can linux connect to a hotspot?
 

Would it be possible to connect to the wireless setup at my college campus or any other hotspot without having to configure everything all over again assuming there are no passwords to deal with?

Um, yea... I would assume so.

All you have to do is a few simple steps:

to set up your SSID, you do a:
iwconfig [interface] essid [ssid]
Then to get an IP Address, you do a:
dhcpcd [interface]
or
dhclient [interface]

Then you're ready to go! Just remember though, if there is no encryption, then everything you do is open. Anyone can see what data you are sending, so I would recommend NOT doing anything that requires a password where there isn't ssl encryption.