Heritage Community

University Honors is housed within UMD’s Heritage Community, so living and learning happens in your own backyard. Welcome to your home not-so-far from home.

The UH Commons

  • 2 dedicated UH classrooms & reservable study spaces
  • Communal area & UH Community Bulletin Board
  • UH Faculty & Staff offices
  • All gender bathrooms

Yahentamitsi Dining Hall

  • Features 10+ food stations
  • Vegan, Gluten-Free, and Allergen-Friendly options
  • Specializes in fresh, sustainable foods and eclectic cuisines

Pyon-Chen & Johnson-Whittle Halls

  • 24-hour service desk
  • Access to shared building kitchens and laundry rooms
  • Air conditioning and two elevators
  • Quiet study rooms and common areas on each floor

Additional Community Features

  • Located across from athletics fields, the STAMP Student Union, La Plata Beach, and Eppley Recreation Center
  • Multipurpose space and bike storage room access
  • Green space and mini-quad area

Behind the Names

As members of the Heritage Community, we pay tribute to our history while moving fearlessly forward. Learn more about the namesakes for each of the special places within this community that we call home.

Yahentamitsi Dining Hall

Affectionately known on campus as “the Y,” the Yahentamitsi Dining Hall (YDH) pays tribute to the Piscataway-Conoy people who originally occupied the land where the UMD campus currently resides. The university’s land acknowledgement is proudly emblazoned on the side of the building and features the “We’re Still Here” Heritage Walk, a visual timeline of Piscataway history. The art within the dining hall incorporates Piscataway elements and are often the work of indigenous artists. The name “Yahentamitsi” also comes direct from the Piscataway, meaning “A Place to Go and Eat.”

Pyon-Chen Hall

Pyon-Chen Hall (PCH) is named in honor of two fearless trailblazers, Pyon Su, and Chunjen Constant Chen. In 1891, Pyon Su became the first Korean student to receive a degree from any American college or university. Chunjen Constant Chen was the first Chinese student to enroll at the Maryland Agricultural College in 1915.

Johnson-Whittle Hall

Johnson-Whittle Hall (JWH) is named after Ms. Elaine Johnson Coates, the first African American female to graduate with a degree in education in 1959, and Mr. Hiram Whittle, the first African American male to be admitted to our university in 1951. They will forever be symbols of opportunity and progress and whose resolve and determination to succeed against all odds serve as an inspiration to all Terps.