The Cornell Daily Sun's Glossary

AAP: College of Architecture, Art and Planning. Found on the north end of the Arts Quad.
Akwe:kon: Residential program house focused on Native American culture, pronounced “a-gway-gohn.”
AEM: Applied economics and management, a popular undergraduate business major in CALS.
Appel: Appel Commons, the Dining attraction on North Campus known for “roll your own sushi” on Wednesdays.
Bear Nasties: Not-so-affectionate nickname for the a-la-carte dining facility in RPCC.
Big Red: 1. A brand of chewing gum. 2. The nickname for all Cornell athletic teams.
Big Red Bear: Cornell mascot. Although the bear is actually brown and not red, Cornellians still look to him for spirit.
B.Y.O.B.: Abbreviation for “bring your own booze.”
CALS: College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Also called the ag school.
Big Red Bucks: Points which can be used in a-la-carte dining facilities, such as Bear Necessities, to buy food. Also known as BRBs.
CCC: Cornell Concert Commission, the organization that brings all of the big-name bands to campus.
Central: Central campus, the area surrounded by Olin and Uris Libraries, the Clock Tower, The Straight and Day Hall.
Chalkings: Announcements written in chalk on the campus walkways.
CIT: Cornell Information Technologies, the provider of computer and network services.
Cocktail Lounge: Underground reading room in Uris Library, with comfy, sleep-inducing chairs — great for a midday nap!
Commons: A stretch of State Street in downtown Ithaca which is closed off to motorized vehicles and has shops, restaurants and many craft and musical fairs.
Cornell Cinema: Sells $4 tickets to over 300 different films a year.
Cross Country Gourmet: The feast served when a restaurant visits and cooks food in the campus dining halls
CTB: Collegetown Bagels, a favorite lunch spot.
C-Town: Collegetown, the business district of Ithaca located next to campus. There are apartments, shops, restaurants and nightclubs on this stretch.
Dairy Bar: Cornell-operated dairy that serves ice cream, milkshakes and other milk products. Beware: Due to high fat content, this stuff is not street legal.
D.P. Dough: A place to order calzones to satisfy those late-night munchies.
Dragon Day: Tradition started by Willard D. Straight, Class of 1901, where architecture students build a giant dragon and parade it around the campus before spring break.
EARS: Empathy, Assistance and Referral Service, a free confidential peer counseling service.
Fishbowl: A glass-enclosed reading room in Uris Library with rows of study-inducing desks.
Freshman 15: Theory that incoming freshmen will gain 15 pounds during their first year in college because of the “all-you-care-to-eat dining halls.”
Freshmen on the Field: A tradition where all freshmen rush onto the field following the first home football game of the season.
FWS: 1. Freshman writing seminar; you pick your top five choices, but are assigned one “at random.” 2. Federal Work Study, a financial aid program.
Gorge: Ithaca’s claim to fame, hence the saying, “Ithaca is Gorges.” These rock-lined waterfalls are hard to miss on campus, especially during the warm weather when gorge jumping is in season.
Ho Plaza: The area between the Campus Store and the Straight, which is always busy during lunchtime and hosts student rallies.
Hotelies: Students in the School of Hotel Administration.
Hot Truck: Found at the bottom of West Campus, the Hot Truck is perfect for a late- night drunken snack. The truck is owned and operated by Shortstop Deli, which has not changed the menu from the classic subs, including Poor Man’s Pizza (PMP), that made the Truck famous.
I.C.: Ithaca College, the other campus on a hill.
ILR: School of Industrial and Labor Relations, nicknamed “I Love Reading.”
J.A.: The judicial administrator determines punishments for naughty students, especially those who take more than one piece of fruit out of the dining halls.
JAM: Just About Music, a residential program house.
Libe: General abbreviation for any campus library.
Libe Café: Where great minds meet daily over less-than-mediocre coffee and day-old sushi.
Libe Slope: A very steep hill separating West Campus from Central Campus.
Louie’s Lunch: Major rival to Hot Truck, found on North Campus between Balch and Risley Halls. Louie’s is the older of the two trucks and serves a wider variety of foods.
Martha Van / MVR: Martha Van Rensselaer Hall, home of the College of Human Ecology.
Morgue: The large study lounge in Donlon Hall, named for the dark, dismal lighting in it.
Noyes: The student center on West Campus home to a state-of-the-art gym to rid yourself of the Freshman 15.
Orgo: Organic chemistry. Fear it.
PAM: Policy analysis and management, a popular major in the College of Human Ecology, nearly indistinguishable from AEM.
Plantations: Includes an arboretum, a botanical garden and other areas showcasing the fruits of Ithaca’s natural beauty.
PeopleSoft: The recently launched software used for enrolling in courses. DISCLAIMER: May induce high levels of stress, frustration and anxiety.
Prelim: Any full-length exam that is not a final exam. They are usually called midterms at other colleges.
Quad: Quadrangle, a rectangular section of campus that houses one of Cornell’s colleges, such as the Ag Quad, the Arts Quad and the Engineering Quad.
R.A.: Resident advisor, the upperclassman in charge of keeping order in your residence hall.
RHD: Residence hall director, the R.A.’s boss.
ROTC: Reserve Officer’s Training Corps, a collegiate-level military organization.
RPCC: Robert Purcell Community Center, one of two community centers on North Campus. Formerly known as RPU.
S/U: Pass-or-fail grading that is an option in some courses (satisfactory or unsatisfactory).
S.A.: Student Assembly, a student governing body that has jurisdiction over the student activity fee and makes recommendations to the administration.
Schwartz Center: Home of Cornell’s theater, film and dance departments. Located in Collegetown, it hosts many student performances and visiting shows.
Slope Day: The last day of classes in the spring when Cornellians gather on Libe Slope, hang out with friends, listen to music and have a few (or more) drinks.
The Straight: Willard Straight Hall, Cor­nell’s student union, which contains three dining facilities, a study lounge, a ceramics studio, a Cornell Cinema movie theater and registered student organization offices.
SAFC: Student Assembly Finance Commis-sion, in charge of distributing money to registered student organizations.
Sun: 1. A star rarely seen in Ithaca. 2. An independent, student-run newspaper that is printed daily during the school year. Joining the newspaper team is a great way to meet new people and get involved!
T.A.: Teaching assistant, often a graduate student who will lead discussion sections for large lectures. For some, a firm grasp of the English language is not mandatory.
TCAT: Tompkins Consolidated Area Transit, the bus company that serves the Ithaca area.
Townie: A local Ithaca resident.
Wegs: Short for Wegmans, the delicious and overwhelming supermarket downtown.