At Carleton, we really have a way with words — as in we shorten most of them! Whether it’s an abbreviation, an acronym, or an initialism (check out our Editorial Style Guide to learn the difference), our community has created a short version of just about every Carleton-related name you can think of. We hope this glossary helps you familiarize yourself with the various terms that describe so many different parts of our amazing community.
Don’t see your abbreviation? Tell us what’s missing! Contact the Division of Communications with any additions to this list.
1
1Gen – Said like “one gen,” First Generation. Student-led group aiming to build community and open discussion on campus, with the intent to reduce stigma and promote the experience of first-generation students at Carleton.
A
AAF – Alumni Annual Fund. Gifts to the fund are put toward needs in Carleton’s operating budget, with giving split into categories such as Financial Aid, Learning and Teaching Initiatives, Life and Career, the Carleton Athletic Initiative, and Areas of Greatest Need.
AALAC – Alliance to Advance Liberal Arts Colleges. Strives to advance liberal arts education through collective efforts to support faculty research and teaching so as to enhance the overall experience of students and to develop faculty leadership. Membership includes 25 liberal arts colleges across the country.
AARPs – Assembly Area Resource Persons. College employees that serve as support during fire drills and potential campus emergencies.
ACA – African and Caribbean Association. Student organization with the goal to increase African and Caribbean awareness, culture, and values on campus, as well as create opportunities for students of African and Caribbean descent to socialize and interact.
ACCCR – Advisory Council on Campus and Community Relations. Provides the campus and the local community with important and timely information about shared interests, and to discuss concerns and ideas with Carleton’s neighbors.
ACE – Pronounced like the word “ace,” Academic Civic Engagement. An approach to education with specific courses focusing on community-based learning, community-based research, and service learning.
ACM – Associated Colleges of the Midwest. A consortium of 14 independent liberal arts colleges located in Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Colorado: Beloit, Carleton, Coe, Colorado, Cornell, Grinnell, Knox, Lake Forest, Lawrence University, Luther, Macalester, Monmouth, Rip`on, and St. Olaf.
ACSL – Advisory Committee on Student Life. Dedicated to addressing issues and policies concerning student life and can recommend social policy issues to the College Council.
AFAC – Admissions and Financial Aid Committee. Policy-setting body dedicated to issues and policies concerning admissions and financial aid.
AFST – Africana Studies. Course abbreviation used for the Academic Catalog.
AGH – Alumni Guest House. Rooms are available for the use of guests of the College, including alumni, parents, friends, guest speakers, job candidates, and more.
AMST – American Studies. Course abbreviation used for the Academic Catalog.
A&I – Argument and Inquiry. The first-year fall seminar requirement, intended to provide students with an understanding of the meaning and value of a liberal arts education during their first months at Carleton. A&I courses explicitly introduce the ways that scholars ask questions and find, use, and evaluate information effectively and ethically in constructing arguments. They give students opportunities for critical reading, thinking, discussion, and college-level writing on a variety of topics and are designed to enhance students’ abilities to collaborate effectively with their peers and professors.
The Arb – Nickname for the Carleton College Cowling Arboretum, which consists of approximately 800 acres of land.
ARBC – Arabic. Course abbreviation used for the Academic Catalog.
ARCN – Archaeology. Course abbreviation used for the Academic Catalog.
ARO – Alumni Relations Office. Coordinates connections among Carleton alumni and the College.
ARTH – Art History. Course abbreviation used for the Academic Catalog.
ASAP – Pronounced like the word “asap,” Academic Assistant Support Professionals. Group of all academic administrative assistants at Carleton.
ASC – Academic Standing Committee. Group of faculty, students, and staff who adjudicate College regulations and make decisions about students’ academic standing.
ASC – Academic Support Center. Provides students with individual and group opportunities to develop as active learners.
ASE – Admitted Student Experience. The admissions programming for admitted students, which takes place every year in April.
ASIA – Pronounced like the word “Asia,” Asian Students in America. Student organization that aims to provide a community for Asian and Asian American students at Carleton.
ASLN – Asian Languages and Literatures. Course abbreviation used for the Academic Catalog.
ASST – Asian Studies. Course abbreviation used for the Academic Catalog.
B
BIOC – Biochemistry. Course abbreviation used for the Academic Catalog.
BIOL – Biology. Course abbreviation used for the Academic Catalog.
