Here are some important words, acronyms, and phrases that you as students will hear often:

The ARC -  the nickname for the Aebersold Recreation Center.  The ARC is a state-of-the-art facility that offers a fitness center with over 100 exercise machines, a rock climbing wall, indoor pool, track and a multi-purpose gymnasium.

Blackboard - an e-Education platform designed to transform the Internet into a powerful environment for the learning experience.  Some of your classes might require that you use this system in collaboration with other materials.  Blackboard can be used to post assignments, course documents such as your syllabus, and your grades.

CA - an abbreviation that is used to describe "Community Assistants." A Community Assistant is an undergraduate student who serves as a link between you and the University. A CA lives on your floor and is there to help you make your transition to college, access University resources, offer support if you are experiencing personal difficulty. In addition to assisting you, your CA is responsible for promoting a thriving residence hall community.

DARS - Degree Audit Report, which gives you information about all the classes you are taking, as well as what you need to complete in order to graduate.  Your academic advisor will help you learn how to read and use your DARS report.

FYRST - The First Year Studies (FYRST) Program is designed to ease the transition into college life by providing a coordinated effort of academically-based support services to students.  FYRST is a bridge to successful learning at The Rock.  FYRST features a host of academic services designed to support the teaching and learning process.

Flex Fund - money that comes along with your meal plan and can be used only at university dining halls to supplement your meal purchases.

The Fluh -  refers to the Weisenfluh Dining Hall, as in "Lets go to the Fluh!"

The "H" drive - a drive on the university network that is created for each student on campus which allows them to save their work for classes and can be accessed from any computer on campus, as well as your home computer via the SRU Web site.

Happy Bus - named after our very personable bus driver, who picks students up on campus and gets them to class or to places in the Slippery Rock community and also makes occasional trips to the outlets and local malls.  This bus is sponsored by the Student Government Association (SGA). Bus Schedules are available here.

"The Jack" - the nickname of SRU's Jack Critchfield Baseball Park.

The "I" drive - a drive on the university network that faculty and staff members use to store information about the classes they are teaching or presentations/workshops they have created.  The "I" drive can be accessed from any computer on campus, as well as your home computer via the SRU Web site.

Learning Community Clusters  - a selection of three classes for freshmen and includes the FYRST seminar and one or two other classes such as College Writing I and American National Government.  Students who are a part of a Learning Community Cluster (LCC) have two or three classes with the same peer group.  The purpose of the cluster is to help you make a successful transition to SRU!

The Market Place -  a small grocery store in which students can buy snack items to take back to their rooms, as well as bagged lunches for those in a hurry.

My ROCK 1Stop is your ultimate resource for everything that is SRU!

OA - the term commonly used for "Orientation Ambassadors" who serve at our nine Freshmen and Transfer Orientation programs throughout the year. Their job duties include facilitating small group meetings with students and families, assisting with academic advisement, performing skits about college life at SRU, and much more!

Professional Development Day - a day dedicated to the faculty and staff that allows them to attend meetings and training programs.  This usually occurs on a Tuesday towards the beginning of each semester.  Classes for all students will be cancelled during the Professional Development Day.

The Quad - the area on campus encircled by the main academic classroom buildings:  Advance Science Technology Building, Bailey Library, Eisenberg Classroom Building, Physical Therapy Building, Spotts World Cultural Building and Vincent Science Hall.

Rock Dollars - an account for students in which they can add money via cash or credit card.  It is accessible from your student ID card and can be used at several places on campus, including dining halls, laundry facilities, and the bookstore.

Rock Rowdies -  a group of enthusiastic fans who attend most sporting events and cheer on the SRU Pride.

Rock Talk - is an online tool for past and present students in which to execute the following actions:

• Drop and add courses using student registration
• View and print degree audits
• View and print class schedules or grades
• View and print an enrollment certification letter
• View and print account and financial aid information and/or a tuition receipt
• Make a payment on your account by credit card
• View and update home and off-campus addresses

The Rocket - this is the university's National Award Winning newspaper whose office is located in Eisenberg Classroom Building.

Rockmail - Slippery Rock University's e-mail system, which can be accessed on campus or at home through the SRU Web site.

Rocky the Lion - this is the mascot of Slippery Rock University. Rocky is present at most major events.

SGA - The Slippery Rock University Student Government Association, Inc. (SRSGA) is an independent corporation on campus with over a million dollar budget.  SRSGA serves as the governing body to most clubs and organizations at Slippery Rock.  SGA recognizes over one hundred organizations and provides budgets for at least sixty-five of them.  Also, SGA helps fund a majority of Slippery Rock athletics. the

Saxigena - this is the name of the yearbook and also the Latin word for "ROCK."