William & Mary Jargon

Become familiar with the language of the Tribe

It can be a bit difficult to understand the local lingo used in the William & Mary community, but we have you covered. Below are lists of terms that you will hear frequently during your time here.

Jargon Master Table

Academics

As a top tier research university known for cultivating creative thinkers and scholars, the W&M community uses a wide variety of academic terminology.

List of "Academic" W&M Jargon
What We Really Mean When We Say...
A&S	Arts and Sciences.
Add/Drop	Function in banner that allows students to register for (“add”) or un-register from (“drop”) classes.
Add/Drop Period	A period of unrestricted registration that occurs at the beginning of each semester. Students can “add” classes up to 18 Credit Hours or “drop” a class without receiving a withdrawal mark on their transcript.
Banner	Refers to Banner Self Service. This webpage allows students to update personal information, access financial aid, verify records, input student employee time sheets and find housing assignments. Accessed through myW&M.
BOV	Board of Visitors. The 17-member governing body for William & Mary appointed by the Governor of Virginia.
Bursar	The university official responsible for the assessment, billings, and collection of tuition, fees, meal plans, housing, and other university charges. They are also responsible for processing student refunds from financial aid or other account overpayments.
COLL Curriculum	The College Curriculum. All W&M undergraduate students share the College Curriculum experience, a set of specially designed courses that connect and integrate knowledge across the academic disciplines.
CRN	Course Reference Number. A unique string of numbers that corresponds with a course section. CRNs are input in Banner to register for classes. They are found in W&M’s Open Course List.
Degree Works	The DegreeWorks audit shows the requirements for your degree and whether or not they are complete. This tool is set up for undergraduates, and law, business and education graduate students.
Financial Aid	Money offered to a student to help pay tuition, fees, and other educational expenses. This can include scholarships, loans, grants, and work-study positions.
My W&M	Campus web portal used to access registration, housing selection, and other services.
PA	Academic Peer Advisor. The Peer Advising Program is a student group that assists admitted freshman and transfer students in their academic transition to William & Mary. All new students are connected with upper-level students who serve as Peer Advisors.
PATH	Refers to PATH Class Search and Registration. This webpage allows students to see course details and outline their course schedule for coming semesters. PATH is also the webpage through which students register for courses.
Registrar	The university official who is responsible for registering students and securing their academic records, such as transcripts.
Sharpie	A Sharpe Scholar.
Swem	Swem Library. The main campus library, located at 400 Landrum Drive.
Sylly Week	Slang for “Syllabus Week.” The first week of classes in a new semester when many professors go over their course syllabus.
TA	Teaching Assistant. A student who assists a professor with teaching an undergraduate course, usually within his or her field, for class credit or as part of an assistantship.
WRC	Writing Resource Center. The WRC supports student progress with programming, resources, and one-on-one support to help them become better writers and communicators.

Buildings

Our community has unique ways of referring to the buildings on this historic campus.

List of "Building" W&M Jargon
What We Really Mean When We Say...
B-School	Mason School of Business Located in Miller Hall.
Botetourt (or "Bot")	The Botetourt Complex (residence hall). Comprised of five residence halls: Dinwiddie, Fauquier, Gooch, Nicholson and Spotswood.
Bryan Complex	Collection of five residence halls located across from Zable Stadium. Includes upperclassmen dorms, Dawson, Bryan, Madison and Stith, and freshmen dorm, Camm Hall.
Caf	The Dining Commons (one of the three main dining facilities).
GGV	Green and Gold Village (residence hall). Comprised of three buildings: Griffin (A-E), Eagle (F-J) and Lion (K-M) halls.
Grad Plex	The Graduate Complex (residence hall). The housing complex available to graduate students.
The Grind	A reservable gathering space (located next to the Sadler Center).
ISC	Integrated Science Center.
Kaplan	Kaplan Arena (formerly W&M Hall).
OD	Old Dominion (residence hall).
OTP	One Tribe Place (residence hall).
PBK	Phi Beta Kappa Hall (auditorium).
Randolph Complex	Collection of six residence halls located on Ukrop Way across from Caf. Includes upperclassmen dorms, Harrison and Nicholas, as well as freshmen halls, Giles, Preston, Page, and Pleasants.
The Rec	Bee McLeod Recreation Center. In 2020, the Rec was re-named Bee McLeod Recreation Center in honor of its namesake. The facility holds many recreation areas including 3 gymnasium courts, a climbing wall, 2 racquetball courts, weight machines, a massage room and more.
Sadler	Sadler Center and Center Court Dining Hall.
SOE	School of Education located on Monticello Avenue.
Sunky G	Sunken Garden.
Swemromas	Aroma’s Coffee Shop in Swem Library.
The Terrace	The Sadler Center Terrace.
Wellness Center	McLeod Tyler Wellness Center (located next to the Sadler Center).
Zable	Walter J. Zable Stadium at Cary Field. The stadium is used for football, track & field, as well as Commencement.

