McHugh Hall, which was previously called “Laurel Hall” prior to last year. It is one of many buildings on campus referred to by more than one name. Photo by Brandon Barzola / The Daily Campus
Like most communities, UConn has its own UConn-specific slang and more acronyms than you can count. Most of them refer to buildings and organizations on campus, and it’s already hard enough to find your way around without students referring to one building as three different names. So, to help you out, here’s The Daily Campus’ comprehensive guide to understanding it all. I’ll break it down so you don’t, well, break down.
Buy or Sell: This is a Facebook group titled “Buy or Sell UConn Tickets.” In general, it’s used for selling everything from cheap textbooks to furniture to hilarious paintings. People will also post important UConn news there or just complain about whatever the university is doing next, so it’s a great resource to be a part of. And yes, Facebook is still relevant here!
Laurel: McHugh. You’ll probably start to notice a theme here: A lot of buildings tend to get renamed every few years. Laurel was renamed to McHugh (for reference, it’s the building between the Union and ITE) last year, so you’ll hear a lot of upperclassmen stubbornly calling it such.
Next Gen: Werth Tower, the dorm at the top of the hill above the track and by Putnam Dining Hall. Prior to being named Werth Tower, the building was referred to as “Next Gen,” and a lot of the upperclassmen still primarily call it that.
Soop Doop: “Soop doop, baby, have a good day!” You’ll hear this shouted at the marketplace in the Union quite often. Luis Saul, a worker there belovedly referred to as either “Soop Doop” or “Soop Doop Guy” is the mastermind behind it. And yes, we love him.
Storrs Center: “Storrs Center” and “Downtown Storrs” get used interchangeably to refer to the area across from the Fine Arts Complex. There, you’ll find The Oaks apartments and a lot of restaurants, like Moe’s and Blaze Pizza.
SUBOG: The Student Union Board of Governors. SUBOG is our student-run programming board. Among other things, they plan the concerts and comedy shows at UConn! For more information and how to get involved, you can check our their website at https://subog.uconn.edu/.
The Busby Hill: The Busby Hill is located at the top of the hill behind North dorms. If you get to the top of North and keep going, you’ll reach it. It’s a massively-steep hill that leads you up to Busby Suites and Charter Oak apartments, and it’s a nightmare and a half to walk up. Forget the gym; when you live up there, every day is leg day.
The Jungle: No student on campus will ever call it this, but the North campus dorms were referred to as “The Jungle” back when our parents’ generation went here. They’re typically the only people you’ll ever hear call it this when they’re reminiscing. That, and there’s a tradition at football games where they play the song “Welcome to the Jungle” and everyone who lives in North shakes their keys.
The Lib: Short for “the library.” Pretty self-explanatory.
The Rock: The UConn spirit rock. It’s located across from North Garage, and it gets repainted every few days, typically by organizations on campus. Painting it is on the UConn bucket list of things to do before you graduate.
The Summit: The highest point on UConn campus. It’s the glassed-in area at the very top of the Bio/Physics Building, and people write and draw all over the walls up there.
The U: Short for “The Student Union.” Again, pretty self-explanatory.
USG: Undergraduate Student Government. They’re elected each year by students. There’s an executive branch, legislative branch and judicial branch. USG is one of the five governing bodies on campus and acts as the student voice. For more information and how to get involved, you can check out their website at https://usg.uconn.edu.
Most things are pretty self-explanatory, and you’ll get the hang of it in no time! So best of luck, and have a great semester.
Courtney Gavitt is the associate digital editor for The Daily Campus. She can be reached via email at courtney.gavitt@uconn.edu.
