The Freshman Dictionary: A-H

A

A.B.,abbrev.Artium Baccalaureus, or Bachelor of Arts. Though called B.A. at most other schools, it's still your typical liberal arts degree. For the same strange reason we have "certificates" instead of "minors," you're receiving an "A.B." instead of a "B.A." Unless you're an engineer, of course. See "B.S.E."

adviser,n. 1. Faculty member assigned to freshmen to assist in course selection. Usually a specialist in a field totally unrelated to yours. 2. Faculty member assigned to sophomores with an unclear role. 3. Faculty member assigned to juniors and seniors to provide guidance in writing junior papers and theses. All vary widely in quality of advising and level of engagement.

Ai Weiwei, n. A Chinese dissident artist who sculpted the statues currently in front of the Wilson School fountain. He tried to come to Princeton once, but the Chinese government held onto his passport. Will release a heavy metal album sometime this year.

Alcohol Initiative,n. A trustee-sponsored attempt to reduce alcohol consumption by throwing huge sums of money at undergraduates for alternative activities. Hosts the popular dodgeball tournament in April, at which many teams are drunk.

Alexander Beach,n. Princeton’s version of a beach. Lacks sand and water but is filled with lots of bodies in bathing suits on sunny spring days. Located in front of Alexander Hall on the northern end of campus. See "Poe Field."

all-nighter,n. Grim, dusk-to-dawn studying or writing marathon in which sleep is postponed indefinitely. Often procrastination-induced and caffeine-fueled. Usually followed by prolonged periods of hibernation. Your freshman 15 will probably be 60 percent the food you eat during these. Welcome to college.

alumni,n. pl. Those who came before. Gosh, do they love the place. Prone to wearing abominable combinations of orange and black. See “Reunions.”

arch sing,n. Event where a cappella singing groups perform a few of their favorite tunes in campus archways. Good singing and great acoustics, but the novelty can wear off quickly. A large percentage of the audience is made up of group members’ significant others (or wannabe significant others) and roommates. See "jam."

B

Baker Rink, n. Ice rink located down-campus where the hockey teams practice. The USG sometimes holds free Skate Nights where you can take dates.

Band,n. The University scramble band. Football halftime shows are occasionally funny and always tasteless. Often uses unconventional instruments, such as plastic pumpkins and stop signs. Hard to miss in their extremely plaid orange blazers as they parade through libraries on Dean's Date (God knows why) or serenade the hapless on Valentine's Day. See "Charter Club."

Beast,n. What spews forth from taps on Prospect Avenue. Otherwise known as Milwaukee’s Best. It does the trick.

beer,n. Beverage of choice on Prospect Avenue. Some clubs try to impress potential members by serving such brew-house delicacies as Killian’s or Yuengling, but eight times out of 10 it's just Beast. See “Prospect,” “Beast,” “boot.”

Beirut,n. 1. A popular drinking game in which players attempt to toss a ping-pong ball into an array of Solo cups. Losers may be “forced” to engage in a naked lap. Does not usually involve paddles, because this isn't Dartmouth. A mainstay of the eating club taproom. Syn: "pong." 2. The capital of Lebanon. See “boot.”

Bicker,n. Princeton’s multi-day equivalent of fraternity or sorority rush for the six selective eating clubs. During Bicker, club members meet sophomores and other upperclassmen to determine whether they are worthy of membership. "Worthiness" is determined in a variety of ways. As divisive as it sounds. See “sign-in club," "multi-club Bicker."

Blackboard,n. Website used to download course assignments, syllabi and readings. Not to be confused with "blackboards," teaching instruments found in a variety of classrooms and lecture halls around campus on which professors use an archaic white substance known as "chalk."

Blair Arch,n. That large, pretty arch across from Richardson Auditorium. Campus landmark and frequent site of a cappella jams.

Blair Tower,n. Former home of despised sophomores who lucked out during residential college room draw and got amazing rooms with amazing views. Now used as classrooms and housing for resident graduate students and a few faculty members in residence.

bomb,v. To do miserably on an exam. Translates to a range between A-minus to actually failing. See “Orgo,” “grade deflation.”

bonfire,n. Tradition of lighting an enormous bonfire on Cannon Green to celebrate the football team’s victories over both Harvard and Yale in a season. Much to universal campus excitement, we got one last year. Involves singing praises to Old Nassau as effigies of John Harvard and the Yale bulldog are burned in a fiery inferno. Pretty much as cultish as it sounds. Keep your fingers crossed for the next four years.

boot,v. To toss one’s cookies, worship the porcelain god, barf, puke, vomit, ralph, regurgitate, spew chunks, whistle carrots, etc. Usually engaged in as part of a “boot and rally,” with hopes of rejoining the party.

