Welcome to our segment, “Ask a Senior,” where Sara addresses your questions, concerns, and doubts about life at Notre Dame!
One slightly overlooked, but important, part of the transition to college life is the new language that the upperclassmen seem to spew at every turn. Notre Dame is home to many traditions, Domer lingo being one of them. With the help of the Domer Dicitonary provided to me when I entered the University, I have complied a list of common terms, abbreviations, and acronyms that any ND student should be expected to know.
ABP: Au Bon Pain, the restaurant located on the first floor of the library. If you happen to be in the area half an hour before closing time, the pastries are discounted!
Acoustic Café: A Student Activities Office and Student Union Board event on Thursdays in the basement of LaFortune; student musicans show off their instrumental and vocal talents.
AnTostal: One week each spring filled with free events hosted by Student Union Board (SUB).
AR: Assistant rectors; part of hall staff directly under the Rector who serve to keep the dorm residents safe and help in whatever may be needed regarding dorm life.
The Bookstore: Hammes Bookstore, where you can buy (you guessed it) your textbooks among other things. Also has tons of ND apparel and fun things to waste money on. Great cafe inside.
Bookstore Basketball: Yearly 5 on 5 basketball tournament; traditionally, the teams try to come up with the craziest and most hilarious team names they can get away with.
BP: Breen-Phillips Hall, a female dorm on North Quad.
CoMo: The Coleman-Morse Center; building on South Quad with the First Year of Studies office, Campus Ministry, and comfty study space, as well as classrooms and rehearsal space.
CSC: The Center for Social Concerns, organizes service trips and volunteer opportunities.
C.S.C.: Initials to designate members of the Holy Cross Religious Order.
D6: Student parking lot behind the Rock.
D2: Student parking lot behind PE and Knott.
D.A.R.T.: Direct Access Registration by Terminal, now just online course registration used to select classes for the following semester. E.g. My DART time is with the athletes this semester! Score! May also be used as a verb e.g. I’m DARTing tomorrow at 9am.
DeBart: DeBartolo Hall; a classroom building across from the football stadium and behind South Quad. Has a computer cluster, printers, and an awesome lounge (note: it is common to see students napping in the DeBart lounge bean bag chairs. I am guilty of this.)
Dis-O: Dis-Orientation; very unofficial parties occassionally thrown to welcome new members of a dorm.
The DH: The dining hall; SDH = South Dining Hall, NDH = North Dining Hall (far superior*).
DPAC: Short for DeBartolo Performing Arts Center.
The Dome: The yearbook, published every April; also refers to Main Building.
Domer: Any member of the Notre Dame family.
Domer Fest: The sweaty, mosh-pit style dance party on Saturday of Frosh-O. Everyone has a story about Domer Fest, their Domer Fest date, or how they ditched Domer Fest in pursuit of other activities.
du Lac: Student handbook; lists all the rules and regulations that go along with being a Notre Dame student. Also the kingdom of Lord Farquad in “Shrek.”
Feve: Club Fever, the nightclub located in downtown South Bend.
Fieldhouse Mall: The area outside of LaFun where the old fieldhouse used to be located. Now, used for bands, cook outs, and P. Fresh dance practice.
Flex Points: Fake money that you already paid for in your meal plan and can be used at any eatery on campus including Starbucks, Taco Hut, and Waddick’s. Flex points roll over from first semester to second semester but not year to year; if you need help using all your flex points, call me maybe.
Frosh-O: First Year, or Freshman, Orientation; takes place the first weekend of the school year.
Geddes Hall: Building that houses the CSC and an awesome coffee house which serves as a prime study locale. Also has a porch. Located next to the library.
God Quad: Main quad surrounded by Main Building, LaFun, the Basilica, Washington Hall, Sorin College, and Walsh Hall.
Grab N Go: Meal option available from 7am to 7pm when classes are in session; located in both DHs, Grab N Go allows you to pack yourself a bagged breakfast, lunch, or dinner to take on the run.
Greenfields: Located inside the Hesburgh Center for International Studies building, Greenfields is the healthiest eatery on campus with meal choices ranging from quinoa to fresh fruit to steel cut oatmeal. Worth the trip!
The Grotto: The famous repica of the Grotto of Lourdes, France where Domers from all over can come to light a candle and spend time in prayer and reflection.
Hammes-Mowbray Hall: The building next to Stepan Center; located inside are the Post Office and Notre Dame Security Polic office (NDSP).
Hesburgh Library: The undergraduate library on campus; affectionately referred to as Club Hes, Hes, or simply the library. South Bend’s hottest club any night of the week, has fourteen stories which tend to get quieter as you go up, and a great place to study.
The Huddle: Store inside LaFun, famous for high prices and Quarter Dogs.
Jordan Hall of Science: Usually just called Jordan or Jordan Hall; home to the science department including labs for biology and chemistry, offices, and giant lecture halls.
The JACC: The Joyce Athletic and Convocation Center, pronounced “Jack”; houses campus events such as basketball games, volleyball games, pep rallies, concerts, and lectures.
JPW: Junior Parents Weekend, pronounced “J P Dub.”
LaFun: LaFortune Student Center; LaFun has Starbucks, the Huddle, Burger King, Subway, and Taco Hut, a computer cluster, printers, lounges, and is home to the Student Activities Office as well as numerous club offices.
The Lakes: Refers to St. Mary’s and St. Joesph’s Lakes for which the University was named (Notre Dame du Lac). Favorite loop of runners around campus and one of the most photographed spots on campus, along side the Grotto and the Dome.
