List of acronyms for prefrosh

Acronyms, not be confused with initialism, are indispensable to understanding the workings of the university. Students interested in working with or fighting the administration, joining a student group, running for student government, or engaging in tenacious bureaucratic wrangling will undoubtedly encounter acronyms using all twenty-six letters of the alphabet!

If there's one thing Columbia has a lot of, it's bureaucracy. It also has lots of acronyms. There are enough acronyms at Columbia to make you dizzy. This is a primer. Most of the below are actually examples of initialism, but if you notice that you're either mispronouncing something or you're a pedant. Don't worry, pedantry is cool.

• ABC - Activities Board at Columbia
• BC - Barnard College (not Boston College)
• CAA - Columbia Alumni Association
• CC - Contemporary Civilization or Columbia College (not Community College)
• CCE - Center for Career Education
• CCSC - Columbia College Student Council
• CEPSR - Center for Engineering and Physical Science Research
• CI - Community Impact
• CLS - Columbia Law School
• CPS - Counseling and Psychological Services
• CSMESS - Columbia Science, Math and Engineering Secondary School
• CTV - Columbia Television
• CUIT - Columbia University Information Technology (formerly AcIS (Academic Information Services) and AIS Administrative Information Services)
• CULPA - Columbia Underground Listing of Professor Ability
• CUMB - Columbia University Marching Band
• E3B - Department of Evolution, Ecology and Environmental Biology
• ESC - Engineering Student Council (Not the 'Escape' button on your keyboard)
• GS - School of General Studies
• GSSC - General Studies Student Council
• IRC - Intercultural Resource Center
• LDEO - Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory
• NSOP - New Student Orientation Program
• OMA - Office of Multicultural Affairs
• RA - Resident Adviser or Research Assistant
• SDA - Student Development and Activities
• SEAS - School of Engineering and Applied Science
• SGA - Student Government Association (Barnard Student Council)
• SGB - Student Governing Board
• SSOL - Student Services Online
• TA - Teaching Assistant, not to be confused with T&A
• UNDED - Undergraduate Education Committee, the advising board of the History Department
• URH - University Residence Halls, now known as Housing Services
• UW - University Writing or Unofficial Withdrawal