Breakout Trips, n. A collection of civic engagement trips planned and led by students and funded by the Pace Center for Civic Engagement. Participants are selected by application (and you thought your application days were over — you're in for a rude awakening). Trips take place over fall and spring breaks. Past trips have examined arts in Philadelphia, school technology in Boston, immigration in Arizona, farming in Florida and other social issues.

Bric-a-Brac,n. Princeton’s all-class yearbook. Make sure you show up on time for picture day and get all your friends to sign HAGS at the end of a school year! Don't. High school is over. See “Nassau Herald.”

Bridges,nickname, CEE 102: Engineering in the Modern World. Counts as an HA for science kids and an ST for humanities kids. In past years, the final has involved literally memorizing pictures of bridges. See “P/D/F.”

B.S.E.,abbrev. Bachelor's of Science in Engineering. Though called “B.S.” at some other schools, there’s no b.s. in Princeton’s engineering degree.

Bubble, The,n. The metaphorical orange bubble that surrounds campus, keeping us in and the real world out. Also called "The Orange Bubble." Usage: "Back in the bubble!", "Welcome to the bubble." To be used sparingly.

Business Today, n. Glossy campus business affairs magazine with large alumni coffers where ex-Future Business Leaders of America gather to talk Goldman. See "i-banking," "consulting."

Butler College, n. Residential college with the newest buildings. Located far down-campus; contains Studio 34.

C

Cafe Vivian, n. Slightly pricier food spot located on the first floor of Frist Campus Center that serves amazing flatbread pizzas, calzones and sandwiches. Styled as a jazz joint, Viv sometimes features live music.

Cane Spree,n. Multi-sport competition between freshmen and sophomores held at the end of the second week of classes. Includes cane wrestling, tug-of-war, unscheduled brawls and a barbecue on Poe Field. Popular for the free T-shirts. Calm down — you’ll get a lot of free T-shirts during your time here.

Cannon Club, n. Bicker club known for its three taprooms. Recently resurrected, the club plays host to a large proportion of athletes. See Street's breakdown of the Street.

Cap & Gown Club, n. The most-bickered club last year, Cap also has a reputation for hosting high proportions of athletes, especially from track and field. See Street's breakdown of the Street.

Carl A. Fields Center, n. Properly called the Carl A. Fields Center for Equality and Cultural Understanding. A building located on Prospect Avenue that hosts diversity-themed events and programming.

Carnegie, Lake,n. Five minutes from campus, five miles long. Scenic venue for crew but too slimy for swimming. Gift of Andrew Carnegie so that Princeton could have a crew team, after then-University President Woodrow Wilson, Class of 1879, asked him for money for University construction. Wilson’s reported comment: “We asked for bread, and he gave us cake.”

carrel,n. Like the all-male student body and the old pub in Chancellor Green, carrels are the newest addition to the ghosts of Princeton past. For better or for worse, you will never know the four-by-six-by-eight-foot metal study closets in Firestone Library where seniors locked themselves around February to emerge in April with 30,000-word theses. Don't worry, you'll get study spaces that aren't fire hazards. See “thesis.”

certificate, n. What we call minors. Options include finance, theatre studies, environmental studies, political economy, etc. Your certificate area of study must be addressed in some capacity in your thesis. Start planning for these now. See "thesis."

Chapel,n. Site of religious services and opening exercises at the start of every year. Third-largest university chapel in the world. Contrary to Orange Key legend, it wasn’t built by a Yalie.

Chancellor Green, n. Gorgeous library attached to East Pyne featuring stained-glass windows and amazingly comfortable couches. Naps happen here.

Charter Club, n. Club with a weighted sign-in system located extremely far down Prospect Avenue, near the E-Quad. Plays host to a high proportion of engineers because they're the only ones for whom it's remotely convenient. See Street's breakdown of the Street.

CJL, abbrev. Center for Jewish Life. Self-explanatory building on Washington Road. Popular lunch spot regardless of religious affiliation.

clapper,n. Part of the Nassau Hall bell that the incoming class tried to steal each year. The logic behind the age-old tradition is that if the clapper is stolen, the bell signifying the start of classes won’t ring, so classes can’t be held. After Geoffrey MacArthur ’95 fell from the tower in 1992, the administration decided to remove the clapper permanently.

Cloister Inn, n. Sign-in club known for hosting a high percentage of water-based athletes. See Street's breakdown of the Street.

cluster,n. Where a whole bunch of computers congregate. Features printers which are often jammed, toner-less or otherwise malfunctioning, staplers that are often broken or empty and people scowling at the movies they have to watch for class. Scattered throughout campus.

