Facilities
- The Congress is sponsored by the WMU Medieval Institute
Facilities
Locations
- Campus and Hotel Shuttle Bus Service
- Fitness and Recreation
- Telephones
- Cell Phone Charging Stations
- Lactation Rooms
- Computing Services
- Audio-Visual Equipment
Locations
The International Congress on Medieval Studies takes place on the campus of Western Michigan University. Congress locations—which include a conference facility, the student union, a classroom building, and student dormitories—are spread around the campus. Medieval Institute shuttle buses provide transportation among Congress locations, but walking is often the faster option, and many veteran Congress attendees recommend wearing comfortable shoes.
Maps
Campus Map showing Congress Locations
WMU interactive maps 
WMU printable maps
Floor Plans
Goldsworth Valley dormitories
Fetzer Center
Schneider Hall
Bernhard Center
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Campus and Hotel Shuttle Bus Service
The Medieval Institute provides shuttle service to Congress locations on the WMU campus and to selected area hotels on Thursday through Sunday midday. Route 1 provides transportation between the WMU campus and the Radisson Plaza Hotel, with departures every 40 minutes. Route 2 provides transportation between the WMU campus and Staybridge Suites, the Holiday Inn-West, Best Western Suites, the Baymont Inn, and the Red Roof Inn, with departures every 60 minutes. Route 3 stops at Congress locations on campus.
Fitness and Recreation
The fitness rooms in Valley II and Valley III are available for Congress registrants' use around the clock throughout the Congress. Congress registrants may, upon presentation of a Congress badge and a picture ID, use the facilities of the Student Recreation Center for a fee ($7.00/visit), which is paid in cash at the time of entry.
Cell Phone Charging Stations
There are three cell phone charging stations in the Bernhard Center.
Telephones
Telephones for use in dormitory sleeping rooms are available from the Eldridge-Fox desk throughout the Congress. These telephones may be used for campus calls and local calls. A long distance calling card, available for purchase at the Eldridge-Fox desk, must be used for long distance calls.
A bank of telephones is set up in Valley III, Room 305. These telephones accept long distance calling cards. They are available around the clock throughout the Congress.
Lactation Rooms
Bernhard 215 and Fetzer 2050 are designated lactation rooms for the Congress. Those wishing to use Bernhard 215 should request the key from the information desk on the first floor. There is also a unisex/mothering rest room on the second floor of the Bernhard Center.
The Society for Medieval Feminist Scholarship is sponsoring two lactation rooms in Fox Hall for the 48th Congress. Those wishing to use the rooms should request a key from the Eldridge-Fox desk.
Computing Services
Computer Labs
Congress registrants have access to the computer labs in the Bernhard Center and at the University Computing Center (UCC) upon presentation of their Congress badges and picture ID. The lab in the UCC is open 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m., Monday–Friday. The lab in the Bernhard Center is open 8:00 a.m.–10:00 p.m., Monday–Friday, and 10:30 a.m.–10:00 p.m., Saturday and Sunday.
Wireless Internet Access
Congress registrants with wireless-equipped laptops may obtain access to WMU’s wireless network by following the instructions contained in their registration packets. Those planning to use the Internet during their presentations will need to establish a User ID in WMU’s wireless system on their laptops in advance of the session. Wireless access is available in dormitory sleeping rooms. It is also possible, through a separate login and with an account established in advance, to have Ethernet access to the Internet in Congress session rooms in Schneider Hall and in dormitory sleeping rooms.
Audio-Visual Equipment
Equipment Requests
Requests for audio-visual equipment are made on the Participant Information Form at the time the paper proposal is submitted for consideration (on or before September 15). Late equipment requests can rarely be accommodated.
Data Projector Specifications
Data projectors are present in Congress meeting rooms only for those sessions for which they have been requested. They have VGA connections and support 640 x 480 (VGA), 800 x 600 (SVGA), 1024 x 768 (XGA), and 1280 x 1024 (SXGA) resolutions. We encourage you to test your laptop with a projector using a VGA connection before coming to the Congress.
Most Mac users and any laptop user without a VGA terminal will need to bring an adapter for the VGA connection. All laptop users will need to bring power cords. Most of those coming from outside North America will need a plug adapter (although probably not a converter, since most laptops are designed to work with a wide range of voltage and frequency). Electrical current in the United States is 120 volts/60 Hz.
Internet Access
Those planning to use the Internet during their presentations will need to establish a User ID in WMU’s wireless system on their laptops in advance of the session. It is also possible, through a separate login and with an account established in advance, to have Ethernet access to the Internet in Congress session rooms in Schneider Hall.
Audio-Visual Assistance
Audio-visual equipment assistance is available in the Fetzer Center, the Bernhard Center, and Schneider Hall when sessions are running.
Photographs:
- The exterior of the Fetzer Center
- The exterior of the Bernhard Center
- A Medieval Institute shuttle bus
- An old telephone
- The computer lab in the Bernhard Center
- A Congress session in the Fetzer Center (photo: Neil Rankin)