AAP: College of Architecture, Art and Planning. Found on the north end of the Arts Quad.
Appel: Appel Commons, one of North Campus’ dining halls, known as the “crown jewel of Cornell Dining.”
Big Red: 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.
CALS: College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Also called the “Ag School.”
Big Red Bucks: Points that 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 big-name bands to campus.
Central: Central Campus, the area between the gorges that includes nearly all of Cornell’s academic buildings.
Chalkings: Announcements written in chalk on the campus sidewalks.
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 closed to vehicular traffic. Go there to find shops, restaurants and many craft and musical fairs.
Cornell Cinema: Sells $4 tickets to more than 300 films a year.
CTB: Collegetown Bagels, a favorite lunch spot.
CTP: Collegetown Pizza, a favorite late night munchies spot.
C-Town: Collegetown, the business district of Ithaca located next to campus. There are apartments, shops, restaurants and bars on this stretch.
Dairy Bar: Cornell-operated dairy that serves ice cream, milkshakes and other milk products.
D.P. Dough: A place to order calzones to satisfy those late-night cravings.
Dragon Day: Tradition started by Willard D. Straight 1901, in which architecture students build a giant dragon and parade it around the campus before spring break.
EARS: Empathy, Assistance and Referral Service, a free and confidential peer counseling service.
Fishbowl: A glass-enclosed reading room in Uris Library with rows of reading-conducive desks. Perfect for studying.
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 — plus the beer.
Freshmen on the Field: A tradition where all freshmen rush onto the field before the first home football game of the season.
FWS: 1. Freshman writing seminar; you pick your top five choices, and will be assigned one. 2. Federal Work Study, a financial aid program.
Gorges: Ithaca’s claim to fame, leading to the saying, “Ithaca is Gorges.” These rock-lined waterfalls are hard to miss on campus, but swimming in them is dangerous and prohibited in most areas — be careful.
Harvest Dinner: One night each fall semester when local foods are served in Cornell’s dining halls.
Ho Plaza: The area between the Campus Store and the Straight, which often 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 snack. The truck is owned and operated by Shortstop Deli, which has not changed the menu from the classic subs; look out for the Poor Man’s Pizza (PMP), which made the truck famous.
I.C.: Ithaca College, the college across town from Cornell.
ILR: School of Industrial and Labor Relations, nicknamed “I Love Reading.”
J.A.: The Judicial Administrator determines punishments for recalcitrant students, especially those who take more than one piece of fruit out of the dining halls.
JAM: Just About Music, a residential program house.
The Johnson: Cornell’s Johnson Museum of Art, free and open to the public.
Libe Café: Where great minds meet daily over coffee inside Olin Library.
Libe Slope: A very steep hill separating West Campus from Central Campus. You’ll want to be there on Slope Day … but otherwise only take the walk when you’re up for a workout.
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 its dark, dismal lighting.
Nasties: Affectionate nickname for the greasy, a-la-carte dining facility in RPCC.
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. Two words: Fear it.
PAM: Policy analysis and management, a popular major in the College of Human Ecology.
Plantations: Includes an arboretum, a botanical garden and other areas showcasing the fruits of Ithaca’s natural beauty.
Prelim: Any full-length exam that is not a final exam. Known as “midterms” at most 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. You want this person to be on your side if you’re in trouble.
ROTC: Reserve Officer’s Training Corps, a collegiate-level military organization.
RPCC: Robert Purcell Community Center, one of two community centers on North Campus. It’s home to numerous study lounges, Bear Necessities and a dining hall. 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 theatre, film and dance department. Located in Collegetown, it hosts many student performances and visiting shows.
Slope Day: An end of the year celebration 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 Commission, in charge of distributing money to registered student organizations.
State Street Diner: A restaurant open 24 hours a day west of the Ithaca Commons. Stop by if you’re looking for greasy, home-style cooking and waitresses who will call you “honey.”
T.A.: Teaching assistants, often graduate students who lead discussion sections for large lectures.
TCAT: Tompkins Consolidated Area Transit, the bus company that serves the Ithaca area.
Townie: A local Ithaca resident.
Ujamaa: A residential program house on North Campus focused on African culture.
Wegmans: The massive and hyper-popular supermarket downtown. Great place to shop if The Sun’s Cornell you cook for yourself a lot.