Campus lingo: what’s that?

24 January 2019

You’re going to hear a lot of strange words and abbreviations on campus. Here’s a cheat sheet to help you.

Big Bash: The party associated with RAG (you’ll find this one later) that happens at the beginning of the year.

Caf: As in cafeteria. It’s in the Steve Biko Students’ Union building.

CPS (Campus Protection Services): These are the guys who take care of safety and security on campus.

DP (duly performed): If you get your DP for a course, you can write the exams.

DPR (duly performed refused): This means you’ve spent too much time in the caf and you can’t write exams.

Early Assessment (EA): A formal academic check to see how you’re doing in your first weeks at university.

Extended Degree Programme (EDP): A flexible degree programme that gives you a bit more time and help to complete your degree.

Eduroam: The UCT network that provides free Wi-Fi on campus.

First-class pass: When you get over 75% it’s a first-class pass. An upper second is 70–74%, a lower second is 60–69% and a third is 50–59%. An S means you failed.

First lecture: The earliest lecture of each day (and where you will find yourself at 08:00 if you’re a fresher).

Fresher: Another name for first-years.

FYE: The First-Year Experience is a programme to help you during first year.

Hot seat: A weekly appointment with your tutor to discuss your academic progress.

Jammie plaza: The open area below Sarah Baartman Hall where tons of events take place.

Jammie Shuttle: The blue buses that get you around campus and town. If you have your student card, it’s free!

Jammie steps: These lead right up to the Jammie plaza.

Jammie Thursdays: When interesting things happen on Jammie plaza during meridian on Thursdays.

ICTS: Information and Communication Technology Services keeps you online and digitally enabled.

Lectures: 45 minute lessons with 15 minutes in between to get to the next one.

LinkedIn Learning: An online virtual training library, offering thousands of tutorials on a variety of subjects.

Meridian: Lunch break, between 13:00 and 14:00 during the week.

North Stop: One of the main Jammie Shuttle stops on upper campus. It’s north of the South Stop!

OIC: The Office for Inclusivity and Change helps ensure the university is accessible and inclusive to all.

OL (orientation leader): The person who will take you through the basics during O-Week.

O-Week: The orientation programme that runs for a week before lectures start. It gives you time to get to know your surroundings, and join clubs and societies.

PeopleSoft: An online database for your academic record, timetable, course marks and personal details.

Pracs (practicals): Where you put into practice what you’ve learned in theory.

RAG: “Remember and Give” is the fundraising arm of SHAWCO.

Res: As in residence, the place you stay if you’re living on campus.

SAX Appeal: The RAG magazine that you’ll sell at traffic lights to raise money for SHAWCO.

SHAWCO: The Students’ Health and Welfare Centres Organisation offers community outreach programmes.

SRC: The Students’ Representative Council is the highest decision-making structure of student governance.

Pass mark: Anything above 50%.

Sup: Supplementary exam (for when the first one didn’t go so well).

Tuts (tutorials): Small groups that meet to discuss material raised in lectures. Compulsory if you want to get a DP.

Tutor: Person in charge of tuts, who might also become your mentor, academic guide and friend.

Vac: As in “vacation”. The thing your parents refer to as a “holiday” or “leave” .

Varsity: Where you find yourself right now. Also the name of one of UCT’s student newspapers.

Vula: UCT’s official online learning system where you’ll find everything you need to know about your courses, and more.

Year mark: Together with your exam results, this contributes to your final mark.


Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Please view the republishing articles page for more information.


Campus Life

Campus Life Orientation 2019

24 Jan 2019


Download PDF

Campus Life 2019

All photographs UCT, Pexels, Freepik.


Orientation 2019




View campus maps.

Previous Editions

TOP