Welcome to Bryant, Class of 2018! Now that you’ve chosen to spend the next four years here, it’s time to get pumped! While preparing yourself for college, Her Campus has compiled a list of 18 Bryant definitions you’re gonna need to know!
1) Advising– Every freshmen is assigned an Undergraduate Advisor to help guide your academic choices. These advisors are all super nice and willing to help with whatever you need! It’s always a good idea to meet with your advisor before picking classes for the following semester. They can also help you choose majors and minors! Freshmen choose their fall classes as a group at orientation, but try to make an appointment with your advisor before picking spring semester classes! You can call them at (401)232-6210!
2) Bello– The George E. Bello Center for Information and Technology (commonly referred to as Bello) is the building that the library is in. Bello Grand Hall refers to the big circular room with all the windows that most freshmen sat in during one event or another during orientation or Accepted Student’s Day. This is where a lot of speeches and presentations are given.
3) Blackboard– Blackboard is available through the my.bryant portal. This is a place where your professors will post all course announcements. You can usually find the syllabus, assigned readings, and other course info on here. Plus, a lot of professors put graded work on Blackboard so you know how you’re doing in their class!
4) DPS– The Department of Public Safety is basically like the campus police. They patrol campus, man the station at the entrance of campus, and are available to students 24/7. They enforce the rules and can frequently be seen patrolling the townhouses (see definition #17) on the weekends. DPS is definitley the last thing you want to see on a Friday night, but they’re great to have around in case of an emergency! If you ever find yourself in trouble, don’t hesistate to call their emergency line at (401) 232-6911.
5) Fisher (FSC)- The Fisher Student Center is like the central hub of Bryant activity. Formerly known as the Bryant Center, Fisher is where you can get food like Subway, Nick’s Place, and Dunkin Donuts. It’s also the home of the Women’s Center, Intercultural Center, Bryant Bookstore, etc. Lots of clubs and organizations hold their meetings in this building, and it’s a great place to meet friends, get food, or study in a group.
6) GFOB– As incoming freshmen, you’ve probably already heard a lot about the Gateway courses. One of these includes Global Foundations of Organizations and Business; or GFOB. In this class you will all participate in an extensive group project in which you create a new product for your faux business. Let’s be honest here- the project is really time consuming. However, on the bright side, you’ll learn a lot about business, and it feels great to hand that 50 page paper in at the end of the semester. A word to the wise- make sure you choose a good group!!
7) Halls 14, 15, and 16– These are the freshmen halls! Your dorm will be in one on these buildings. Most freshmen are in dorms, while sophomores and juniors are in suites in Halls 1-13 and 17. The rooms are bigger than a lot of other colleges’ freshmen rooms, but all college dorms are just varying degrees of cramped.
8) Her Campus– This beautiful website right here is Her Campus! Written by college females for college females, Her Campus is a global online community. Her Campus Bryant is a Pink Level Chapter, which is the highest recognition an individual college chapter can receive. We update our website daily, and post news articles, blogs, events, style blogs, campus cuties, campus celebrities, and polls. Everything you need to know about collegiette life can be found on HC. If you want to write contact HerCampus@bryant.edu. If not, just keep on reading our articles!
9) IDEA– Bryant IDEA is yet another aspect of the Gateway program. It’s a three day event right before the start of second semester. All freshmen are broken up into teams and asked to come up with an innovative solution to an issue presented to you. It’s most likely going to involve you becoming annoyed with your group members, staying up all night to finish your project, and making at least three trips to Dunkin. When all is said and done, it really isn’t as bad as it sounds, and you can probably put it on your resume!
10) Office Hours– At the beginning of the semester, all of your professors will tell you when their office hours are. These are times when professors are in their offices, and are available to discuss grades, assignments, and problems you may be having in class. Don’t hesitate to go see your professor during office hours if you’re having a problem in their class, or just want to chat about course material. It’s a great way to let your professors know who you are!
11) Prez– Our beloved and esteemed president, Ronald Machtley, is commonly referred to as “Prez” on campus. You most likely met Prez at Accepted Student’s Day, but if not you’ll meet him during orientation over the traditional dinner at his house! President Machtley can frequently be seen on campus delivering A+ speeches and cheering on various sports teams. Don’t forget to follow him on Twitter, @BryantUprez!
12) Registration- You have been warned- registering for classes is often the most stressful day of the semester. For your first semester, freshmen register at orientation after all of the upperclassmen have registered. For spring semester, everyone will receive emails alerting them of when they’re eligible to register. Honors students, RAs, and athletes register first. Then seniors, juniors, sophomores, and freshmen pick classes. Make sure before you register you know what classes you want, have backup classes just in case, and are ready to pick the moment registration opens! Seriously though, it’s like the Hunger Games.
13) RIPTA– If you aren’t from Rhode Island, you may have never heard about the RIPTA. The Rhode Island Public Transit is a series of buses that travel across the entire state. There is a stop on campus, bus 52, that ends up at Kennedy Plaza in Providence. From Kennedy Plaza you can hop on a bus to basically anywhere in the state! And the best part is, it’s completely free with your Bryant ID.
14) Ronzio’s– Ronzio’s pizza is a fan favorite here at Bryant. Located in Hall 17, Ronzio’s is the perfect place for a slice of pizza on the weekends. Bonus: they’re open late! Make sure you try the buffalo chicken pizza.
15) Roto– The Roto, also known as the Rotunda, is the center of the Unistructure, where all of your classes will be held. There are often raffles, ticket sales, and various other events going on in the Roto throughout the day. It’s a good place to meet with your friends between classes, or you can grab a snack at the Café.
16) Salmo– Salmonson Dining Hall, affectionately referred to as Salmo, is where you’ll probably eat most of your meals. You’ll use meal swipes on your Bryant ID to get into Salmo, and the number of swipes you have is determined by your meal plan. The food obviously doesn’t come close to your mom’s home cooked meals, but this is about as good as cafeteria food is gonna get.
17) Townhouses- The townhouses are separate from the residence halls, and are where all of the seniors live. These are where most on campus parties are held. Make sure if you’re going to the townhouses you don’t head down there with a huge group of people, or you’ll definitely stick out as freshmen.
18) Women’s center– The Hochberg Women’s Center is a vital resource on campus. The Women’s Center coordinates events such as Women’s HERstory Month and Denim Day. The Women’s Center is dedicated to assisting and educating women on campus. Part of this is Women On Call (WOC). WOC is a group of staff members trained in rape crisis intervention, counseling, and support. This group is in place should women on campus need resources for dealing with the aftermath of rape or sexual assault. You can call their hotline at any time at 401-258-4209.