Colonial Club, n. Sign-in club that recently claimed Friday nights from Charter. See Street's guide to the Street.

Committee on Discipline,n. The University body responsible for investigating academic integrity and other disciplinary offenses.

Community Action,abbrev. CA. Week-long pre-orientation activity built around service trips in the Princeton, Trenton and Philadelphia area. Like Outdoor Action, but with showers.

Communiversity,n. All-day festival on Nassau and Witherspoon Streets held in April to promote town-gown unity. Features food, bands and student performances. When the festival ends, tensions between the University and town soon return.

consulting, n. What many of your classmates will go on to do. See "tool shed," "Woody Woo."

co-op,n. Upperclassman dining alternative in which members share cooking responsibilities. Vegetarians, try 2 Dickinson St.; omnivores, stick to Brown, Mathey or the International Food Co-ops.

Cottage Club,the. Officially called "University Cottage Club." Bicker club known to be populated by athletes, Southerners and the wealthy. See Street's guide to the Street.

Coursera, n. An online course engine where lots of people around the world can attend the lectures you're sleeping through. Hailed as the future of higher education, it's been met with mixed responses from students.

CPS, abbrev. Counseling and Psychological Services. Office of therapists located on the third floor of McCosh, available to you free of charge. See "McCosh."

D

Daily Princetonian, The,n. What you’re reading now. Your one true source of information on life, the universe and everything, as well as the only daily newspaper on campus and one of the oldest college dailies in the country. Available for free everywhere. An absolute good. A force for justice in an unjust and cruel world. Administrators cringe before its unquestioned power. Completely independent from the University. Just watch out for the online commenters. Also known as the ‘Prince.’

Davis, Douglas,n.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9RGzTrbP5I.

D-Bar,abbrev. Debasement Bar. Sole hangout for graduate students, located in the basement of the Graduate College. According to reports, highly awkward. See "Grad College," "graduate student."

Dead Week,n. Week between end of finals and graduation, when seniors and students employed for Reunions hang out and try to do as little as possible. This can take the form of group vacations to the beach. See “Reunions.”

Dean’s Date,n. 1. The last day of reading period, when course papers are due. Stress reaches all-time high as students realize the number of pages they have left to write exceeds the number of hours before the deadline. 2. Dean’s Date Theater. Students congregate in McCosh courtyard before the 5 p.m. deadline to cheer on classmates who have truly left their papers to the last minute, an activity that was more exciting in the days before email. Look out for your friends with merciless history, english or anthropology professors who demand hard copies — the folks sprinting from Firestone to Dickinson, essays in hand, are a sight worth seeing. 3. Dean’s Date Fairies. Cross-dressing men from the Triangle Club who pass out candy on the night before Dean’s Date. See “all-nighter.”

Dei Sub Numine Viget,phrase. Latin motto on Princeton’s seal. Translation: “Under God’s Power She Flourishes.” Unofficial version: “God Went to Princeton.”

Dillon Gymnasium, n. Recreational center in the middle of campus open to non-athletes. Contains a pool, squash courts, multipurpose rooms, a large gym and a fitness center. Site of loud Zumba classes and dance company rehearsals.

Dinky,n. Our version of the Hogwarts Express. Mini-train that takes you to Princeton Junction for connections to the real world. Flashpoint of battle between town and University. See "Arts & Transit Neighborhood."

Down-campus, adj. Located on the part of campus closer to the lake, down the hill. Begins roughly at Dillon, ends at the lake. Synonyms: "South." Usage: "It's a little further down-campus than Edwards."

E

E-Quad, abbrev. Engineering Quadrangle. A collection of academic buildings where engineers spend all their time. Very, very far east from central campus.

East Pyne, n. Pretty building up-campus near Firestone Library that houses language departments, the department of comparative literature and the department of classics.

eating clubs,n. Eleven large mansions on Prospect Avenue that serve as the hub of upperclassman life. You probably weren’t allowed to ask questions about them on your tour. Biggest reason that Princeton is still considered elitist by the outside world. See Street's breakdown of the Street.

EC,abbrev. Epistemology and Cognition. Distribution requirement with no discernible meaning. Filled most frequently by philosophy and psychology classes. See "P/D/F."

Eisgruber, Christopher, n. Your fearless leader. Eisgruber ascended to the University presidency from the position of provost last year. Seems to have forgotten that this isn't high school and assigned you summer reading. Well-respected in academic circles. Some expect he'll simply maintain the policies of his predecessor. See "Tilghman, Shirley."

EM, abbrev. Ethical Thought and Moral Values. Distributional requirement commonly filled with Peter Singer's "Practical Ethics," in which one of the most prominent philosophers of our time convinces you to stop eating meat.