Campus Adjacent

Similar to the buildings on campus, we have created some unique names for popular areas in the greater Williamsburg area.

List of "Campus Adjacent" W&M Jargon
What We Really Mean When We Say...
Brickhouse	Brickhouse Tavern.
College	College Deli.
Confusion (College) Corner	Intersection of Richmond Rd, Jamestown Rd, Boundary St, and Duke of Gloucester St.
CW	Colonial Williamsburg.
DOG Street	Duke of Gloucester St (the main street of Colonial Williamsburg).
Governor’s Green	Green space in front of the Governor’s Palace in Colonial Williamsburg. Common picnicking and meeting space for students and event space for Colonial Williamsburg events (such as the Grand Illumination).
The Leafe	The Green Leafe Cafe.
Midtown	Current Midtown Apartments. Off-Campus housing, retail and dining hub located blocks from William & Mary’s Campus.
New Town	Apartment, office, retail and dining hub located driving distance from William & Mary.
The Outlets	Williamsburg Premium Outlets. Formerly Prime Outlets and Berkeley Commons, is an outlet shopping complex located in Williamsburg, Virginia.
Paul's	Paul's Deli.

Campus Living

Campus Living is one of the five thematic areas which compose the Division of Student Affairs. Within this area are the Residence Life and STEP offices, each of which utilizes a set of distinct terminology.

List of "Campus Living" W&M Jargon
What We Really Mean When We Say...
Bot	Orientation Area for the Botetourt Complex.
CSU	Campus Station Unit (postal). Found in the Sadler Center.
GGV	Orientation Area for the Green and Gold Village.
HS	Head Staff. Part-time student staff members responsible for an assigned area in the residence halls, sometimes titled Head Residents, Community Directors, and/or Hall Directors.
ID	Initiative Directors. Paid student employees of the STEP office who plan, design, and facilitate campus-wide connections as well as distinctive programs.
LeBarre	Orientation Area for Lemon and Barrett Halls.
OA	Orientation Aide. Volunteer student leaders who directly assist the STEP Office with the new student orientation program. OAs display their leadership capabilities by assisting new students to gain an insight of the mission of W&M, encouraging a positive transition to the university and the greater Williamsburg community, introducing new students to the rich history and traditions of W&M, and so much more.
OAD	Orientation Area Director. Upper-level undergraduate students who have previously served as a member of the W&M Orientation Staff and have the desire to work at a high-level with university staff and faculty to ensure all incoming students and families have a successful transition.
RA	Resident Assistant. A part-time student staff member responsible for an assigned area (as defined in the Employment Agreement) in the residence halls.
RanJam	Orientation Area for the Randolph Complex and Hunt, Reves, and Willis Halls
Res Life	The Office of Residence Life.
Residence Halls	Student housing provided by the university, also known at other schools as dormitories or dorms which typically includes rooms, bathrooms, and common areas.
RHA	Residence Hall Association. The RHA works to improve the residential experience of all who live on campus. The RHA serves as a liaison between residential students and the administration on campus, working in the past to implement administrative initiatives such as flexible housing (in 2016) and organize campus-wide events.
Richmond Disco	Orientation Area for Richmond, Bryan, Camm, and Dawson Halls.
STEP	The Office of Student Transition Engagement Programs.
TMOA	Orientation Area for Transfers and More. This includes exchange and Joint Degree Program Host students as well as international, military veteran and non-traditional aged students.

