Fairfield U Lingo You Need to Know As An Incoming Freshman

1. Dolan Hall and the Dolan School of Business

Dolan Hall and the Dolan School of Business are both often referred to as just "Dolan." However, they are two totally different buildings ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF CAMPUS. Dolan Hall is mostly apartments and is near the original townhouses. The Dolan School of Business, or DSB for short, is all the way on the other end of campus past the library.

2. The Townhouses (original vs. south)

Both townhouses are not something you see on a campus tour but you'll need to know where they are. The original townhouses you can see from the freshman quad. They are above the lacrosse field, aka Rafferty Stadium. Pre-COVID, they housed a lot of the parties on campus. The new south townhouses, known as Barnyard Manor, are down on the other side of campus past DSB. They house mostly seniors and are BEAUTIFUL.

3. First Years

Many campus staff members will refer to you, a freshman, as a first year student. That is meant to be a more inclusive term than freshman.

4. Residence Halls instead of dorms

Many campus staff members will refer to dorms as residence halls. This is simply done to make the place sound more homey.

The residence halls in the quad include Regis, Jogues, McCormick, Campion, Loyola, Gonzaga, and Langguth. Southside includes Kostka, Claver, Meditz, Mahan, and Faber across the parking lot. On the other side of DSB is Barnyard Manor.

5. NSL vs. RA

Your NSL and your RAs have two totally different roles. However, both are great resources for first year students that need help. NSL stands for New Student Leader and is usually a sophomore, but can also be a junior or senior. An NSL is your orientation leader that you will meet with every week during your first semester at Fairfield. Your RA will be of the same gender as you and live on your floor. That person is also an upperclassmen. NSL and RAs both have supervisors that you will also get to know, that have already graduated from college.

6. The Point

The Point is Lantern Point on Fairfield Beach. This is where all the darties are. Enough said.

7. Clam Jam and Sham Jam

These are both official events that have turned into beach darties. Sham Jam is the St. Patrick's Day celebration that is run by The Grape (the bar at the beach) and seniors but it is also a darty on and off campus. Clam Jam is an event run by the school at Penfield Beach (also in Fairfield). The school hires a great DJ or band and it's all you can drink hard cider and beer for those who are 21. Don't try to use a fake ID; it's not worth the consequences. Tickets go to seniors first, then juniors, and then seniors' guest tickets.

8. US Div and World Div

Every student is required to take a certain number of classes marked with US diversity and world diversity. This is something your advisor can go into detail with but they're pretty easy to get. When you register for the next semester's classes look closely to see which classes you need to take and look for which are marked with these credits. They overlap with other classes you need. For example, marketing students need to take Global Marketing which counts as a world diversity credit.

9. Res Colleges

Res College is short for residential college. Res colleges are themed sophomore residence communities/dorms. There are four: Creative Life, Ignatian Leadership, and Service for Justice. These are communities you can apply to live in for your sophomore year instead of going into regular lottery based housing. Once accepted into a res college, you will be placed in mentor groups that you meet with once a month. They are super awesome programs that help you learn many things about yourself.

10. DPS

DPS is the Department of Public Safety. They are the police officers of the university and they are all EMTs. They are not the enemy! They are super helpful and are a great resource!