BSA – Black Student Alliance. A multicultural student organization dedicated to enhancing the lives of Black students at Carleton through personal development, community action, and social events.
C
‘C’ Club – Represents the Carleton varsity athletic letter. Organization of alumni who lettered in varsity athletics during their time at Carleton (basically, the Carleton athletic hall of fame).
CAASHA – Pronounced “CAW-shah” or “CAH-shah,” Campus Advocates Against Sexual Harassment and Assault. Group of students dedicated to supporting and empowering Carleton students affected by, or with questions about, sexual harassment or assault.
CAI – Carleton Athletic Initiative. Part of the Alumni Annual Fund established by a group of former athletes, dedicated to supporting the highest quality athletic experience for students.
CAMS – Pronounced “cams,” Cinema and Media Studies. Academic department that combines the critical study of moving image and sound media with digital video and audio production.
CANOE – Pronounced like the word “canoe,” Carleton Association of Nature and Outdoor Enthusiasts. Student organization with an interest house (Wade House), made up of students who love being outside and want to share that experience with others.
CARCAS – Pronounced like the word “carcass,” Carleton Archaeological Research Collection of Animal Specimens. An osteological comparative collection, dermestid beetle colony, and 3D digital repository of animal skeletons.
CarlMUN – Pronounced “Carl-mun,” Carleton Model United Nations. Student organization that holds practices and open simulations throughout the year and sends delegations to compete in several national and international conferences.
CARS – Curricular and Research Support. A model for providing coordination and communication among the diverse offices and departments that provide academic support to Carleton faculty and students.
CaSPER – Pronounced like the name “Casper,” Carleton Society of Paranormal and Extraterrestrial Research. Club for students interested in studying, witnessing, and/or communicating with spirits and beings who do not dwell physically on Earth.
CAT – Pronounced like the word “cat,” Carls with Artistic Taste. Student club that strives to create platforms for creatives looking to express themselves on Carleton’s campus.
Catalyst – The online library catalog shared by Carleton and St. Olaf.
CAVE – Pronounced like the word “cave,” Carleton Alumni Volunteer Experience. Annual kickoff to Carleton’s Reunion planning and Alumni Annual Fund fundraising process, which usually occurs sometime in August.
CBC – Carleton Ballet Company. Student dance group focused on ballet.
CBSM – Community Board on Sexual Misconduct. Charged with adjudicating complaints of sexual misconduct and advising the College on the maintenance and development of the Policies Against Sexual Misconduct.
CCCC – Committee on Convocation and Common Conversation. Reviews convocation suggestions from students, faculty, and staff.
CCCE – Pronounced “trip-C-E,” Center for Community and Civic Engagement. Aims to promote and integrate civic and community engagement in its co-curricular volunteer, student work study, curricular (ACE), and faculty (Public Scholarship) respects.
CCST – Cross-Cultural Studies. Course abbreviation used for the Academic Catalog.
CDCIC – Carleton Disability and Chronic Illness Club. Student-led alliance focused on support and advocacy for all students who self-identify as disabled or are facing long-term health challenges.
CEBA – Carleton Economics BIPOC Association. Student-led organization for students of color interested in or majoring in economics.
CEDI – Pronounced “SEH-dee,” Community, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. A group of students, faculty, and staff who help coordinate and connect the many efforts supporting diversity and inclusion on campus.
CELT – Committee for Effective Learning with Technology. Responsible for ensuring that Carleton remains smart and nimble in responding to changes in technology and technology-enhanced learning by monitoring, facilitating experimentation with, and evaluating the effectiveness of emerging technology-enhanced pedagogies in a residential liberal arts environment.
CFD – Consortium for Faculty Diversity. Assists minority scholars in the early stages of their careers and produces a pool of minority scholars who will have firsthand experience teaching at liberal arts colleges. A goal is to hire one of these applicants as a CFD Fellow each academic year.
CF&PC – Capital Funding and Priorities Committee. Manages and prioritizes funding and projects for capital renewal and investment.
CGRS – Center for Global and Regional Studies. Promotes the study of the world’s peoples, arts, environments, literatures, sciences, and institutions.
CHAI – Pronounced like the word “chai,” Cultural House for Asian Identities. Interest house that provides support to all Asian and Asian American students at Carleton.
CHOP – Pronounced like the word “chop,” Carleton House of Pancakes. Men’s D-III Ultimate Frisbee team, formerly known as Gods of Plastic (GOP).
