NKU Campus Terminology

A  B  C  D  F  G  H  I  L  M  N  P  R  S  T  U  V  W 

We know you've heard of the "Freshman 15." Unfortunately, the requisite weight gain is not the only affliction you may encounter during your first year on a college campus. We'd like to introduce you to the "Freshman Fog." Ready?

"Loch Norse."

If you don't know what those words mean, you're already suffering from the Fog. On this college campus, there's a set of terms that no one seems to master until the third semester. In order to help you fit in a lot sooner, we've compiled a list of those terms below. Print it out. Keep it in a safe place.

Thank us later.

A

Albright Health Center -
Exercise facility with weight rooms, basketball and racquetball courts, indoor track, cardio machines, swimming pool, fitness classes and more. See campus map for location.

All Card -
Your NKU ID card. Use it in copiers, vending machines, the cafeteria and to get cool discounts around campus. You can also use it as your UPASS card to ride TANK for free.

Amphitheatre -
Tiered lawn overlooking NKU's lake, "Loch Norse."

Anthropology Museum -
Features displays on local and regional history, including displays of Huichol, Haitian and northwest coast culture. Located in Landrum Academic Center (see map); also displays online.

AS&T -
Applied Science & Technology building. Houses the College of Informatics and the Department of Mathematics. See map for location.

B

The Bank of Kentucky Center -
New 9,400-seat basketball arena and all-purpose venue.

BEP -
Business-Education-Psychology Center. Houses the College of Business, the College of Education and Human Services, as well as the Department of Psychology. See map for location.

Blackboard -
Online course-management system that professors use to post announcements, assignments, grades and more for the students enrolled in their class.

Bookstores -
Yep, there's more than one. Need a sticker for your car or books for classes? An on-campus bookstore is located in the University Center, and an off-campus bookstore ("Campus Book & Supply") can be found about a mile from campus on Martha L. Collins Blvd.

"Box" -
Appropriately named "The Box," students refer to this sculpture affectionately as "The Box" because of its box-like qualities - not unlike those of an actual box. Designed by renowned minimalist artist Donald Judd in 1975, the aluminum box is located on the grassy knoll between Nunn Hall and the Fine Arts Center. Created to suggest "simple perfection," it is one of many sculptures on campus that reflect different artistic schools or styles.

BSU -
Baptist Student Union.

Otto M. Budig Theater -
Theatre/lecture hall located in the University Center.

Bursar -
The place where you pay your tuition, your student fees and other bills. The Bursar's Office and Cashier services is located on the 2nd floor of the Lucas Administrative Center.

C

Career Development Center -
Offers help with internship, externship and career decisions and placement, as well as with resume and application questions. Located in the University Center.

Clock Building -
Lucas Administrative Center.

Clooney, George -
Studied broadcast journalism at NKU. Not currently located on campus.

Patricia A. Corbett Theatre -
Located in the Fine Arts Center.

CSF -
Christian Student Fellowship.

D

Dorm -
Residence hall/Where you study, party and sleep.

Dry Campus -
What NKU is. Students aren't allowed to have alcohol anywhere on campus. Good to know, right?

F

Eva G. Farris Auditorium -
Located in room 200 of the Business-Education-Psychology Center.

Fifth-Year Senior -
Student in his or her second senior year on campus. Be sure to take an average of 16 credit hours each semester to be able to graduate in four years.

Fight Song -
The first rule about fight song: We don't talk about fight song. But here are the words:

Onward ye Norsemen win that game.
For the Gold and the White we cheer!
We will win over all shouting our mighty call
That the victory is near!
So, onward ye Norsemen, get that ball,
Now our glory is near at hand,
For when the mighty all fall down,
Still the Norse...Men Stand!

Fine Arts Center -
Houses art, music and theatre departments, two student art galleries, Greaves Concert Hall, Patricia A. Corbett Theatre and Robert and Rosemary Stauss Theatre. See map for location.

Football team -
No, we don't have one. Yet.

