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 -
The College of Health Professions and the Campus Recreation Center are located in this facility. 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 at locations on and off campus. You can also use it as your UPASS card to ride TANK for free.
Amphitheatre -
The Oakley & Eva G. Farris Amphitheatre is the tiered lawn overlooking NKU's lake, "Loch Norse." Throughout the year many campus departments and student organizations host events on and around the amphitheater.
Anthropology Museum -
The NKU Museum of Anthropology 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.
B
The Bank of Kentucky Center -
Our 9,400-seat basketball arena and all-purpose venue. (Sometimes called the BOK.) Traditional events such as FreshFusion and Homecoming take place in this building each year. Be sure to check out the student section during Men’s & Women’s Basketball games and the Alice Sparks Box Office.
BC -
Business Academic Center - houses the Haile US Bank College of Business.
The Bistro -
The dining hall in Callahan Hall.
Blackboard -
Online course-management system that professors use to post announcements, assignments, grades and more for the students enrolled in their class.
Book Connection -
Each year a book is selected by a committee of Faculty, Staff and Students for the incoming freshmen class to read together. The incoming freshmen class of 2010 is read This I Believe, edited by Dan Gediman and Jay Allison. This book is a collection of 80 essays from the NPR radio series “This I Believe.”
Bookstore -
Need a sticker for your car or books for classes? An on-campus bookstore is located in the University Center on the main plaza level floor. In addition to books for class, they also carry NKU gear such as t-shirts, car window stickers and NKU flags.
"The 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. This building is located on Kenton Drive across the street from the Residential Village. Student Organizations and campus groups can reserve the space for their use and throughout the year many events and programs are held here.
Otto M. Budig Theater -
Theatre/lecture hall located in the University Center on the Plaza Level.
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, and professional job searches. Located on the third floor of 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, this facility hosts many of NKU’s theatrical and artistic performances.
Corequisites –
A corequisite is a course that must be taken in conjunction with another course. You must enroll in corequisites during the same semester or summer session.
CSF -
Christian Student Fellowship.
D
Dorm -
Residence hall/Where you study, have fun 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, this is one of the largest auditoriums on campus. Campus events, lectures and other important programs are often held in this auditorium.
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. Just kidding. We talk about it all the time! We sing it at all sporting events, and freshmen learn the words at FreshFusion each fall.
Commit it to memory:
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 -
Office of First-Year Programs is located on the second floor. Also houses the Political Science Department, College of Arts and Sciences Advising Center, the Norse Advising Center, the Scripps Howard Center for Civic Engagement and Non-profit Development and the Wellness office. 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.
Gosney 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, another one of NKU’s largest auditorium spaces.
Greek Life -
The following fraternities and sororities are represented on campus, as well as Pan-Hellenic Council, National Panhellenic Council and Interfraternity Council. To get involved, contact the Office of Student Life:
- 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.
Griffin Hall -
Opened in August 2011, the state of the art building hosts the College of Informatics. Made with 300,000 feet of network cable, 9,000 feet of fiber optic cable, it also features a green roof and a Digitorium. Also included inside is the Eva G. and Oakley Farris Commons, an area featuring comfortable places to study, meet, work and relax for the entire NKU community (a friendly oak stair/ seating pyramid with a cozy cave tucked below and glass walls that transform themselves from transparent to translucent and then become video and graphic displays).
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.
Health Professions –
The College of Health Professions contains the Department of Nursing, the Department of Advanced Nursing Studies, and the Department of Allied Health. The College is located in the Albright Health Center.
Honors House -
The Honors Program provides an academic minor for qualified students, with seminars that emphasize discussion, the discovery of ideas and project-oriented learning. They are known for their courses that are anything but ordinary, their travels all over the world and their faculty. 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. Completion of a thesis required. See map for location.
I
Informatics -
The College of Informatics contains the Department of Business Informatics, Department of Communication and the Department of Computer Science. The College is located in Griffin Hall, the brightly lit building that opened in 2011.
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. Annually, FreshFusion and many other campus events and traditions happen around the 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
MEP -
Building that houses Math, Education and Psychology departments.
