Pedestrians are asked to use the crosswalk or the covered skyway when crossing White Street. Accidents should be reported to the University Police at (203) 837-9300; emergencies can be reported by dialing 911 from any on-campus phone.  Calls for assistance with vehicle problems may also be made to the University Police.

For more information please contact the University Police Department at (203) 837-9300, the Police Department Parking Office at (203)-837-3289 or the community services unit at (203) 837-9319.

Campus Transportation

The university offers a free shuttle bus service between the Westside and Midtown campuses seven days a week during the fall and spring academic semesters.  In addition to stops on both campuses, the shuttle also stops downtown.   For more information, please refer to the shuttle website www.wcsu.edu/shuttle or email shuttle@wcsu.edu.  

 

Student ID Cards

Student IDs/Door Access & Security Systems — WESTCONNect Office, 013 Old Main. Hours: Monday-Friday, 8 a.m . – 12:30 p.m.

and 1:30 – 4 p.m. Information at (203) 837-9311 or wcsu.edu/westconnect. Check website for extended hours during start of semester.

Student ID (WESTCONNect ID Card) — The university’s student identification card is required in order to:

  • Access authorized university facilities
  • Enter Fifth Avenue Garage
  • Attend events
  • Borrow library books
  • Use the 24-hour computer labs
  • Access shuttle bus service
  • Use meal plan
  • Make purchases with CONNect Cash at designated on campus locations
  • Print at designated ConnectPrint locations
  • Use university fitness facilities

To Receive your WESTCONNect ID Card — Present a valid photo ID and a copy of your class schedule at the WESTCONNect Office.

Lost, Stolen or Vandalized ID Cards — Vandalized cards include cards that are broken, bent, chipped, cracked or damaged in some way. Cards that have been lost, stolen or vandalized will be replaced for a $15 fee charged to your student account. Cards that are no longer functional due to wear and tear, data error or card malfunction will be replaced at no charge, if the current  card is presented at the WESTCONNect Office. Determination of wear and tear, versus damage, is at the discretion of the office staff.  Lost cards can be reported online (see www.wcsu.edu/westconnect for instructions).

CONNect Cash — Money placed in your WESTCONNect card account can be used at food service, laundry, vending, box office and bookstore locations. A minimum deposit of $20 can be made online or at the Cashier’s Office, first floor of Old Main. For more information, visit wcsu.edu/westconnect.

Door Access — Student access to the 24-hour computer labs is obtained by registering a four-digit door security PIN with the WESTCONNect Office. Additional door access is granted by department chair approval only.

For more information on any of the above services, please call the WESTCONNect Office at (203)837-9311 or access our website at wcsu.edu/westconnect.

ConnectPrint– All students receive a monthly allotment of print credits on their WESTCONNect Card.  More information on the ConnectPrint program is available at wwwlwcsu.edu/helpdesk/connectprint.

Student Advantage– Student Advantage is an optional program that students may purchase and turn their ID cards into a coupon card for use at designated vendor locations.  For more information on Student Advantage visit www.studentadvantage/wcsu.

 Child Care at Western

The WCSU Child Care Center, operated by Education Connection and accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children, is located in Alumni Hall on the Midtown campus. The center provides a developmentally appropriate early childhood program as well as a safe environment for children ages 3-5. To register a child or for further information, visit the center or call (203) 837-8733.