Founders Hall -
Houses the Learning Assistance Program and Math Center, which offers free tutoring to all students. Office of First-Year Programs located on the second floor. Also houses the Political Science Department, College of Arts and Sciences Advising Center, the Academic Advising Resource Center and International Programs/Center for Study Abroad. See map for location.

FreshFusion -
Campus event introducing students to clubs and other student organizations and activities.

G

Geese -
Watch out for 'em. And what they leave behind.

Gosley Cabin -
200-year-old cabin on the Honors House lawn, placed there to remind the campus of the nation's educational roots.

Greaves Concert Hall -
Located in the Fine Arts Center

Greek Life -
The following fraternities and sororities are represented on campus:

•  Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
•  Alpha Tau Omega 
•  Delta Gamma
•  Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
•  Delta Zeta
•  Kappa Alpha Psi Interest Group
•  Kappa Delta
•  Kappa Sigma
•  Order of Omega
•  Panhellenic Council
•  Phi Kappa Tau
•  Phi Sigma Sigma
•  Pi Kappa Alpha
•  Pi Kappa Phi
•  Sigma Phi Epsilon
•  Tau Kappa Epsilon
•  Theta Phi Alpha
•  Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.

H

Health Center -
See "Albright Health Center"

Dorothy Westerman Herrmann Natural Science Center -
Features advanced technology and equipment such as scanning electron and atomic force microscopes. Houses a greenhouse and one of two campus Starbucks, as well as the departments of Biology, Geology and Chemistry & Physics. See map for location.

Honors House -
Pick up an honors program application here. Benefits include fellowships and the ability to receive international scholarships for participating in the program as well as being designated a "University Honors Scholar" on your diploma. You may also use honors classes as your minor. Completion of a thesis required. See map for location.

I

Informatics -
College where students of all backgrounds come together to learn about technology and how it is taking their fields to the next level.

L

Landrum Academic Center -
Houses the departments of communication, philosophy, sociology, history & geography, literature & language, world languages, English and anthropology. The campus radio station, WNKU, is located on the third floor. See map for location.

Loch Norse (a.k.a. Lake Inferior or "The Lake") -
Campus lake.

Lucas Administrative Center -
The building with the clock on it. Houses offices of the registrar, bursar, financial aid, admissions and graduate programs. Office of the President is located on the eighth floor. Also known as the "Tower of Power." See map for location.

M

"Math Building" -
AS&T Center (Applied Science and Technology building)

N

Norse -
NKU nickname. To us, it means really great students and sports teams; literally, it means "speakers of any of the North Germanic languages."

Norse Commons -
Main dining hall in the residence hall area with all-you-can-eat buffet. Also a market available for after-hours food runs.

Dining hours:
Monday - Friday 7:30 a.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Saturday - Sunday 10:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m., 4:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.

Market hours:
Sunday - Thursday noon - midnight
Friday 6 p.m. - 10 p.m.
Saturday 6 p.m. - 10 p.m.

Norse Express -
Online place to check your schedule or grades, register for classes, update your personal information, view your transcript and financial aid information, register for parking permits and more.

Norse News Network (N3) -
Weekly student e-mail from the Office of Student Life containing student activities, jobs and internships, community service opportunities and university announcements.

The Northerner -
Independent, award-winning campus newspaper run by students.

Nunn Hall -
Houses Salmon P. Chase College of Law. See map for location.

P

Planetarium -
Haile Digital Theater is the world's first classroom-accessible, laser-projection planetarium. Used by the Department of Physics and Geology for university classes and visiting school groups. Open show every Monday at noon. Located in the natural science center.

R

Radio Stations -
Award-winning public radio station WNKU-FM (89.7) broadcasts NPR news, jazz, world music and other alternative selections. NKU also has an online student-run radio station, WRFN.

Regents Hall -
What we call the gym. Home to men's and women's basketball and volleyball teams for more than 30 years. As of fall 2008, basketball games will be played at the new Bank of Kentucky Center, the new 9,400-seat arena. Was visited by President George W. Bush in 2006. See map for location.

