College Lingo

A

Academic Advisor: a faculty or staff member who helps students understand academic requirements, connect with campus resources, and assist in selecting courses

Academic Calendar: a calendar that outlines all important dates and deadlines (ex. last day to withdraw and priority registration)

Academic Map: a personalized plan that identifies which courses a student should take each semester in their chosen major

Academic Good Standing: when a student maintains at least a 2.0 cumulative GPA

Academic Probation: when a student’s cumulative GPA falls below a 2.0; students can still enroll in classes but must earn a minimum 2.0 semester GPA to prevent from being placed on suspension

Academic Suspension: when a probation student fails to earn at least a 2.0 semester GPA; student must sit out one regular semester (fall/spring)

Accessibility Services: advocates for students with identified disability who seek academic accommodations; students must self-identify by submitting appropriate documentation

Associate Degree: a two-year degree; generally offered by community colleges as a stepping-stone toward obtaining a bachelor’s degree

B

Bachelor’s Degree: a four-year degree; consists of a core set of general education courses and a concentrated set of courses in a single subject or academic discipline

Blue Book: a thin workbook of plain loose-leaf paper with a blue cover; typically used for essay tests; available in the Student Government Office (SGA) or the Bookstore

C

Canvas: an online platform allowing access to course learning materials and assignments

Career Services: an office on campus that helps students prepare for and find employment; offers resume’ workshops and career fairs; utilized mainly by junior and senior level students

College of Honors and Excellence (CHE): includes the Office of First-Year SuccessAcademic & Career Exploration (ACE), the Honors Program, and the Tinsley Learning Center

Classification: determined by the number of credit hours earned

  • Freshman          0-29 credit hours
  • Sophomore       30-59 credit hours
  • Junior                60-89 credit hours
  • Senior                90+ credit hours

Code of Conduct: the university’s official rules and behaviors students are expected to follow

College: academic division of the University headed by a Dean; made up of multiple academic departments; Southeastern has five colleges:

  • Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences
  • Business
  • Education
  • Nursing and Health Sciences
  • Science and Technology
  • Honors and Excellence

Concentration: a specialty within a major

Credit Hours: units acquired for completed coursework which are applied toward a degree; many courses are three credit hours

Cub Cash: money associated with a meal plan that can only be used at campus dining facilities

Curriculum: the specified courses necessary to complete a degree

D

Dean: the administrative head of the College; makes all final decisions related to academic matters within the College

Dean’s List: full-time students who achieve a semester grade point average of 3.2 to 3.499, with no grade below C

Department: academic unit within a College focusing on certain academic disciplines

Department Head: the administrative leader of a department; responsible for all activities at the departmental level

Drop/Add Period: period of time at the beginning of the semester when students can add or drop courses without financial or academic consequences, typically the first 1-2 days of the semester

Division for Student Affairs: the non-academic division of the Univeristy offering services and opportunities for student development

E

Elective: a course students choose to enroll based on their personal interest; electives are not a part of every curriculum

Entrance Loan Counseling: an online process all students must complete in order to receive loans

Exit Loan Counseling: an online process all students who received loans must complete if they graduate, drop below half-time, or resign from the University

F

Fall Semester: August through December

Finals: the last major grade/test administered in a course; typically scheduled the last week of the semester

Financial Aid: scholarships, grants, and loans students use to pay for school

Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA): the free online application for federal financial aid

Full-time student: student enrolled in at least 12 credit hours in the Fall or Spring, or 6 credit hours in Summer

G

General Education: courses that offer a broad base of academic knowledge for a well-rounded education

GET Account: online portal or mobile App for adding Cub Cash or Lion’s Lagniappe to students’ accounts

Grant: financial aid that typically does not have to be repaid

H

Honor Roll: full-time students who achieve a semester grade point average of 3.0 to 3.199, with no grade below C

Honors Program: a curricular program that leads to an honors degree in a field of study

L

LeoNet: the online portal students use to register courses, check financial aid, etc.

