Swamp Lingo
Academic Advisor—The person who can help you with course selection, choosing a major, degree tracking, or any other academic question.
Academic Dismissal—Separation from the university for failure to demonstrate adequate academic progress.
Academic Probation—What happens when your cumulative GPA falls below 2.0 or failure to demonstrate sufficient progress in your degree program.
Admissions Office—The office that recruits and admits new students. Located in Criser Hall.
Albert and Alberta—The official Gator mascots.
The Alligator—The unofficial, free, daily campus newspaper. Its full name is the Independent Florida Alligator.
Awareness Weeks/ Months—Times set aside for education about certain cultures or events. January is Rape Awareness Month; February is Black History Month; March is Women’s History Month and Jewish Awareness Month; April is Pride Awareness Month; October is Hispanic Awareness Month and Domestic Violence Awareness Month; November is Asian Kaleidoscope Month.
Bandshell—Site of free concerts by many well-known artists. Located on Flavet Field.
Bat House—A sanctuary for bats near Lake Alice, on the west end of Museum Rd.
Ben Hill Griffin Stadium—Home of Florida Field and the Gator football games. It’s the largest structure on campus (seating capacity over 85,000). Also known as “The Swamp”
Bloc Seating—An opportunity given to members of student organizations to get their football seats together that is sponsored by Student Government.
Blue Books—Lined paper booklets used for essay exams (available at the bookstore). Always get more than you think you need.
Blue Phone/ Blue Box—An emergency call box around campus that gives off a blue light at night. If you feel you are at danger, press the button and a UPD officer will respond immediately.
Career Resource Center—Provides help with resumes, finding the right career, interviewing techniques, etc. Located on the first floor of the Reitz Union.
Career Showcase—Held once a semester at the O’Connell Center. Representatives from recruiting companies will answer your questions and maybe even hold interviews. Many students get summer internships or co-ops here.
Century Tower—The large brick tower in the center of campus (on Newell Drive). Built in 1953 to honor UF alumni killed in the world wars, it is probably the most discernible building on campus.
Co-op—A program that allows students to alternate work experience with school.
Catalog—One of the most important university publications. Not only will it give you summaries of each course offered, but also the core curriculum and requirements for your admissions class. You need to keep this through your entire career at UF.
Credit Hours—The number of credits you will receive for a class. You need a total of at least 120 credit hours to graduate.
Criser Hall—Home to the offices of Admissions, Registrar, Student Financial Affairs, and University Financial Services. Your one-stop location for many of your academic and administrative needs. Located in the northeast section of campus near the Plaza of the Americas.
Crosswalk—It is required by law for cars to stop for pedestrians crossing the street on a crosswalk.
Dean’s List—A public recognition of outstanding academic achievement posted each semester.
Dean of Students Office—A first-stop location for referrals and questions. The areas of Judicial Affairs, Multicultural Programs, Greek Life, New Student Programs, LGBTQ Resource Center, and Disability Resources are part of this office. Located on the main floor (2nd) of Peabody Hall.
Drop/Add—Period of time at the beginning of each semester in which students are allowed to make changes in their schedules.
Family Weekend—A weekend set aside in the fall for parents and family members to visit the campus and learn more about their student’s experience.
Financial Aid—Money allocated to students, either as scholarship, grant, or loan, to help offset college costs.
Flavet Field—A favorite practice field for intramural sports. Also the location of the Bandshell. Located on Woodlawn Drive behind the Keys Residential Complex.
Fraternities—Greek-letter student organizations. There is a difference between professional, honors or service fraternities, which are co-ed, and social fraternities, which are for men only.
French Fries—Nickname for the large yellow sculpture between the CSE and the Marston Science Library, actually named “Alachua.”
Gator 1 Card—Your official University ID card. You’ll use it to pick up athletic tickets, check out books from the libraries, get a Gatorlink ID, and Gator Dining accounts.
Gator Dining Services—The University’s food service provider.
Gator Growl—The largest pep rally in the country. Held the Friday night before the Homecoming game, it usually features big-name comedians and high-tech entertainment.
Gatorlink—A series of online computer services for students, including e-mail.
Homecoming—A Fall tradition, revolving around the football season. Activities include the parade, Gator Growl, and Homecoming Queen Pageant.
Independent Study—Supervised individual work on a topic by a student. The topic must be approved by your department.