Emails for Females, problematic nickname for COS 109: Computers in Our World, a computer science class in which you learn little to no programming. See "P/D/F."

entryway,n. Self-contained section of a dorm or classroom building. Most frequently found in older buildings, which were built to be riot-proof. Only way to get from one entry to another is to go outside and back in again or go through the basement or up to the top floor. Partly because of this system, you may never meet the person who lives on the other side of your bedroom wall.

e-reserves,n. Catalogues of off-centered scans of many required readings. Thank your professors when they offer these in place of Pequod packets. Bow down to professors who are able to photocopy readings not upside down. Curse all professors as you wait for 300 pages of readings to print. See “Pequod.”

F

fall break,n. Week-long vacation immediately following fall midterms. Implemented in the 1970s when campus activists demanded time off before Election Day to campaign for their favorite bleeding-heart liberal congressional candidates. Now a prime road-trip week. See "Breakout Trips."

Fine Hall, n. The name of that extremely ugly brown building rising high above the earth down-campus behind Lewis Library. Contains the math department.

fire inspection,n. Twice-a-semester unannounced visit to your dorm room, before which you should frantically hide illegal appliances under your bed to avoid fines.

Firestone Library, n. The mothership. Books on books on books (on shelves.) Large behemoth of a library containing books on every subject imaginable, as well as asbestos. Popular study spot. Deathly quiet. See "carrel."

FitzRandolph Gate,n. Gate in front of Nassau Hall. If you walk out the center gate while an undergraduate, you will not graduate. Of course, that’s just a legend. Try it and let us know.

Franzia,n. Brand of boxed (read: dirt cheap and sickeningly sweet) wine. Comes in both rose and white. Goes down easy, comes back up more painfully. See “boot,” "Tower Club."

Frist,n. The campus center. Home of the student government, mailboxes and yummy quesadillas. A fun and relaxing place to socialize and study as long as you don’t take introductory Chinese. See “Late meal.”

fraternities,n. pl. Freshmen, avert your eyes. Groups of males that gather to drink and make lots of grunting noises. Freshmen are not allowed to rush Greek organizations. Those who do face suspension. Not a big presence on campus, but they may be your ticket into a bicker club.

Frosh Week,n. The week before classes, when sophomores and upperclassmen reacquaint themselves with campus life and “meet” the freshmen, who are kept busy by an array of University-sponsored activities. Prime time to drink copious amounts of alcohol amid nighttime mosh pits in the eating clubs' backyards. We'll see you there.

G

Garden Theatre, Princeton,n. Community theater. Shows mostly artsy films as well as a few big-budget flicks. Good first date. Free movies for students on weekends.

Graduate College,the. Commonly called the "Grad College." A mythical castle across the golf course behind Forbes rumored to be inhabited by those they call "graduate students." Undergrads like to climb its tower to take pictures of the view and eat in its dining hall on Thursday nights, when dinner features specialty food stations with made-to-order sesame noodles, quesadillas, etc. See "D-bar."

grade deflation,n. University policy to limit A’s in courses to 35 percent of grades per department. Extremely controversial and a source of many a dining hall debate and Princeton's unofficial motto, "It would've been an A at Harvard."

graduate student,n. An individual smart enough to translate Kierkegaard into 14 languages but mostly isolated from campus life. Many are forced to live roughly 1 mile from central campus. Often characterized as “sketchy.”

H

Hoagie Haven, n. A Princeton institution. A small hoagie shop on Nassau Street that serves sandwiches filled with things like french fries, chicken tenders, multiple burger patties and buffalo sauce, often in combination. The most dangerous of drunk-food destinations.

Holder Howl, n. A moment of collective campus catharsis atmidnighteach Dean's Date when students gather in Holder Courtyard in Rocky to release a primal scream of fear and frustration. See "Dean's Date."

Honor Code,n. Institution through which University exams are policed. Students sign pledges agreeing not to cheat on exams and to turn in those who do. Taken very seriously. See “Committee on Discipline.”

hookup culture,n. A semi-significant feature of the social scene which is the topic of more online comments and debates on the website of the ‘Prince’ than all the political issues of the day combined.

hose,v. To render helpless. Most often done to rejected Bicker prospects, who are hosed at their doorstep. Fraternities, a cappella groups and even the ‘Prince’ hose, but don't worry — a literal hose is typically not involved. See "Bicker."

Houseparties,n. Pseudo-bacchanal scheduled for the weekend after the end of spring semester classes. With theses complete and exams two weeks distant, eating clubs host wine-filled formal and semiformal dinners. The only ones who have it bad are juniors finishing (starting) their JPs and freshman males, who aren’t invited.

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