Registrar -
From exam schedules to registration, the Registrar has forms, policies, and information you need to help you register for classes along with information about transcripts, course loads or graduation. Located in the Administrative building on the 3rd floor. 


Ritazza Cafe -
One of two campus coffee shops, housed in Steely library. Features coffee and espresso drinks, smoothies, snacks and breakfast & lunch sandwiches.

Roundabout -
Replaced a traffic light at Nunn and University Drive as the main entrance to the campus in summer of 2007. Here are the rules: Yield to the cars already in the roundabout, always turn right into the roundabout, don't stop once you're in the roundabout (speed limit is 20 mph) and yield to pedestrians in the crosswalks.

S

Skyline Tavern -
Located just beyond Regents Hall on Johns Hill Road. Not the same as the Cincinnati chili restaurants with the same name, Billie's Skyline Tavern has been an NKU landmark for nearly 40 years. Serves lunch, dinner and drinks.

Smart Classrooms -
Featured in many buildings on campus, smart classrooms are equipped with ceiling-mounted projectors, electric screens, speakers, computers and VCR & DVD capability.

Robert and Rosemary Stauss Theatre -
Formerly the Black Box, located in the Fine Arts Center.

Steely Library -
Contains computer labs free for student use and 600,000 editions of books, movies, newspapers and other research materials. Ritazza Cafe is located in the atrium on the third floor, which is the plaza level. See map for location.
Directory:
1st floor: Special Collections and Archives, Welcome Center, books with call numbers P-Z
2nd floor: Technical Services, Media Collections, Professional and Organizational Development Office (POD)
3rd floor: Research and Instructional Services, Government Documents, Serials, Circulation and Reserve
4th floor: Learning Resource Collection and Dean of Arts and Sciences
5th floor: Library Administration and Systems Division

Student Union -
New student center featuring a multipurpose entertainment center, interactive lounges, unique cuisine and a grand ballroom. As of fall 2008, will house Student Life, Greek Life, African-American Student Affiars, All-Card. Also, a Starbucks with sit-down seating, and all new food venues. 

Sundial -
Built in the early 1970s to be a central point of reference for the new Highland Heights campus, the sundial is pointed toward the North Star. Located in the grassy area between Nunn Hall and the Fine Arts Center.

T

TANK -
Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky. Bus system in Northern Kentucky; students, faculty and staff ride for free with an All Card.

Tutor Trac -
Free on-campus tutoring programs, found on Norse Express site. Provides names of students who are available as tutors for each semester.

TV Station -
NKU offers a student-run TV station, WNTV, featuring opportunities for students to report on the latest news or show off their talents on a late-night comedy show.

U

UC -
University Center (not that other university across the river). Features the only Chick-fil-A in Northern Kentucky, as well as a variety of food options for residential and commuter students. Houses Greek Life office, Office of Student Life and All Card office, as well as the on-campus bookstore, post office, information booth and full-service U.S. Bank. As of fall 2008, all food service operations in UC will close. Greek Life, Student Life and All Card will move to the new Student Union. The post office, information booth and bank will stay at UC, and Career Development, Health & Counseling, Testing & Disability, Student Support Services and International Student Affairs will be housed there, too. See map for location.

UC Ballroom -
Located on the second floor of the University Center.

University 101 -
If you have the chance, take this class. Current students say they found it very helpful.

UPASS -
Students, staff and faculty can use this to ride TANK metro buses for free throughout the Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati area. NKU ID cards also serve as UPASSes.

V

Victor E. Viking -
NKU mascot. (Viking)

W

Welcome Center -
Located at the main entrance to campus and on the first floor of Steely Library. Visitor parking is located here. In fall 2008, the Welcome Center and the Parking Office will relocate to the new Welcome Center building being constructed at the upper level of the new Welcome Center Garage. The old Welcome Center space in the Steely Library will be maintained as an entrance to the library. All campus visitors will be encouraged to park in the new Welcome Center Garage. See map for location.

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