Welcome, new students, to Washington, D.C., where even our city’s name is abbreviated. It’s a hard knock life for newbies, so to make it easier, we here at The Eagle thought it would be nice to impart the wisdom we may or may not have had when we started at this school by explaining a little of what all the random abbreviations, acronyms and terms here at AU mean. It is in no way a complete list, but hey, some things you have to learn on your own. We’ll start with the most basic of them:
SIS SIS is short for the School of International Service here at AU. While some people come to the District with the hopes of taking part in the national government in the nation’s capital, others look beyond our country and towards the rest of the world. AU is the perfect place for that (especially since it is smack-dab in the middle of the embassies). On top of that, the new SIS building has already been graced by the presence of President Barack Obama, so there has never been a better time to take an SIS class than in their brand-new quarters.
EQB EQB is AU's newest abbreviation, standing for East Quad Building. It's the building formerly known as the SIS building and is between the new SIS building and Hurst Hall.
SPA The School of Public Affairs, despite its acronym, is not a place for relaxation. (Get it? “Spa?”) The government school at AU, SPA has found its home in the Ward building on campus. There you can find tons of adjunct professors who teach when they are not actually helping run (or stop) the government, as well as many dedicated full-time professors, many of whom are researching or writing books of their own.
SOC No matter what your intended career path, you are going to need to be able to communicate, so there is a good chance you’ll be taking a class in the School of Communication. You’ll find it on the third floor of the Mary Graydon Center. Full of current, former and future journalists, publicists, etc., there is opportunity aplenty in SOC.
Kogod Though slightly more explanatory than the acronyms that make up the other schools, the Kogod School of Business at AU is often only referred to by its proper name. As one of the more recently renovated buildings on campus, Kogod houses new technology and individual study rooms. Careful though, call it "KSB," and you'll likely be met with blank stares.
CAS The College of Arts and Sciences is where both students sure of their path and the undecided mix in a plethora of classes and majors, from, well, arts to sciences. (Both the literature and biology department make their home in CAS.) With AU’s general education requirements, you are guaranteed to take a CAS class at one point or another.
Gen. Ed. Speaking of general education … general education classes (or “gen eds,” for short), are required courses separate from whatever major(s) or minor(s) you are taking. The hopes are that you will not sleep through class and you will come out a more well-rounded student. Basically, this way, you go out into the world knowing a little bit about everything, as well as a lot about some things.
The Tale of Two Benders Be careful, there are two Benders – Bender Library and Bender Arena. Ninety-nine percent of the time, if someone tells you they are going to Bender (and not on a “bender,” as there is a distinction), they usually mean Bender Arena. The library is just generally called the library.
MGC The Mary Graydon Center houses the dining hall and the majority of student activities, as well as the student government and a number of open spaces to grab a snack with your meal swipes, EagleBucks or just normal cash or credit. You will likely never refer to it by its full name. It's also were you can find The Eagle's office. We're located in MGC 252, so drop by.
TDR The Terrace Dining Room, otherwise known as TDR or “tidder,” is the home of AU’s only main campus dining hall. (Do not be fooled. When D.C. buildings refer to anything as a “terrace,” despite the linguistics, it almost always means what any other city would refer to as a “basement.”) Enjoy your meal plan here, and check out the website to know when some of your favorite foods make an appearance. North Side/South Side North and South Side refer to the locations of the dorms on AU’s campus. North Side contains Leonard, McDowell, Hughes and Nebraska, while South Side houses Anderson, Centennial and Letts Halls. While there are many stereotypes about one side versus the other (generally the loud people versus the quiet people), you’re just going to have to find out for yourself which is the right choice.
OMG FML Self-explanatory, and otherwise summed up as, “It’s finals week, and I have four papers to write and five tests to study for, and I haven’t started any of it yet.” This guide ought to help get you started, but if a student or professor throws out some letters, you don’t understand, don’t fret. For more information about AU-specific abbreviation or slang, check out the guide to abbreviations on your AU Portal, or just ask an upperclassman – we swear, they don’t bite (unless you ask them to).
mhollander@theeagleonline.com