Institute of Black Culture (IBC) —Offers programs, lectures, seminars, and activities in a cooperative venture of educating students about the history and cultures of Black people throughout the world.
Institute of Hispanic-Latino Cultures (IHLC) —Better known as “La Casita”, IHLC offers a variety of workshops, seminars, activities, programs, and services for students with Hispanic and Latino heritage.
Internship—A temporary work position for which a student may be paid or receive college credit. Can lead to jobs and contacts.
Intramurals—Structured athletic competition (both team and individual) among UF students organized through Recreational Sports.
ISIS—The Integrated Student Information System includes web-based course schedules and registration, degree tracking, financial status and other student information.
J. Wayne Reitz Union—The student union. Home to the main food court, Office of Student Activities, Student Government office, student organizations, and a hotel.
Lab Section—A portion of class time that is spent in a lab setting (computer or scientific), which is separate from lecture sections. An opportunity to apply lecture based topics in a hands-on laboratory setting.
Lake Alice—A quiet natural area located on the west end of Museum Rd. Many runners, walkers, and sightseers visit this peaceful area. Beware of the alligators!
Mid-Terms—Exams that fall in the middle of the semester. Plan your studying wisely, because most core classes have theirs at about the same time.
O’Dome—Nickname for the Stephen C. O’Connell Center, the multi-purpose sports and entertainment arena located just west of the stadium. Home of basketball, swimming & diving, indoor track, gymnastics, volleyball, concerts, major speakers, and graduation ceremonies.
Parking—You must have a permit to park on campus. You are only allowed to park in lots corresponding to your parking decal during business hours. Parking violations can be expensive and accumulated points can lead to revocation of your parking privileges.
Peabody Hall—Houses the Dean of Students Office, University Counseling Center, and Financial Aid administrative offices.
Plagiarism—Copying someone else’s work is a crime. Turning in work verbatim from books, journals, or the Internet, using a paper written by someone else, or any other compromise of your own original work is plagiarism and a violation of the Honor Code.
Plaza of the Americas—Located in the quad between Library West, Peabody Hall, the University Auditorium, and the Chemistry Building. It is a great location to hang out, and is the designated free speech area.
Prerequisites—Some courses are in a sequence, requiring you to take one class before you take another.
Racquet Club—Gator Dining establishment next to the Florida Gym, with establishments like Burger King and Java City.
Reading Days—The Thursday and Friday of the last week of classes, designed to give students time to study before final exams begin.
Registrar—Office that keeps your official university records.
Resume—A brief summary of your education, work experience, and qualifications submitted when applying for a position or employment.
The Rock—The large sculpture in Turlington Plaza.
ROTC—Reserve Officer Training Corps for the Army, Navy, and Air Force. An excellent source of scholarship money and leadership training.
RTS/ Later Gator—The city transportation system. Buses can take you to and from class during the week, and also downtown late at night on weekends. The service is fare free to UF students, faculty, and staff with a Gator 1 Card.
Recruitment—The new member mutual selection recruitment process for Greek-letter student organizations.
Schedule of Courses—A newsprint publication that comes out about two weeks before pre-registration for the next term. Gives all of the course being offered, as well as their times and places. The most current version is online at the ISIS website.
School Colors—Orange and Blue
Sororities—Greek-letter social organizations for women.
Spring Break—The long-awaited weeklong break in the middle of the Spring semester.
Student Affairs—The administrative division that helps students succeed outside the classroom. Includes the Dean of Students Office, Department of Housing and Residence Education, Counseling Center, Reitz Union, Student Financial Affairs, Career Resource Center and Recreational Sports.
Student Government—Connection between the students and the university. Responsible for the spending of funds generated by the Activity and Service fees each student pays with tuition.
Student Health Care Center—The student infirmary. Located east of the stadium on Fletcher Drive.
Student Senate—The legislative branch of student government. The forum for advocacy of student concerns about the university.
Tigert Hall—Home of administrative offices for the President, Vice Presidents, Provost, Ombudsman, and Honors Program.
Transcript—your official record of your college courses and grades, available at the Registrar’s Office.
Tuition—The payment for class registration at the university. Go to Criser Hall to pay fees.
University Auditorium—Located next to Century Tower on Newell Drive. Popular place for concerts and guest speakers.
University Avenue—The main street in Gainesville that runs east-west by the university’s northern border.