CHS – Coalition of Hmong Students. A student organization that aims to raise awareness of Hmong culture and history at Carleton.
CIG – Curricular Innovation Grant. Multiple are awarded each winter by the Faculty Grants Committee to support curricular innovation. Very small CIGs may be awarded any time by the provost.
CLAE – Pronounced like the word “clay,” Carleton Liberal Arts Experience. A summer program founded by a Carleton trustee, which brings talented high school juniors of African American descent, or who have an interest in African American culture, to campus for a week-long academic college prep program.
The CLAP – Pronounced like the word “clap,” The Carleton Literary Associative Press, or The Carleton Literary Association Publication. A student-run zine printed and handed out in front of Sayles every Friday before convo, which publishes all submissions as long as they are submitted by a Carleton student (with their name attached).
CMC – Center for Mathematics and Computing. The building hosts the information technology services (ITS) office, the Math Skills Center, the mathematics and statistics department, and the web development office.
CMH – Carleton Men’s Hockey. Club sport for men’s hockey.
COFHE – Consortium on Financing Higher Education. An institutionally supported organization of 35 private colleges and universities: Amherst, Barnard, Bowdoin, Brown, Bryn Mawr, CalTech, Carleton, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Duke, Georgetown, Harvard, Johns Hopkins, MIT, Middlebury, Mount Holyoke, Northwestern, Oberlin, Pomona, Princeton, Rice, Smith, Stanford, Swarthmore, Trinity (CT), University of Chicago, University of Pennsylvania, University of Rochester, Vanderbilt, Washington (MO), Wellesley, Wesleyan (University), Williams, and Yale.
Comps – Short for comprehensive exercise and more formally known as the integrative exercise, which is basically a senior thesis that every Carleton student completes in their major(s) during their final year.
CORE – Pronounced like the word “core,” Carleton Organization of Rising Entrepreneurs. Student club organized and operated exclusively for educational, experimental, and charitable entrepreneurship purposes.
COSEA – Pronounced “COH-see,” Coalition of Southeast Asians. Student-run cultural organization aiming to foster a welcoming and inclusive community for those who identify as Southeast Asian.
CPA – Carleton Pre-Health Association. Student organization for those interested in pursuing health-based careers.
CREEP – Pronounced like the word “creep,” Carleton Runners Enjoying Every Pace. Student running club with the mission to build and strengthen a community of runners in a friendly and low-stress environment.
CRIC – Pronounced like the word “crick,” Carleton Responsible Investment Committee. Advises the Investment Committee of the Board of Trustees via the VP and treasurer regarding ethical, social, and environmental issues that arise in the management of Carleton’s endowment.
CRU – Carls for Religious Understanding. Chapel group open to everyone, offering interfaith discussions about life’s big questions multiple times per term.
CS – Computer Science. Academic department for studying the computational structures and processes that appear throughout the natural and human worlds.
CSA – Carleton Student Association. Carleton’s cooperative student government of, by, and for Carleton students.
CSGC or CGSC – Cognitive Science. Course abbreviations used for the Academic Catalog.
CUBE – Pronounced like the word “cube,” Carleton Undergraduate Bridge Experience. Participants work directly with a Carleton faculty member and Carleton student coaches before arriving on campus to review quantitative skills in order to be ready for fall term college courses.
CUT – Pronounced like the word “cut,” Carleton Ultimate Team. Men’s D-I Ultimate Frisbee team.
D
DAR – Development and Alumni Relations. This division builds and facilitates relationships with stakeholders of the College, with primary areas of focus including alumni, donors, parents, future alumni, and foundations.
DCAT – Digital Collections Advisory Team. Charged with stewarding the Library’s various digital collections platforms.
DGAH – Digital Arts and Humanities. Course abbreviation used for the Academic Catalog.
DOSO – Pronounced “DOH-soh,” Dean of Students Office. Offers educational counseling, monitors academic progress, and administers College policies. Members serve as advocates, advisers, and problem solvers for all students at Carleton.
E
EAB – Editorial Advisory Board. The advisory body for Carleton’s alumni magazine, the Voice.
EAC – Environmental Advisory Committee. The governing body of environmental action at Carleton. Its role is to advise the vice president and treasurer of the College, as well as engage and support student sustainability projects.