Legends: The on campus restaurant that has (sparsely attended) events; famous for theme nights such as Hip Hop Night.
Leprechaun Legion: Student run group that organizes fan sections, giveaways, and pep rallies for sports at ND; dedicated to supporting all athletes on campus.
Library Circle: Pick up and drop off spot on the parking lot side of the library.
Main Building: The main administrative building on campus, home to the Offices of the President and Vice Presidents; easily spotted from the outside due to the large Golden Dome on top. Also called the Dome.
Main Circle: The pick up and drop off spot off of Notre Dame Ave, next to Alumni Hall and the Law School building.
Mendoza: The business school.
Michiana: The area along the border of Michigan and Indiana, including South Bend and Mishawaka.
Mod Quad: Easternmost quad, next to the library, and home to Knott Hall, Siegfried Hall, Pasquerilla East, and Pasquerilla West.
ndID: Your student ID number, easily confused with your netID.
NDTV: The student run TV channel – 53 on campus cable. Pioneering great shows such as “The Irish Bachlorette” and “Good Night, Notre Dame.”
NetID: Your Notre Dame login usually consisting of the first letter of your first name, part of your last name, and a number.
North Quad: The northern quad surrounded by BP, Cavanaugh, Farley, Lewis, St. Ed’s, Stanford, Keenan, and Zahm, as well as North Dining Hall.
The Observer: The campus newspaper.
Office of Community Standards: See “ResLife.”
O’Shag: O’Shaughnessy Hall, located at the end of South Quad nearest the library. O’Shag is a class building that also has many Arts and Letters departmental offices and Waddicks Cafe.
Parietals: du Lac regulation noting visitation hours in dorms of the opposite geneder. Parietals are from 12 am to 9 am Sunday through Thursday and from 2 am to 9am on Friday and Saturday (excluding football weekends). Friends and visitors of the opposite sex are only allowed in 24 hour spaces during those hours.
PE: Pasquerilla East, women’s dorm located on Mod Quad.
PW: Pasquerilla West, women’s dorm located on Mod Quad, also called “PDub” or just “the Dub.” (Author’s note: PDub is the best dorm on campus. Go Weasels!)
Purcell Pavilion: The new basketball arena connected to the JACC; contains the Naimoli Club.
Quarter Dogs: Infamous hot dogs available in LaFortune for a quarter after 12 am on weeknights. Controversy ensued when the price was raised to 33 cents (and the name changed to “Midnight Dogs”) and subsequently lowered back to 25 cents two years ago.
RA: Resident Assistant; a senior in each section of the dorm who works to make the transition to college life as smooth as possible and, along with the ARs and Rector, keeps the residents safe and healthy.
RecSports: Intramural sports at Notre Dame.
Rector: The person in charge of each dorm, usually a member of religious life. The Rector is there to keep things in order within the dorm.
ResLife: Refers to the former Office of Residential Life (now called the Office of Community Standards) which dealt with rule violations and disciplinary measures. Any breach in du Lac that results in disciplinary action. Can be a noun e.g. I still don’t have a ResLife on my record! or a verb e.g. My rector caught me breaking parietals so she reslifed me and my boyfriend.
The Rock: The Rockne Memorial Gymnasium, located at the far end of South Quad.
Rolfs: Athletic facility beyond Jordan Hall; open to all students. Could also refer to the natatorium.
SAO: Student Activities Office; the people in charge of all student clubs and groups on campus – if there is an event happening, SAO is usually behind it.
The Shirt: Football fan shirt worn by students to all the football games.
SMC: Saint Mary’s College; the all women’s school located across the street from Notre Dame. Holla at dem Smick Chicks! (And holla at HCSMC, our fav sister Her Campus chapter!)
South Quad: Largest quad on campus, spanning from the Rock to O’Shag and everything in between; contains numerous dorms and academic buildings as well as CoMo and SDH.
Stepan Center: The large, round, golf ball-like building at the eastern edge of campus; commonly used for exams, concerts, and other large events.
Stonehenge: War Memorial Fountain located by LaFun on Fieldhouse Mall.
SUB: Student Union Board; this group organizes nearly every event, concert, lecture, and talk on campus.
SYR: Formerly known as “Screw Your Roommate”; SYRs are dorm sponsored dances, usually themed. Many dorms have recurring themes that happen every year such as the Dillon Hall ‘Stash Bash, the Keenan Roller Disco, and the Fisher Funk SYRs.
TA: Teaching assistant; large classes will usually have a few TAs to assist the professor. TAs are a great resource when it comes time to study for an exam.
Taco Hut: The combination Taco Bell-Pizza Hut in the basement of LaFun that takes flex points and is open until 4 am on weekends. Also called T-Hut, T-Bell, Taco Bell, and Pizza Hut.
Tailgating: Pre-game festivities; fans from all around open their trunks and coolers in the parking lots surrounding the stadium before home football games and grill out, serve snacks, and generally hang out before kickoff.
Touchdown Jesus: The mosaic on the side of the library facing the stadium, in reality called the Word of Life Mosaic. If you don’t take a picture in front of Touchdown Jesus, were you really at a Notre Dame football game?
Viewpoint: The section of the Observer that allows readers to submit their thoughts and responses to campus news or other articles.
West Quad: Quad comprised of McGlinn, Welsh Family, Keough, O’Neill, Duncan, and Ryan Halls. Actually the southernmost quad on campus.
WSND: Student-run FM radio channel.
WVFI: Student-run radio station on the second floor of LaFortune accessible via the internet.
As is always the case, new terms will crop up throughout the year. Keep your ears open! Go Irish! HCNDxo
*In my opinion
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