Lion’s Lagniappe: allows students to load money onto their student ID and use as a on-campus debit card

M

Major: a primary degree path providing skills and knowledge toward a specific academic discipline or career path

Master Promissory Note: a contract which states a student who receives loans must promise to repay all loan amounts and agree to the terms and conditions of the loans; must be electronically signed by student before loans can be awarded

Minor: a secondary academic area in which student can choose to gain skills and knowledge in a field separate from their major

My Den: the area of Southeastern’s website where students can access many important resources including LeoNet, Moodle, Webmail, etc.

O

Office for Student Engagement: the office which offers opportunities for students to get involved on campus

Office Hours: the hours that a faculty member is available to assist with student questions: typically posted on the class syllabus or office door

P

Part-time student: a student enrolled in fewer than 12 credit hours in the Fall or Spring, or fewer than 6 credit hours in Summer

Plagiarism: using someone else’s work, whether directly quoted or summarized, without crediting the source; results in serious consequences

Prerequisite: course(s) or condition(s) required before enrolling in another course (ex. Engl 101 is a prerequisite for Engl 102)

President’s List: full-time students who achieve a semester grade point average of 3.5 or higher, with no grade below C

Priority Registration: a designated week each semester when students who have already been advised and do have not registration holds can register courses for the following semester; priority is assigned in order of classification

R

Registration Hold: a “hold” on a student’s LeoNet account which prevents registration; types of holds include financial, disciplinary, or academic

Resign: withdraw from all courses during the semester; students must obtain Resignation Form from Enrollment Services

S

Satisfactory Academic Progress: a progression policy students must follow to maintain eligibility for financial aid

Scantron: used for multiple choice testing; has bubbles to be filled in with pencil; available for free in the Student Government Office (SGA) or for purchase at the University Bookstore.

Scholarship: a financial award based on academic or other achievement or financial need

Section Number: the number assigned to a specific section of a course during registration

Semester: the specific time period classes are taken within the academic year; Fall and Spring are 16 weeks, Summer is 8 weeks

Spring Semester: January through May

Student Employment Network: a site that connects students with career planning resources, career counseling services, and on- and off-campus employment

Study Abroad: a university program allowing students to take courses while visiting a different country

Subsidized Loan: a loan in which the federal government pays the interest that accrues on the loan during the student’s in-school, grace, authorized deferment and (if applicable) post-deferment grace periods, if the loan meets certain eligibility requirements; must be paid back after leaving school

Summer Semester: Generally offered June through July between the Spring and Fall semesters.

Syllabus: a document detailing course standards, learning objectives, and a list of graded activities and assignments, usually provided to students on the first day of class

T

Term courses: can be completed during one-half of the regular semester; are designated as either”Term 1″ or “Term 2” courses in LeoNet

To-Do List: a list of items on a student’s LeoNet account that needs to be completed for enrollment or financial aid

Transcript: an official academic record of every course a student has taken, includes course grades and GPA

Tinsley Learning Center: place where students can seek one-on-one or small group tutoring for a variety of general education courses

U

Undergraduate: a student pursuing a bachelor’s degree

University Catalog: the annual University publication which details all academic regulations, fees and tuition, and the requirements of each academic curriculum

University Counseling Center: office of trained, professional staff of licensed mental health counselors who can help students and their families through difficult personal issues; services are confidential

University Health Center: provides routine health care for students including physical exams, treatment for minor illnesses and injuries, immunizations, etc

Unsubsidized Loan: a loan in which the borrower is responsible for the interest on the loan during in-school, grace and deferment periods, and repayment periods; must be paid back after leaving school

W

“W” number: a student’s identification number used for most transactions associated with the University

WebMail: the official email account students will use on campus

Withdraw: when a student withdraws from a course after the Drop/Add period; receives a “W” grade on transcript

Work Study: student jobs available on campus; eligibility determined by FAFSA

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