Clubs & Organizations

W&M has more than 450 clubs and organizations to choose from, making it easy to stay engaged. Those listed in this section are distinctive of W&M.

Club & Org Jargon List
What We Really Mean When We Say...
AMP	Alma Mater Productions. The primary campus-wide programming body at William & Mary. It strives to provide diverse, high-quality entertainment at a low cost to the university community, while also serving both as a resource and a co-programmer for other organizations.
Colonial Echo	Campus Yearbook.
FitWell	Fitness and Wellness. Refers to the variety of fitness and wellness classes offered by Campus Recreation.
The Flat Hat	Campus Newspaper.
IT	Improvisational Theater (student comedy group). Not to be confused w Information Technology.
ODK	Omicron Delta Kappa. Students tapped for ODK are within the top third of their class based on GPA, have demonstrated outstanding and varied leadership, and exemplify the values of scholarship, service, integrity, character, and fellowship.
SA	Student Assembly. The student government organization and student union of the university, representing every social class and graduate school.
Spotswood	Spotswood Society. A selective student organization whose mission is to provide historical interpretation of the Sir Christopher Wren Building and W&M's Historic Campus.
7s, 13s, Bishop James Madison Society, FHCs, Ladies of Alpha	Some of the country’s oldest secret societies active at William & Mary dedicated to philanthropy and spreading mirth on campus today.

Student Services

There are a wide range of services on campus made available to students. Each of these services are provided by offices staffed by caring administrators devoted to making each W&M students' experiences meaningful.

Student Services Jargon List
What We Really Mean When We Say...
CCE	Civic and Community Engagement. CCE connects William & Mary and community to support students' development as active and educated citizens and to promote positive, community-driven social change.
CSD	Center for Student Diversity. A unit within the Division of Student Affairs that strives to foster inclusion, collaboration and relationship-building within our campus community.
IT	Information Technology. Not to be confused with the Improvisational Theater, this is the service-based organization that is always ready with creative solutions for your technology needs.
ResLife	Office of Residence Life. Composed of 170+ student staff members, as well as professional full-time staff, Res Life makes living on campus a secure and comfortable experience for all students, strives to foster community and allows students to learn, explore, and find their home at William & Mary.
SAS	Student Accessibility Services. The mission of SAS is to create a barrier-free environment for matriculating students with debilitating diagnosed conditions by considering reasonable accommodations upon request on an individual and flexible basis.
SLD	Student Leadership Development. SLD is committed to student involvement and the co-curricular life of the college.
STEP	Student Transition Engagement Programs. STEP is responsible for creating engaging transition experiences where students are empowered to optimally thrive at William & Mary - and beyond.
SUE	Office of Student Unions & Engagement. SUE provides leadership in the areas of Event Planning, Alma Mater Productions (AMP), Student Employment and Student Unions Operation.
Swem	Swem Library. The main campus library, located at 400 Landrum Drive.
WMSURE	The William & Mary Scholars Undergraduate Research Experience. Located in the Charles Center, WMSURE was developed based on the self-identified needs of W&M Scholars to provide guidance throughout the college experience, however the program provides support for all undergraduates who want to conduct research.

Traditions

W&M has a wide variety of unique and long standing traditions. From alumni to incoming students, these traditions are enjoyed by the entire community.

List of Tradition Jargon
What We Really Mean When We Say...
Charter Day	The annual celebration of the granting of William & Mary's Royal Charter by King William III and Queen Mary II in 1693 — think "Happy Birthday William & Mary."
Commencement	The weekend-long series of events celebrating students who are graduating.
Convocation	Convocation is an iconic tradition to not only celebrate the kick-off of the new academic year, but also to welcome all our newest students into the W&M community.
LDOC	Last Day of Classes. Celebrated each semester.
OTOD	One Tribe One Day. William & Mary's annual day of giving back, networking and learning more about initiatives and programs throughout the university.
TWAMP	Typical William & Mary Person. An acronym usually used to describe the people within the William & Mary Community.
Yule Log	A unique annual tradition that occurs at the end of the fall semester. The W&M community (students, staff, faculty, alumni, and community members) comes together to celebrate the winter season with several student music groups usually performing.