The Tufts dictionary

    Starting college is hard enough without feeling like everyone is speaking in code. We decided to give you a leg up on some of the various acronyms and abbreviations that are common on campus. Unfortunately, you can’t complete your language requirement in Jumbo-ese, so don’t sleep through your placement test!

Fob: Small gray item on your keychain that will let you into your dorm’s main entrances. Unfortunately, fobs won’t let you into very many dorms other than your own, so when students want access to another building they often have to resort to other methods (see “Piggyback”).

Joey: The trusty shuttle between campus and Davis Square. The Joey can take on many forms, including “prison Joey” (a white school bus), “mini Joey” (a short bus) or “traditional Joey” (a big shuttle with “Tufts” written on the side). Keep track of Ol’ Joe’s wily ways using JoeyTracker, a slightly unnecessary GPS system, as new forms could surface this year.

NQR: Though the official Tufts term is the Nighttime Quad Reception, by the end of fall semester, Jumbos will know firsthand the acronym’s true meaning: Naked Quad Run.

Piggyback: A verb synonymous with letting someone into a building behind you; this action is strongly discouraged by the Tufts Police Department. Despite these warnings and the relatively high number of creepers around campus, students generally piggyback at all hours of the day and night.

Rape steps: Legend has it that the staircase behind Wren was specially designed so that women could outrun a pursuer. This really means that walking up and down the steps is a huge pain and that they will forever have an unfortunate nickname.

Res Quad: The lawn located in the center of Carmichael, Miller, Houston and Olin apparently got its name because it was once home to a reservoir. Today, it’s home to barbeques, sunbathers and Frisbee games … until outside temperatures become too unbearable.

SIS: Web service used to register for classes and to check final grades. Irrelevant for the majority of the year but becomes all-important five minutes before your slotted course registration time, when clicking “Register” over and over seems like a logical way to speed up time.

TEMS: Tufts Emergency Medical Service. Can be used as a noun, or as a verb that roughly translates to “calling an ambulance.” Most often heard coming from the mouth of an intoxicated Jumbo, as in, “Don’t TEMS me, bro!”

Tuftslife: By the end of orientation, every freshman will have been advised at least five times to switch their Internet homepage to Tuftslife.com. This Web site features calendars, events and links to everything you’ll need to know on campus. Dining hall menus, anyone?

TUPD: Tufts University Police Department, otherwise known as the campus cops. They will be your new best friends when you lock yourself out of your room one morning, but at that night’s frat party you might feel differently about them.

10 comments

GP

Wed Sep 9 2009 09:42

Yup! "The Rez" was a reservoir at the top of the Hill, long before Miller and Houston were built and of course it was a very good spot for a reservoir as the water then was available to flow downward.

Your name

Sun Sep 6 2009 02:30

yea i agree don't trash the frats they can do that themselves

Your name

Fri Sep 4 2009 11:41

Not to mention "The Rez," TSR's cafe, is named after the reservoir, too.

alum

Fri Sep 4 2009 10:21

"Also, the Res Quad sits at the top of a hill, not the ideal setting for a reservoir"

are you a student here? if you were, you'd know how wrong you are. the bricks from the reservoir were used to build bray lab. look into it.

Your name

Fri Sep 4 2009 01:34

Res Quad = Residential Quad

whether students type 'rez' or 'res' when they text their friends I have no clue, but the quad is called the Residential Quad because it sits between three residential buildings.

Also, the Res Quad sits at the top of a hill, not the ideal setting for a reservoir

jls

Thu Sep 3 2009 10:55

You should add a form that asks students to submit their own entries to the Tufts dictionary, and update it with new words/phrases

Jumbo

Wed Sep 2 2009 14:07

Don't forget Bias Incident.

sick of it

Wed Sep 2 2009 11:43

why would you feel differently about the cops after a frat party? fraternities generally have a good relationship with the cops, and they dont shut down the party till 2. you're gonna have bad experiences with them at off-campus parties that arent registered. dear tufts daily, stop trying to trash fraternities in articles that dont even have to do with them.

Your name

Wed Sep 2 2009 10:30

Rez Quad is the actual spelling. (After the reservoir that used to be there.)

Rising Junior

Wed Sep 2 2009 10:23

You need to add SpringFling, KSA, and excollege

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