Alphabet Soup: Your handy guide to translating Case Western Reserve University speak

Having been exposed to Case Western Reserve University students for almost a week now, you may have noticed that many speak in an almost foreign dialect. This dialect is rife with so many acronyms and nicknames that it is almost unintelligible to the average person. So if your jaw hit the floor the first time you heard someone say “Oh my god, RHA, UPB, and USG are going to be working as part of SEC!” don’t worry. This handy little guide will help define some frequently used acronyms and nicknames.

The miscellaneous:

CWRU: Case Western Reserve University. Most students refer to our school as CWRU. Saying the full name takes far too much time and effort.

HARLD: Housing and residence life database. Despite its technical definition, for most of you a HARLD email will simply signal that your long awaited packages are now available in the Wade Area Office.

R.A: Resident Assistant. Contrary to popular belief, your R.A is not your floor’s babysitter. Your R.A is there to help create a safe and tolerant environment while also providing educational and recreational programming.

 

Student organizations:

COC: Class Officer Collective. COC is composed of representatives from each class. Each class cohort is responsible for programming events for their class and ensuring the survival of certain CWRU traditions.

IFC: Interfraternity Congress. The Interfraternity Congress is the student-run governing body of all of the fraternities on the Case campus. IFC consists of an executive board of seven elected members, the president, and an IFC representative from each of the fraternities.

Panhell: Panhellenic Council. Founded in 1981 at CWRU, Panhell consists of seven executive board members, an advisor, and six sorority representatives from each chapter. Like IFC, Panhell is the governing body of sororities on campus.

RHA: Residence Hall Association. This student led organization focuses on programming, advocacy, and leadership development in the residence halls. For many freshmen, they will provide an opportunity to not only get involved in campus activities but also fun programs.

USG: Undergraduate Student Government. Having representatives from all of CWRU’s undergraduate schools and the freshmen dorms, USG aims to serve as a link to faculty, staff, and administration. USG also doles out money to various student groups in the fall and the spring.

UPB: University Program Board. UPB seeks to put on programs to enhance the undergraduate experience. Concerts, Thwing Tuesdays, and trips are all a result of UPB’s hard work.

SEC: Student Executive Council. SEC is an umbrella organization that represents six student boards; USG, UPB, Media Board, COC, and IFC and Panhell. The six groups meet four times a semester to encourage communication amongst the various organizations and discuss campus issues.

 

Buildings, offices, & other important places:

CCEL: Center for Civic Engagement and Learning. Located in the bottom floor of Thwing, CCEL seeks to provide and support opportunities for promoting civic awareness and leadership.

CIA: Cleveland Institute of Art. First founded in 1882, CWRU and CIA are rather connected despite being different entities. CIA’s buildings blend seamlessly into the CWRU campus and the school’s freshmen typically live on our campus and eat in Leutner.

CIM: Cleveland Institute of Music. Founded in 1920, the national recognized conservatory offers a cooperative program in music education with CWRU to train future educators. Like CIA, freshmen CIM students live on CWRU’s campus and will also eat in Leutner.

ESS: Educational Service for Students. If you are having any trouble with time management or need tutoring for a class, ESS will be able to help you. With their offices conveniently located in the Sears building, the staff is ready and willing to assist you with your academic needs.

KSL: Kelvin Smith Library. For some of you, KSL will become your home away from home. Now that the library has a café, expect it to be frequently packed with students trying to find a quiet place to study.

PBL: Peter B. Lewis Building. That silver building that looks like a transformer committed suicide is actually the home of the Weatherhead School of Management and is the design Frank Gehry. Its quiet atmosphere provides a perfect place to study.

UH: University Hospitals. That big behemoth across the street from Mather Quad that is perpetually under construction is University Hospitals. Should you require help CWRU’s health services cannot provide, you can mosey on over there to get some decent antibiotics.