ECC – Education and Curriculum Committee. Major policy development group that reports to the faculty, co-chaired by the provost. Membership includes an associate provost, a faculty co-chair, four other faculty, and five students.
ECO – Pronounced like the prefix “eco,” Environmental Carls Organized. Student group dedicated to promoting environmental awareness and activism on campus and in the community and to providing opportunities for environmental volunteering.
EDB – Experimental Dance Board. Provides a rigorous but inclusive outlet for student-choreographed works of dance.
Eek – Nickname for Eclipse, women’s D-III Ultimate Frisbee team.
EHS – Environmental Health and Safety. Office charged with developing, implementing, and maintaining policies and procedures for the College which promote health, safety, and sound environmental management, in accordance with federal and state regulations.
ENTS – Pronounced “ents,” Environmental Studies. Academic program with the mission to educate the next generation of environmental scholars and professionals in the core scientific, humanistic, and social science perspectives that inform environmental issues around the world.
ER – External Relations. Division that builds and facilitates relationships with stakeholders of the College, with the primary areas of focus including alumni, donors, parents, future alumni, and foundations.
ETB – Experimental Theater Board. Non-departmental theater group that coordinates and funds theatrical productions in which students may participate in every artistic and technical capacity.
EthIC – Pronounced like the word “ethic,” Ethical Inquiry at Carleton. A College initiative that grew out of the Program in Ethical Reflection at Carleton (PERC) and is designed to encourage and facilitate the ethical inquiry that is integral to a liberal arts environment.
EUST – European Studies. Course abbreviation used for the Academic Catalog.
F
FAC – Faculty Affairs Committee. Promotes faculty interests, mediates faculty issues with each other or administrators, etc. Oversees changes to the part of the Faculty Handbook that requires faculty approval.
FCC – Faculty Compensation Committee. Reports to the FAC, with the provost and the VP and treasurer sitting on it ex-officio.
FCPC – Faculty Curricular Planning Committee. Advises the provost on curricular planning and allocation of faculty positions. Chaired by the provost, with faculty elected to ECC plus an associate provost as members.
FDA – Faculty Development Account. Responsible for receiving professional development funds.
FDE – Faculty Development Endowment. Fund that supports faculty fellowships on a competitive basis. Large grants provide up to one term’s salary and small grants of up to $3,000 support smaller projects.
FERPA – Pronounced “FER-pah,” Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. Details specific rights afforded to the student in regards to their academic record and prohibits the institution from disclosing most information from a student’s education record to many third parties without the student’s written consent.
FISH – Pronounced like the word “fish,” Fellowship in the Son’s Hope. Carleton’s Christian interest house for members of the Christian community to gather, share, and learn from each other.
FKK – Pronounced “eff-kah-kah,” Freier Karleton Klub. Student-led German club building a community for people interested in German culture.
FOCA – Faculty on continuing appointment. Without the possibility of tenure.
FOCUS – Pronounced like the word “focus,” Focusing on Cultivating Scientists. Designed for students interested in science and promoting diversity in the sciences. Supports students through their entry into the study of science/math at Carleton and as they continue in the curriculum by creating a cohort that enrolls in classes together (insofar as that makes sense), meets regularly in a colloquium throughout the first year, and has an opportunity for work study in the sciences.
Forum – Organization of exempt staff at Carleton.
FPC – Faculty Personnel Committee. Makes tenure recommendations to the president and provost and oversees third-year reviews. Composed of five elected tenured faculty, the provost, and the president.
G
GeMMS – Pronounced like the word “gems,” Gender Minorities in Mathematics and Statistics. A group for gender minorities and their allies in mathematics and statistics.
GSC – Gender and Sexuality Center. Office that offers resources and support on topics and identities related to the diversity of gender and sexuality, specifically centering resources and support for LGBTQIA+ people at Carleton.
GWSS – Often pronounced “GEE-whiz,” Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies. Academic program that provides an interdisciplinary meeting ground for exploring questions about gender, women, and sexuality that are transforming knowledge in the sciences, social sciences, arts, and humanities.
H
HEDS – Higher Education Data Sharing. A consortium of 140+ private liberal arts colleges who share data on specific topics, which also coordinates or produces comparative information for a number of national or HEDS-designed surveys.
HERC – Higher Education Recruitment Consortium. A collaboration of colleges and universities designed to assist spouses and partners of faculty and staff to secure area employment and to address issues of faculty and staff diversity.
