Campus Lingo

"My daughter said that her RA, OL, and FYM all told her she should go to The Cage in WAC for SNAC after the CUAB event."
WHAT?

Welcome to North Central College, where acronyms and abbreviations abound! It may take some time to learn the lingo that your child may be using to talk about his or her college experience. Here is your cheat sheet:

Campus lingo

AHD
Area Hall Director, a live-in professional staff member who is responsible for the safe running of the residence hall.

APM
Athletic Peer Mentor, a peer leader who assists in the adjustment to life as a student-athlete.

The BH/Boilerhouse
Rolland Center Boilerhouse Café, a place to study and grab coffee and snacks.

Blackboard
A Web program that faculty members may use to keep students informed of relevant information, course documents and assignments.

CA
Commuter Assistant, an upper-class commuter student who serves as a resource for commuter students and plans events and activities specifically designed to keep commuter students connected to campus.

The Cage
Quick-service dining option in the Harold and Eva White Activities Center (WAC).

Card Access
Type of locking system that requires student ID card for entry. For safety, some buildings or rooms on campus remain locked or are locked at certain times of day. If you need access to the building and rooms and have permission to be in the space, waving a student ID in front of the card access reader will allow you to enter the building or room.

Cardinal Crazies
Not just a t-shirt but a way of life! This term is used to identify the most spirited Cardinal fans as well as the t-shirts that the College Union Activities Board hands out annually.

Cardinal Directions
A program of classes every North Central College student must take prior to graduation, focused on one central theme or "iCon," that they design themselves.

CardinalNet
A website used by current students, faculty and staff to share online resources.

Central Campus 
Residential area that includes Seager Hall, Rall Hall, Geiger Hall and Schneller Hall.

Championship Plaza 
Brick plaza patio area, between Merner Field House and the Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium. Championship Plaza is home to pre-game celebrations and other campus events.

Chippy 
Nickname of the North Central College Cardinal mascot.

Chronicle 
A student-written and student-published publication, released once a semester.

CMaP
Cardinal Marketing and Promotions is a student group dedicated to getting the word out about all of our athletics teams. Annually they provide great incentives to anyone who supports the Cardinals.

Convo 
Opening Convocation, the College’s formal and official opening to the academic year or Honors Convocation, the end-of-year formal recognition ceremony and celebration of student academic accomplishments.

Cross 
The sport of men’s and women’s cross country. North Central has won 13 national titles and 44 CCIW championships in men’s cross country and six CCIW conference titles in women’s cross country.

Dean's List 
Honor reserved for full-time students with a grade-point average for the semester of 3.6 or higher.

Downtown 
Downtown Naperville, located just a few blocks west of campus or Downtown Chicago, easily accessible by train.

Dyson 
The Dyson Wellness Center, located in Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium, provides health and counseling services to students.

Enactus
This award-winning student organization - formerly known as Students in Free Enterprise -  was established in 1987 to teach how the free enterprise system works. Enactus runs its own business known as NCC's Best, a free- and direct-trade business that markets wares produced in seven countries by entrepreneurs striving to make the free enterprise system work.

Finals 
Final examinations for courses take place after each semester.

Focus 
Student-led worship service held at Koten Chapel every Wednesday night.

Fort Hill 
Patterson Hall, Ward Hall and the grassy area outside these two buildings.

Jefferson Plaza 
Grassy area just north of Seager Hall where you may find students studying or relaxing.

Kaufman (or "K-Man")
Kaufman Dining Hall.

Kindling 
The campus humor magazine.

Koten 
Koten Chapel located in Kiekhofer Hall.

LAC 
Larrance Academic Center.

Late Night Pancake Breakfast 
Hosted at 11 p.m. the Sunday night before final exams each semester, faculty and staff come together to serve breakfast to students.

LEV 
The distinctive Leadership, Ethics and Values program at North Central College. LEV offerings include academic minors and concentration areas, courses and co-curricular programs.

Madden 
Bartley and Maricela Madden Theatre is the black-box theatre located in the Fine Arts Center.

Merlin 
A Web tool used by the College that allows you to search and register for classes, check your grades and manage your student account.

Merner 
The Merner Field House.

Multicultural Student Center 
The Multicultural Student Center, located in Goldspohn Hall, Room 28, provides a space for students to gather. This space also serves as a meeting location for several of the multicultural student organizations.

NCTV
Naperville Community Television, the local television station that often partners with North Central College and where broadcasting majors begin their trade.

North End 
Residential area that includes Kimmel Hall and Seybert Hall.

OL 
Orientation Leader, a guide through the Orientation Program who will serve as a resource during students' first days on campus.

The Pond 
The Fort Hill Pond is located behind Patterson and Ward residence halls.

PTL 
Premier Team Leader, a peer leader in the Premier Scholars Program.

RA
Resident Assistant, an upper-class student living in residence halls who serves as a resource and plans events to help students get to know each other.

Rall Symposium 
Held the morning of Honors Day each year in spring semester, the Rall Symposium for Undergraduate Research provides students a chance to present their research projects to peers as well as faculty and staff.

RecSports
Also referred to as intramurals, provides students with the opportunity to compete in traditional and nontraditional athletic activities in a fun and informal setting. RecSports also hosts a variety of fun and motivating fitness classes available to students at no extra cost.

Res/Rec 
The Residence Hall/Recreation Center is the newest addition to campus. An environmentally friendly dual complex, it is home to 365 students and a competition-size indoor track and recreation center.

Richter 
An independent study grants program that funds research projects for students conducting projects of unusual creativity, merit or scope. Entry into the program is gained through an application process.

SAAC 
The Student-Athlete Advisory Committee includes representatives from each athletic team and meets to plan events and discuss current issues facing student-athletes.

SGA 
The Student Governing Association is a group of students who serve as a voice of the student body and support initiatives to improve the college experience.

Shuttle 
The free shuttle to the remote parking lot, Fox Valley Mall and Target provides regularly scheduled transportation to all students with an ID.

South Side
Residential area that includes Ward and Patterson residence halls.

Swipes 
The equivalent of one all-you-can eat meal at the Kaufman Dining Hall. Meal swipes can also be used to eat at The Cage during limited hours. Each residential meal plan consists of a combination of meals (or swipes) and bonus bucks.

The Union 
A student-run "venue for social change" featuring live music and events, located off-campus at 129 W. Benton Ave. in downtown Naperville.  Sponsored by the Office of Ministry and Service.

The Nest
The name of our student section at athletic events.

Varsity Course 
Required of all first-year student-athletes, the Varsity Course introduces student-athletes to the challenges and opportunities this special population experiences, while preparing them for leadership on and off the field.

WAC 
Harold and Eva White Activities Center.

Wentz
Wentz Concert Hall is located in the Fine Arts Center.

Wentz Science Center
The Dr. Myron Wentz Science Center, opened in 2017. 

WONC 
WONC-FM 89.1 is the student-run campus radio station, operated out of Oliver Hall.