Campus Lingo

The transition from high school to WVU comes complete with its own set of terminology used by students, faculty, and staff. Use this glossary, you will start sounding like a senior in no time!

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

A

Advisor Faculty or staff member who assists students in selecting classes for each academic term and is a resource for questions of all kinds

Appeal Request by student for reevaluation of academic or financial status; approval not guaranteed

B

Bachelor of Arts Four-year degree that usually requires core courses in a variety of subject areas and four semesters of a foreign language

Bachelor of Science Four-year degree that requires more intensive math and science courses but does not usually require a foreign language

Blue Book A small blank notebook required for many written exams (can be purchased in Jack’s in the Mountainlair for around a dollar)

C

Checklist List of courses required for a major; used to keep track of a student’s academic progress

Clickers Remotes used to answer questions in some classes (often large lecture halls) so that everyone can participate in the lecture.

Commuter Student who does not live on campus

Corequisite Course that must be taken during the same term as another; often usually are linked for registration purposes

Course Schedule List of courses offered each semester, including times, locations, instructors, etc.

Credit Hours The number of hours earned for completing a course

CRN Course Reference Number; a five-digit code assigned to each section of each class, used to identify and register for classes

Cumulative GPA Average of all grades from all semesters

D

DA Daily Athenaeum; WVU’s official daily student newspaper; published Monday through Friday in the fall and spring semesters, weekly in summer

Dean Highest ranking academic officer in academic or student affairs area

Dean’s List Awarded each semester to full-time students who earn a 3.5 GPA or higher with no incompletes or withdrawals

E

eCampus Online resource used by instructors and students to post class materials and hold online courses

Elective Optional class; may not count toward major requirements but most likely will count toward hours for graduation

F

FAFSA Free Application for Federal Student Aid; must be completed each year in order to receive financial aid; helps the government determine how much aid a student is eligible to receive

FERPA Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act; form that allows a student to choose who can receive his or her academic and financial information Freshman Advising Workshop A mandatory group advising session for UASC-advised freshmen; teaches about registration and choosing classes for the following semester and other information necessary for a successful academic career

Full-Time 12 or more credit hours in a semester

G

GEC General Education Curriculum; designed to ensure that students develop a foundation of skills that incorporates coursework from across the disciplines

I

I Incomplete a temporary grade given to students who do not complete the assigned work for a class; must have contracted with the instructor to complete the work by a specific date

Internship Work experience often related to an academic area of interest; often unpaid

L

Lair Mountainlair; WVU Student Union; houses dining options, meeting space, student organization offices, Office of Financial Aid, games, WVUp All Night, and other events

M

Math Workshop A course required for students who do not place high enough on the QRA to enroll in Math

Matriculation Plan Outline of the classes a student plans to take in order to graduate or get to a department

Meals Plus Money placed on a Mountaineer Card as part of many of the on-campus meal plans; can be used like a debit card at any on-campus location; does not carry over each semester

Minor Area of emphasis outside the major; typically 15-18 credit hours of coursework

MIX Mountaineer Information Xpress; a web portal used by students and faculty to check e-mail, manage courses, find campus services, and view personalized announcements

Mountaineer Card Student Identification Card used to access the PRT, SRC, residence halls, dining halls, buses, and athletic events, and more; keep this with you at all times

Mountain Line Bus service that is free to WVU students with a student ID; operates throughout Morgantown and the surrounding area

Mountaineer Maniacs The largest student organization; supports WVU athletic programs; offers priority seating at athletic events

Mountie Bounty Money placed on a Mountaineer Card that can be used as a debit card at any locations on campus, including dining services and the bookstore

MTWRF Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday; how the days of the week are indicated on the Schedule of Courses

P

President’s List Awarded each semester to full-time students who earn a 4.0 GPA with no incompletes

Plagiarism Using someone else’s work without properly citing them; carries serious consequences

Prerequisite Course that must be completed before another class; Ex: ENGL 101 must be completed before enrollment in ENGL 102

Probation Academic probation is a warning for students who fall below a 2.0 GPA; financial aid probation is a warning for students who fall below certain grade and course completion requirements set by that office

Provost Individual who oversees all academic programs and policies

PRT Personal Rapid Transit; track-bound vehicles that connect the Downtown, Evansdale, and Heath Sciences Center campuses

Q

QRA Quantitative Reasoning Assessment; math placement exam that determines the math and chemistry courses a student is qualified to take; required for all students

R

RA Resident assistant; an upperclassman who lives in the residence for students living in the hall

Rec Student Recreation Center; located on the Evansdale campus; offers a full fitness center and free fitness classes

Registrar Office that deals with all student records, such as transcripts, and with all registration policies and procedures

RFL Resident Faculty Leader; resource for students living in in each residence hall; provide academic and educational resources for students

RHC Residence Hall Coordinator; manages residence hall and staff

ROTC Reserve Office Training Corps; On-campus programs that prepare students who seek military careers following graduation; Army and Air Force

S

Scantron A sheet often used to take multiple choice exams; can be purchased at on and off-campus bookstores and Jack’s in the Lair

SGA Student Government Association; serves as a voice for students on campus; students can become elected and appointed members and officers

Student Accounts Office that deals with tuition other payments; located in Stewart Hall

Student Lot A football tailgate that is open only to WVU students; provides free food and prizes before every Saturday home football game

Suspension Academic suspension is removal from courses for one academic year for not meeting academic standards; financial aid suspension is removal from financial aid for a period of time based on requirements set by that office

T

Towers Evansdale Residential Complex; four connected residence halls (Brooke, Bennett, Braxton, and Lyon) located on the Evansdale campus

Tutoring Often free; academic assistance for students in specific subjects

U

UASC Undergraduate Advising Services Center; general studies students and most pre-majors

UF Unforgiveable ‘F’; given when a student engages in some form of academic dishonesty, such as plagiarism or cheating on an exam; grade not eligible for the D/F repeat

U92 WVU campus radio

W

“W” Shows up on a transcript when a student drops a class after the first week of classes; okay to get a few but not make a pattern of it

Work Study part of a financial aid award; on-campus work that can be used to help pay tuition

WVUP All Night Weekends from 7pm-12am in the Mountainlair; free food; discounted bowling; different activities every week; tutoring; and movies