HERI – Higher Education Research Institute. Host to the Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP) suite of surveys (Freshman Survey, Your First College Year, and the College Senior Survey). The HERI Faculty Survey runs every three years.
HHMI – Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Major granting agency which has significantly supported student research, equipment, and outreach programs in biochemistry, biophysics, and neuroscience at Carleton.
HLC – Higher Learning Commission. Carleton’s regional accrediting organization.
The Hub – Carleton’s former online portal for viewing information such as budgets, personnel information, course information, student bills, etc. Most functionality has moved to Workday.
I
IACUC – Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. Responsible for overseeing all activities involving animals at Carleton. As mandated by federal law, the committee must review and approve all research and teaching activities involving animals, to ascertain that these activities meet ethical standards for humane animal care and use, in accord with the standards set out by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
IBC – Institutional Biosafety Committee. Responsible for overseeing research performed at Carleton involving recombinant and synthetic nucleic acid molecules.
IDE – Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity. The steering group is tasked with developing and running the College’s IDE planning and implementation processes.
IDSC – Interdisciplinary Studies. Not an official department or program, rather a collection of courses that don’t fit easily into a single discipline.
IEC – Inclusion, Equity, and Community. Division that provides vision and strategic direction for policy and programming around all aspects of inclusion, diversity, equity, and community.
IFSA – Interfaith Social Action. Student group that meets to reflect on the social justice commitments within each faith and to take action.
IPA – Indigenous Peoples Alliance. A cultural community for students who identify with an Indigenous group, anywhere around the world, to share with each other what it means to be Indigenous through different cultural objects and experiences.
IRA – Institutional Research and Assessment. Office charged with continually reviewing and expanding the types of information available about the College.
IRAAC – Institutional Research and Assessment Advisory Committee. Advises IRA.
IRB – Institutional Review Board. Responsible for overseeing all research done at Carleton by faculty, students, or staff that involves human subjects. Goals include ensuring that researchers understand and uphold the following two standards dictated by federal law: Human subjects should not be placed at undue risk; and subjects should give uncoerced, informed consent to their participation in the research.
ITS – Information Technology Services. Provides technological assistance and support to the Carleton community.
IPEDS – Pronounced “eye-peds,” Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System. A collection of mandatory annual surveys collected by the National Center for Education Statistics of the US Department of Education.
ISL – International Student Life. The office advises students on immigration, legal, employment, financial, and personal matters, and organizes international programming in support of international students.
J
JCO – Jazz and Contemporary Dance Company. Student-run dance group focused on performing jazz and contemporary dance styles.
JFAC – Junior Faculty Affairs Committee. Reports to the FAC to support untenured Carleton faculty.
JHB – Judicial Hearing Board. Hears appeals of decisions by the dean of students or a DOSO delegate.
JSC – Jewish Students of Carleton. Provides religious, social, and cultural aspects of Jewish life not otherwise available in Northfield.
K
KRLX – Student-run campus radio station, on the air at 88.1 FM and streaming online at krlx.org.
KSA – Korean Student Association. Group for Korean and Korean American students on campus to get to know each other better and help each other navigate college life.
L
LAB – Pronounced like the word “lab,” Leadership Advisory Board. A group of staff across the College who manage offices or programs. Serves as a sounding board, problem-solving forum, and implementation partner for key campus challenges and initiatives.
LACOL – Liberal Arts Collaborative for Digital Innovation. A partnership of 10 kindred colleges to support experimentation and research into the effective uses of online learning tools in residential liberal arts environments: Amherst, Bryn Mawr, Carleton, Davidson, Haverford, Pomona, Swarthmore, Vassar, Washington & Lee, and Williams.
LASO – Pronounced like the word “lasso,” Latin American Student Organization. Originally established to provide peer and cultural support for students of Latin American descent and background, though the programming and organization have evolved with the intent to encompass the entire Carleton community.
LDC – Language and Dining Center. Located on the east side of campus, hosts the Language Center, many language departments, and one of Carleton’s two dining halls.
The Libe – Nickname for the Laurence McKinley Gould Library, which fosters learning and inspires discovery by providing access to welcoming spaces, diverse collections, and staff expertise.
LIBIT – Library and Information Technology Committee. Made up of faculty, staff, and students who reflect on current and emerging library and technology issues of importance to supporting the academic life of the College.
