Amenities and Offerings

For those individuals cycling to TWU, there is a rack available for student use. If you exit TWU on the Fannin side of the building and turn left, continue to follow the length of the building, and turn left again as if you were walking into the garage. Between the edge of the TWU building and the entrance to the parking garage elevators, there is a bicycle rack on the left. This is strictly for non-motorized cycles. We strongly encourage you to secure your bicycle with a kryptonite lock. It is recommended you register your bicycle with DPS at the front desk on the first floor.

Throughout the year, the building is open and remains accessible for student/faculty/staff use seven days a week, 5:00 a.m. through 12 midnight. Please cooperate with DPS and leave the building at the appointed hour. The officers must make a vigilant walk through of the facility to lock and clear the building of any remaining individuals before their departure at the end of each day. Exceptions include those days the University is closed for holidays, as well as severe weather conditions. Please NOTE: Entrance to TWU Houston is only possible on the Fannin side of the building. You will need to carry your TWU ID badge to access the Fannin side of the building when the facility is “open” but the front doors are “locked” to provide added security.

The Mega Computer Lab can be found on the 4^th floor in a large room with the number 4123. If you turn right after exiting the elevator bank or coming up the stairs, then walk straight, you will enter right into it. 

ITS staff has requested you make use of the 5 LasterJet printers wisely, printing on both sides (duplex) whenever possible. Be advised that Black & White printing is free; Color printing is available at $0.40 per page. Instructions for the latter can be found next to the scanner station (located at the front of the room).

Three Computer Classrooms have also been constructed for TWU – Houston:  4115, 4310 and 4322. These are kept locked at all times and are only available for scheduled classes with an instructor present.

Gentle Reminder: Out of respect for others working around you, it is requested that you do not use cell phones in the lab, and keep conversations to a minimum. There is also a Hand Sanitizer available to your immediate right upon entry into the lab. Please take a moment and cleanse your hands before using the keyboards.

On the first floor, nestled between the stairwell and elevator bank is a small café. It offers sandwiches, salads, muffins, bagels, frozen foods, bottled drinks, coffee and smoothies, snacks, as well as some emergency items like medicine, folders, CDs, and the like. Hours of operation are:  Monday through Thursday, 8:00am – 2:30pm; closed Friday and Saturday.

The Legacy Room on the 8^th floor has been designated as an eating space for lunches and snacks. During those times when it has been reserved for other functions, you may find tables and chairs in the corner lounge areas (on the Fannin/Holcombe edge of the building) on the 1^st, 2^nd, 4^th and 6^th floors. There are a couple of tables and chairs in the 3^rd floor vending area as well.  All rooms are now open for food and beverage consumption. However, we ask that you respect the environment at all times, and clean up after yourselves for those using that area after you. 

As one enters the Student Life Suite (#2300), there are shelves of non-perishable food items immediately visible on the right wall in our Food Pantry. Nutrition is important to concentrate, study, think critically as well as memorize, and we want you to be at your best when you are a TWU student. Plastic bags have been made available to carry some of these non-perishable items home with you. We ask that you always sign the log when using the Food Pantry, and invite you to take some of the information provided (on bookmarks and handouts) to assist in planning your meals for the week.

Inside the Student Life Suite in the last room on the left hand side (Room # 2300 D) is a rack of used clothing for women.  Whether you need a change of clothing because of the rain, a pair of closed toe shoes for clinical, a warm shirt/blouse/jacket to wear in classrooms that are just a bit too cold, or perhaps even are looking for clothing for an interview, this rack of gently used items may have something for you.  Please feel free to sign the items out at the front desk, or if need be, just take home. 

Both the 3^rd and 6^th floors offer small ice cubes in rather large grey bins located next to the sinks. Plastic scoops are conveniently placed nearby to use when filling up your container.

Students who are in need of scrubs or even a lab coat for a day can choose from many that have been donated over the years in the Student Life Suite (#2300). Please stop by and find your size, then check it out by signing the log at the front desk.  We ask that you wash your items before returning them for other students to use.

For new moms, a room has been set aside on the 10th floor, Room # 10118 in the Research Area. As you get off the elevator on the 10th floor, look to your right. Enter the double glass doors of the Research Area, and you will find Room # 10118 on the left – the third room from the entrance. It is equipped with electrical outlets, a refrigerator, sink, shower, toilet as well as a modest gathering of informative materials for the browsing. A door hanger sign noting “Working Mother” can be used to post on the outside of the door when the room is in use.

To reserve the room on a particular day/time, please email Deborah Unruh. This is a shared space with faculty conducting research in that physical area, and administrators coordinate use of the room according to need and availability.

