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FactsSlang
- Bullet - No article is necessary. When you say “let’s go to Bullet,” people know you mean the Bullet Hole.
- Chi-O - Chi Omega sorority.
- CNAV - The College computer navigation software.
- CPS - The Center for Public Service. Community outreach is considered very important at Gettysburg, and CPS works with the Gettysburg local community to provide opportunities for students to help give back to the town.
- Crow - Alpha Chi Ro fraternity.
- C-Stalking - Using the college’s server, CNAV, to look up classmates
- GRAB - Gettysburg’s outdoorsy club. GRAB is an organization that is founded on the belief that being indoors sucks. Whether it’s camping, rafting, or mountain-climbing, whenever you see a bunch of students wearing their GRAB apparel, you know they’re on their way to something fun.
- LD - The Lincoln Diner, open 24/7.
- Natty Light - Gettysburg’s unofficial official beer. Natural Light flows like water at the frats and in micro-fridges across campus.
- S&S - Safety and Security.
- Servo - The nickname of the dining center. You may feel silly saying this name out loud the first couple times, but after a while you’ll feel dumb calling it anything else.
- Sig-Ep - Sigma Epsilon fraternity.
- Stine Lake - The big grassy field adjacent to Musselman Library. It is notable for not actually being a lake.
- Teek - Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity.
- The CUB - The College Union Building.
- The Tiber - The pet name given to the wretched little waterway that divides the northernmost buildings like the Ice House Complex from the rest of campus.
- Townies - Generally considered to be the collective nemesis of Gettysburg College students. Townsfolk and the student population have traditionally not gotten along. In recent years, this has been more of a Cold War situation as opposed to outright conflict.
Things I Wish I Knew Before Coming To School
- A job on campus is a good thing to have. It can provide an income (meager though it may be) and can be a great way to network with staff, students, and faculty.
- Athletics are not a major focus of the school. Do not come to G’burg expecting to find Division I teams and Division I school spirit.
- If you don’t have a car, make friends with someone who does.
- Independents do not have to live at the mercy of the Greek system. While it takes perhaps a little more effort, it is quite possible to have an active social life outside of the fraternities. In fact, it is perhaps even a boon to be independent because you can then enjoy all the benefits of the frat parties with none of the costs or responsibilities. I repeat: Greek life is far from the be-all-and-end-all of campus life at Gettysburg.
- Though you may not think studying abroad is important, you will when all your friends are finalizing plans to South Africa and Greece.
- While Baltimore and Washington are within “driving distance,” it’s not the kind of thing you can do on a whim on a Thursday afternoon. Going to one of the cities takes planning, a budget, and most importantly, a vehicle.
Tips to Succeed
- As much of a pain as it might be, take the time to learn how to use Blackboard, CNAV, and Peoplesoft. While you will probably use Blackboard fairly frequently, chances are that if you don’t know how to navigate Peoplesoft for instance, it will come back to haunt you just about the only time you really need it: class pre-registration.
- Class sizes are small for a reason. You will be missed (and you will miss out) if you don’t show up on a regular basis.
- Don’t feel like you have to have a major picked out before you arrive on campus. You are allowed to hold off on declaring until the end of your sophomore year, and you should use that time to decide what you’d really like to do. It’s a lot harder to switch from a major you’ve already declared than to just declare in the first place.
- Learn to love Servo or learn how to cook.
- Losing your room key is embarrassing and expensive—try to keep track of it.
- Professors make an effort to have lots of office hours. Make an effort to use them.
- The library is a great place to study and work. However, you are not the only student who knows this.
Urban Legends
- Gettysburg is the most haunted campus in the U.S.
- The fountain is only turned on when parents or alumni are likely to be on campus.
- There is a human fetus in the biology department.
Traditions
- Midnight Madness - Once or twice a month, and several times during midterms and finals, Servo opens up its doors around midnight and offers free buffet food and drink to students.
- Secret Sneaker Sale - Each year around March, the school offers a “secret” sneaker sale, during which the CUB Ballroom is overtaken by hundreds of brand name shoes and sneakers on sale for large discounts.
- Springfest - Usually held during the last weekend of April, Gettysburg celebrates spring by holding a huge festival on Stine lake, and provides the last chance before finals for students to let loose. Parties generally start Friday night and wind down Sunday morning, but not before copious amounts of alcohol are imbibed and everyone has one last hurrah before knuckling down to study.
- Stole of Gratitude - New for the graduating class of 2005 was the Stole of Gratitude, which was given to each student with the intention that they be awarded after commencement to a person whom the student regarded as pivotal in his or her success at Gettysburg College.
- Thanksgiving Dinner - Probably the most popular and well-known Gettysburg tradition is the turkey day dinner. Each year at Thanksgiving, students are served traditional turkey dinners at Servo by members of the faculty.
School Spirit
It seems like Gettysburg school spirit doesn’t really kick in until one is an alumnus of the institution. While you are at the school, there isn’t really much of an opportunity, or need, to have or display school spirit. Athletics, while popular, are nowhere near as important to Gettysburg as they are to top athletic schools. Gettysburg sweatshirts and shorts are omnipresent, but that’s just about the extent of displays of school spirit. Alumni, ironically, tend to be deeply involved with the school. There is a worldwide alumni organization, and alumni often return to campus and help out with college functions such as Get Acquainted Day and Homecoming.
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