LOME – Lounge Over the Main Entrance. The lounge space on the second floor of the Weitz Center for Creativity, located right above the building’s main entrance.
LTAM – Latin American Studies. Course abbreviation used for the Academic Catalog.
LTC – Learning and Teaching Center, or the Perlman Center for Learning and Teaching. Led by a faculty coordinator, supports learning and teaching at Carleton, runs a student observer program, organizes the mentoring program, sponsors numerous workshops and seminars, and maintains a teaching and learning library.
M
MARS – Pronounced like the planet “Mars,” Medieval and Renaissance Studies. Minor program that encourages students interested in the global cultures and kingdoms that flourished from ca. 250–1700 CE to deepen their understanding of all aspects of these people and worlds and their intersections through an interdisciplinary program of study.
MCAN – Pronounced “EM-can,” Multicultural Alumni Network. An affinity group through alumni relations, with the purpose to broaden and support Carleton’s overall educational, admissions, career, and fundraising programs, particularly as these programs relate to the enrichment of its students and alumni of color.
MENA – Pronounced “MEH-nah” or “MEE-nah,” Middle Eastern and North African Association. An organization to bring together individuals who identify as Middle Eastern and North African to celebrate and share their culture, foster a sense of community, and invite other people at Carleton to appreciate and learn about the cultures in the region.
MELA – Middle Eastern Languages. Course abbreviation used for the Academic Catalog.
MEST – Middle East Studies. Course abbreviation used for the Academic Catalog.
MHAC – Mental Health Awareness Collective. Student group seeking to increase awareness, promote dialogue, and reduce the stigma about mental health and mental illness at Carleton. Various other campus groups also use the initialism MHC (Mental Health Collective).
MIAC – Pronounced “MY-ack,” Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletics Conference. Carleton’s primary athletic league.
MNS – Monday Night Swing. Weekly swing dancing event hosted by the Social Dance Club.
MOC – Men of Color. Serves as a support network and resource for male-identifying students of color at Carleton.
Moodle – Carleton’s learning management system commonly used as an online supplement to classroom instruction.
MOSAIC – Pronounced like the word “mosaic,” Mosaic of South Asian Interests at Carleton. Student organization aiming to celebrate the various aspects of South Asian culture including its languages, food, religions, and traditions.
MPCC – Minnesota Private Colleges Council. An organization of 17 private, four-year liberal arts colleges in Minnesota whose mission is to preserve and enhance quality private higher education to serve the education and economic needs of the state.
MRC – Music Resource Center. Library/computer lab supporting the Music Department curriculum.
MSA – Muslim Student Association. Exists to promote awareness about Islam among Muslims and non-Muslims, to become a source of information about Islam for anyone interested, and to establish regular meetings and worship on campus for all interested persons.
MSC – Math Skills Center. Supports students in any mathematics or math-related field in which they are experiencing difficulty.
N
NSW – New Student Week. The first week on campus for first-year students, filled with programming to provide an overview of life at Carleton.
O
OAC – Out After Carleton. An affinity group through alumni relations, with the mission to forge a lifelong connection between and among Carleton and its LGBTQIA+ and QTBIPOC+ alumni, and to serve as an agent of positive transformation and change in the lives of current students, former students, their communities, and the College.
OAR – Office of Accessibility Resources. Promotes access and equity at Carleton to ensure learning and working opportunities for students with disabilities.
OCS – Off-Campus Studies. Can refer to the off-campus programs themselves; the office administering the programs; or the faculty committee which oversees the programs, sets the calendar, and makes policy (also referred to as OCSC, or the OCS Committee). OCP is the abbreviation used for OCS courses in the Academic Catalog.
OHP – Office of Health Promotion. Dedicated to promoting the health and well-being of all Carls. Primary strategies for achieving this include: skill-building to promote overall well-being, advocating for healthy environments, educating to prevent high risk behavior, and mobilizing the campus to adopt healthier norms.
OIL – Pronounced like the word “oil,” Office of Intercultural Life. Strives to enhance the student experience by providing programming and support that advocates for a just and inclusive community.
OTC – Off the Cuff. Student organization that runs a storytelling series where members go onstage and tell a true story about themselves in front of a live audience, with a new theme for each term.
P
PAC – Parents Advisory Council. A group of current parents who advise the president, serve as a resource to Carleton students and alumni, communicate with the parent community, and nurture a tradition of parent giving.
