UM Slang

Know the slang, know the school. The following is a list of things you really need to know before coming to UM. The more of these words you know, the better off you'll be.

8-Care

Dial this on your room phone whenever the power goes out, the air conditioning breaks, or anything else goes wrong with school equipment, and a UM employee will come fix it.

Book Horizons

The sketchy bookstore across the street from campus that sometimes gets books cheaper than its on-campus rival; also carries school supplies and UM merchandise.

Chartwells

The name of the two dining halls on campus, also known to disgruntled students as Chart-Hells.

Dining Dollars

Money that comes with a student's meal plan, which can be used like a credit card at most of the restaurants on campus.

Easy

The name of the computer network where students can log in to retrieve their grades, professor rankings, course schedules, and most other student-related information.

Hurricane Drive

The street that runs through campus, past the baseball field and the fraternity houses; connects Ponce to the back roads of the campus; also known as San Amaro Drive.

Memorial

A long building that holds hundreds of classes per day, as well as the campus movie theater.

Metrorail

Miami's elevated train system that most students use only to get to the Orange Bowl on the days of football games.

Ponce

The smaller road running right past campus, which runs through downtown Coral Gables. Real name: Ponce de Leon Blvd.

Resident Master

A member of the faculty who lives in an apartment in the lobby of every residential college; the teacher and his or her family act as a host for the students living in the building and often have students over for dinner or meetings.

Sebastian the Ibis

The school's mascot, a common face around campus; the ibis is supposedly the last bird to leave before a hurricane and the first to return afterwards.

Stanford Circle

The driveway outside the UC where students get picked up and dropped off; the name refers to Stanford Drive, which is the main entrance to the campus.

The C-Store

The convenience store located in the UC, which stays open until the middle of the night and accepts dining dollars.

The IM Field

A giant field that is used for intramurals or just for fun.

The Lake

Lake Osceola, a huge body of water in the center of campus; a path around it connects the Towers to Eaton Residential College, the UC, and several campus buildings.

The LC

The Whitten Learning Center, a group of lecture- sized classrooms where many large classes are held.

The Pit

A large, mysterious hole in the ground behind Memorial where students study and hang out under the cover of thick trees.

The Rat

Refers to the Rathskellar, a popular bar on campus.

The Rock

The main area outside of the UC where pep rallies, protests, and other campus events are held.

The Towers

The dorms where most freshmen live, also known as Hecht and Stanford; there are actually two 12-story buildings in each dorm, making for four identical “towers” on one side of the lake.

The UC

The University Center, aptly located in the center of campus, which is home to the food court, a student lounge, the book store, a swimming pool, and assorted offices.

U.S. 1

The main road running near campus that is almost always insanely crowded; this road runs from Key West up to Maine, where the traffic must ease up slightly.

Unicco

The janitorial service on campus that cleans the floor bathrooms, halls, and study lounges; treat the Unicco staff nicely or they may not get to your floor's bathroom for a while.