Please be advised that the Student Life has other resource material in its Suite on the 2nd floor for your perusal. Additionally, recycled children’s clothing is available in that same suite to trade-in for a larger size, or to just take as needed. Clothing for children ranges from ages 1 to 13 years.

Two banks of lockers can be found on the 3rd floor directly across from classrooms 3111 and 3115. When a student rents a locker, a lock is also distributed from TWU. A form will be made available at the Student Life Offce for students requesting a locker, noting that the student account will be charged $5.00 for that particular semester. Please be advised that if the fee is not eventually paid, a block will be placed on the student account for an outstanding balance and the account could at some point be turned over to a third party collection agency.

There are three floors with four microwaves each spread throughout the building.  On both the 3^rd and 6^th floors in the vending areas across from the stairwell, there are a total of eight microwaves situated around the sinks in those respective areas.  The 8^th floor has four industrial strength microwaves for use of students in The Legacy Room.

There are phones inside and directly outside of campus that are available for student use when a situation may arise.  Each floor inside the building has a red phone mounted in prominent places in the hallways.  Using the red phone connects the caller directly to DPS in Denton.  No digits need to be dialed – there is an immediate response from Security Officers at the Denton site.

There are also two tall blue cylinders directly outside the TWU – Houston building. One is on the Fannin Street side, and the other is on the Old Main/Holcombe side of the building. Pushing the buttons on these cylinders also connects you directly with DPS in Denton.

In the unlikely chance you are stuck in one of the elevators, please be advised that the Emergency Button inside the elevator cab connects you with DPS in Denton. You must describe your location as originating in Houston.

• The one phone number to memorize immediately when you step foot on campus for the first time is 713-794-2222. This is the contact number for DPS and can be used for things ranging from opening rooms to reporting an incident. 

A Central Receiving Mail Room is located on the first floor, behind Enrollment Services through the wood doors. Items can be placed in the mail for delivery as long as postage is already on the envelope/parcel. Our apologies, but postage is not sold in the Mail Room or any other place on campus.

For individuals committed to prayer throughout the day, there is a room within the Student Life Suite (#2300) along with prayer rugs that is available for use. It is easy to begin your spiritual time. Just close the curtains and place on the outside door handle the hanger sign of “Prayer Time”.

A row of plastic bins filled with a variety of slightly used children’s clothing is available for TWU student parents within Student Life, the last room on the left as you enter Suite # 2300. Clothing is available for children from birth to 13 years old. Student parents are invited to exchange their existing smaller sizes for larger sizes found in the bins. And as necessary, clothes can also just be taken; the donating of a smaller sized clothing is not required.

With TWU – Houston being a Commuter Campus, it is usual to bring lunch from home, and sometimes breakfast and dinner to campus. Refrigerators are available for use on the 3^rd and 6^th floors in the vending areas (across from the stairwell), as well as on the 8^th floor in The Legacy Room. A full freezer is also found on the 8^th floor and is clearly labeled for those colder food items. We respectfully request that you honor each other in the use of these refrigeration devices and take only that food which belongs to you.

Situated on each floor are hand sanitizers in stands with sensor dispensers. Students, faculty and staff are strongly encouraged to make use of the sanitizers multiple times throughout a given day. Because we are part of the Texas Medical Center community, the likelihood of contagions passing from person to person within not only the TWU building, but among the various medical facilities is high. Please do your part to ensure that your hands are kept as clean as possible with all that you touch while you are in the building. Make it a part of your daily routine!

Formalized study rooms are at a premium here at the Houston site.  There are four student study rooms on the 3^rd floor: 3110, 3118, 3120 and 3128. People tend to also study in the table/chair lounge areas on the 1^st, 2^nd, 4^th, and 6^th floors (on the Fannin/Holcombe corner of the building). Additionally the 8^thfloor Legacy Room is a large area with tables and chairs, and lends itself easily to both individual and group study. The Library, located in the back of the Computer Lab on the 4th floor, has study carrels for student use. Additionally, the 4th floor Computer Lab has several Collaboration/Study Rooms on the left hand side as you enter the lab area:  4118, 4120, 4122, and 4130.     

Students are welcome to utilize classrooms when not in use.  To check on availability, students would need to use a computer on campus (4^th floor Computer Lab) to check the University Scheduling Calendar.  

Scattered throughout some of the corner student/lounge spaces are TVs for student use. In-between classes as you find yourself wanting to catch up on the news, please feel free utilize one of the TVs on the 1^st, 2^nd or 4^th floors (on the Fannin/Holcombe corner of the building). In the Fitness Center, two TVs in opposite top corners of the room can be used during workouts. Have lunch with a stress buster! Remote controls are always close by.

On both the 3^rd and 6^th floor, there is a beverage as well as a snack vending machine. In those rare cases when the machine takes your money without giving you a product, please get with staff in the Student Life Office for a refund.