PAC – Pronounced like the word “pack,” Performance Activities Coordinator. This position and its office provide administrative support for all Music Department-supported ensembles, student recitals, and visiting artists.
PACA – Pronounced “PACK-ah,” Program and Community Assistant. Student worker in the Summer Liberal Arts Institute (SLAI) office, helping with summer pre-college programs.
PEAR – Pronounced like the word “pear,” Physical Education, Athletics, and Recreation. Includes a wide variety of activity courses, with an emphasis on an “activity for all” approach, in hopes that Carleton students make regular activity part of their lives.
PEER – Person Excluded by Ethnicity or Race. Mentorship group that fosters community among first- and second-year PEER students interested in biology.
PEPS – Pronounced “peps,” Presentation Events and Production Support. A group under the ITS umbrella that is the single point of contact for all presentation and production technologies for classes and campus events.
PHA – Public Health Advocates. Student organization dedicated to connecting students with opportunities to help different organizations pursue their legislative and policy agendas, whilst building up experiences, skills, and networks.
PHAS – Physics and Astronomy. Academic department covering the scope of physical and astronomical studies.
POSC/IR – Political Science and International Relations. Academic department that teaches students how to study the dynamics of power and how power is exercised through norms and structures of collective action and coercion.
Posse – A cohort of underrepresented students selected to attend Carleton by the Posse Foundation. The concept is rooted in the belief that a small, diverse group of talented students, carefully selected and trained, can serve as a catalyst for increased individual and community development.
PUG – Physicists of Underrepresented Genders. Student organization that strives to create a welcoming environment to support all students from underrepresented genders within the physics and astronomy department at Carleton.
Q
QMHC – Queer Mental Health Collective. Safe space for LGBTQIA+ students to form community through conversation and actively supporting one another’s mental health and well-being, led by staff from Student Health and Counseling, the Office of Health Promotion, and the Gender & Sexuality Center.
QRC – Quantitative Resource Center. Supports quantitative skills and reasoning across the curriculum, including faculty and staff professional development, and coordinates support for the development of students’ applied quantitative skills.
QRE – Quantitative Reasoning Encounters. Taking at least three courses (of any credit amount) that provide this aspect is part of Carleton’s graduation requirements.
QTBIPOC – Queer and Trans Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. Student organization that brings together self-identified queer, questioning, and trans Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, aspiring to create a space for students to explore the complexities of their racial, cultural, national, gender, sex, class, and neurodivergent/typical identities through discussion and activism.
QuAC – Pronounced like the word “quack,” Quadball Association of Carleton. Club sport for the sport formerly known as Quidditch, now known as Quadball.
R
RADS – Pronounced “rads,” Resource, Acquisition, and Discovery Services. Part of the Library that supports teaching and learning by obtaining, cataloging, and providing and maintaining access to the Library’s collections.
RELG – Religion. Course abbreviation used for the Academic Catalog.
RUSS – Russian. Course abbreviation used for the Academic Catalog.
S
SAAC – Pronounced like the word “sack,” Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. Student-run committee made up of student-athletes assembled to provide insight on the student-athlete experience, promote athletics, provide community service, and offer input on NCAA legislation.
SAC – Pronounced like the word “sack,” Staff At Carleton. Organization of Carleton non-exempt staff.
SAO – Student Activities Office. Develops and coordinates a variety of social, recreational, cultural, and developmental programs and services for Carleton.
SAPB – Student Activities Programming Board. Student staff of SAO who help plan and execute many of the office’s programs and services.
SBU – Student Band Union. Student organization that provides, maintains, furnishes, and controls access to equipment that student bands may use for practice and gigs, in service of their mission to foster a vibrant student band scene at Carleton.
S/Cr/NC – Pronounced like the word “scrunch,” Satisfactory/Credit/No Credit. Term used for taking a course ungraded (basically pass/fail), as opposed to taking it for a grade that counts toward GPA.
SDA – Student Departmental Adviser. Upperclassmen selected to represent each academic department, with the primary function to provide fellow students with accurate information about courses, pre-requisites, college requirements, registration procedures, and other academic information.
SDC – Social Dance Club. Student-run organization that focuses on bringing students together to enjoy social dancing.
SEAMS – Pronounced like the word “seams,” Seamless Administrative Services. This initiative involves replacing the College’s administrative software across campus. Launched in 2020, it will remain active through 2025.