Midterm Grades –
All students who have earned less than 30 credit hours recive a grade report half way through the semester. These grades are not permanent; they are simply an indication of how a student is at mid-semester. Students are encouraged to meet with their professor and/or advisor if they are concerned about any grade.
myNKU -
Online place to handle financial aid, registration, class schedules, personal information, holds, advisor information, parking information, bill paying and more. For myNKU help, call 859-572-6911.
N
NS –
Dorothy Westerman Herrmann Natural Science Center. Features advanced technology and equipment such as scanning electron and atomic force microscopes. The Departments of Biology, Geology, Chemistry and Physics are located in this building in addition to a greenhouse and one of the two campus Starbucks.
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 -
"The Village Cafe." Main dining hall in the residence hall area with all-you-can-eat buffet. Also a market available for after-hours food runs. You can find hours of operation for all dining options on campus here.
#NorseNation -
Main hashtag used to describe things on Twitter (twitter.com/nkuedu). Also use #NKU and #DreamersWelcome.
Norse Express -
Old place to check your schedule or grades, register for classes, update your personal information, view your transcript and financial aid information, etc. Norse Express functions are not completed through myNKU.
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 and published every Wednesday.
Nunn Hall -
Houses Salmon P. Chase College of Law. See map for location.
P
Planetarium -
Haile Digital Planetarium 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 Friday at 2:00 p.m. (September through April). Located in the natural science center.
Prerequisite -
A prerequisite is a requirement that must be satisfied before enrolling for a specific course. You may not enroll in courses for which you lack the stated prerequisites.
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. Was home to men's and women's basketball for more than 30 years. Now home to volleyball team. 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.
Roundabout -
Replaced traffic lights at Nunn, Johns Hill Road, M.L. Collins Blvd. 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. Steely Caffe is located in the atrium on the third floor, which is the plaza level. See map for location.
Directory:
1st floor: Eva G. Farris Special Collections and Archives, Public Service Desk, books with call numbers P-Z
2nd floor: Knowledge Management Services, Media Collections, IT Solutions Center, Eva G. Farris Reading Room, books with call numbers A-N
3rd floor: Public Service Desk, Reference Collection, Government Documents, Bound Journals, Current Periodicals & Newspapers, Microfilm Reader
4th floor: Learning Resource Collection, Microform Collection, Microform Readers, Kurzweil Reader, IT/PC Labs, Arts and Sciences office
5th floor: Library Administration and Systems Division
Student Union -
James C. and Rachel M. Votruba Student Union, named in honor of former president James Votruba and his wife, Rachel, features a multipurpose entertainment center, interactive lounges, unique cuisine and a grand ballroom. Houses Student Life, Greek Life, African-American Student Affairs and All-Card. Also, a Starbucks with sit-down seating and other food venues.
Sundial -
Built in the early 1970s to be a central point of reference for the new 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 at tutortrac.nku.edu. 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 (UC is not that other university across the river). Houses on-campus bookstore and full-service U.S. Bank., as well as Career Development, Health & Counseling, Testing & Disability Services, Student Support Services, Study Abroad and International Student Affairs. See map for location.
UCAP -
University Connect and Persist supports campus connections among faculty and staff by providing tools and strategies designed to empower students to connect with NKU resources and learn the benefits of networking.
UC Ballroom -
Located on the third floor of the University Center.
UNV 101 -
This class is supported and developed by the Office of First Year Programs and it is designed to ensure student success at NKU. This class is NKU students’ official introduction to the university and the resources available to all NKU students. It is recommended for all incoming first-year students to enroll in this course. UNV 301 is available for students who have taken 101 and would like to be a teaching assistant their junior or senior year.
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) Victor is present at athletic events, special campus occasions and on random days. Be sure to get your picture with him before you graduate.
W
Welcome Center -
Located in the same building as the Welcome Center garage. Campus visitors can set up campus tours through the Welcome Center. Parking Services is also located in this same building where current students, faculty and staff can purchase parking permits. See map for location.