SEED – Pronounced like the word “seed,” Students Engaging in Essential Dialogue. A student-led program funded by the Dean of Students Office and coordinated by a student board with a handful of faculty and staff advisors, with the aim to create a more open campus culture characterized by ongoing conversations among students about inclusion, exclusion, and difference.
SERC – Pronounced “serk,” Science Education Resource Center. Works to improve education through projects that support educators. Although the work has a particular emphasis on undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education, SERC works with educators across a broad range of disciplines and at all educational levels.
Sevy – Nickname for the residence hall Severance Hall.
SFA – Student Financial Aid. Office that handles the College’s financial aid efforts, with the goal of making Carleton affordable to every admitted student.
SFA – Science-Fiction and Fantasy Alliance. Student organization dedicated solely to the enjoyment of speculative fiction in all its forms and at all levels from casual to intensely involved.
SHAC – Pronounced like the word “shack,” Student Health and Counseling. The no-cost, on-campus, physical and mental health care clinic for Carleton students, which is committed to providing physical and mental health needs from a holistic perspective, with a focus on education for lifelong learning and optimum health.
SLAI – Pronounced like the word “slay,” Summer Liberal Arts Institute. Formerly Summer Academic Programs (SAP). A variety of summer academic programs for pre-college students and AP educators taught primarily by Carleton faculty.
SLIG – Student Leadership & Involvement Grant. Funds available to students for leadership and involvement opportunities.
SOAN – Pronounced “SOH-an,” Sociology and Anthropology. Academic department for students to explore how different parts of society affect each other.
SRP – Student Research Partnership. Provides opportunities through the Humanities Center for students and faculty to work closely and collaboratively on research, during the winter or summer breaks.
STA – Sustainability Assistant. Work-study peer leader position in the sustainability office for students dedicated to advancing sustainability at Carleton.
SUMO – Pronounced like the word “sumo,” Student Union Movie Organization. Screens different movies in the Weitz Cinema every week on Friday and Saturday during academic terms, free for students and the wider community and supported by SAO.
SWA – Pronounced “swah,” Student Wellness Advocates. Working for OHP, they support and implement health educational programs, create health communication pieces, and develop resources for Carls to utilize in supporting their wellbeing.
SWG – Sustainability Working Group. Charged with helping the College deepen its sustainability efforts and accelerate progress toward carbon neutrality.
Syz – Nickname for Syzygy, women’s D-I Ultimate Frisbee team.
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TCS – Taiwanese Cultural Society. A community at Carleton for Taiwanese students in America and those interested in learning about Taiwan’s culture and food.
TLC – The Language Center. Supports the teaching and learning of language in order to engage curiosity and inspire lifelong learning.
TPPC – Technology Priorities and Planning Committee. Charged with understanding, discussing, and keeping abreast of important initiatives undertaken by ITS, and helping to articulate and establish strategic priorities for future initiatives.
TRIO/SSS – Pronounced like the word “trio,” TRIO/Student Support Services. Federally funded by a grant from the Department of Education, it assists participants in overcoming social, cultural, financial, personal, academic, and other challenges to fully participate in college life and ultimately achieve the goal of graduation.
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UMP — Carleton’s Utility Master Plan (2016–2021) involved transitioning the campus from steam to hot water heat, utilizing geothermal bore fields to power a heat pump, and adding efficient and renewable onsite electrical generation systems.
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VPIEC – Vice President for Inclusion, Equity, and Community. Leads the Division of Inclusion, Equity, and Community (IEC).
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WAC – Writing Across the Curriculum. The office oversees the sophomore writing portfolio program and helps to promote writing instruction across campus.
WE+ – Women and Nonbinary Individuals in Economics. Group for women and nonbinary individuals interested in economics to meet one another, get help with homework, and/or learn more about the economics major or classes.
WHAC – Sometimes pronounced like the word “whack,” Women’s Hockey at Carleton. Club sport for women’s hockey.
WHOA – Pronounced like the word “whoa,” Wellstone House of Organizing and Activism. Interest house that works to foster activism on campus and communities outside Carleton by sponsoring events, delegations, dinners, and more.
WOC+ – Women of Color Plus. Open to all people of color with marginalized gender identities who wish to create a space for members to connect and support one another in order to achieve greater goals for Carleton and beyond. Formerly known as the Coalition of Women of Color.