PAWS, SG, PMAC, Oh my!  There's a ton of lingo to learn about LSU.  Do you know what all of the different acronyms and titles mean?  Here's a "cheat sheet" for you as parents and families of LSU students.

Fees & Student Records

Fee Bill: Listing of all fees and charges associated with attending LSU. Located on student’s PAWS account under Registration Services.  

FERPA: The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (also known as the Buckley Amendment) is a Federal law that helps protect the privacy of student education records. 

Myproxy: A new IT program that, with a student’s permission, grants authorized users access to certain features on the PAWS account such as Fee Bill, etc. (Learn more about PAWS below) 

myLSU: The myLSU Portal is a Web Portal for LSU Students, Faculty and Staff to consolidate campus services in one dashboard. It is a web-based hub for a variety of important LSU-related information.  Using their PAWS id, students can access their fee bills, schedule classes, view semester grades, and much more.  Encourage your students to become very familiar with myLSU. 

Campus Locations

Middleton: Middleton Library is located in the Quad. It is a four story library that has several computer labs, CC’s coffee, quiet and group study spaces, as well as printing and copying capabilities. 

PFT: Patrick F. Taylor.  A building that houses both the E. J. Ourso School of Business and LSU’s College of Engineering. Patrick F. Taylor also houses computer labs for student use as well. 

PMAC: Pete Maravich Assembly Center.  Large area where several of LSU’s indoor sports are played.  The PMAC is located across the street from Tiger Stadium and next to Mike’s Habitat.

The Quad: The main academic center of LSU.  With buildings arranged in a quadrangular shape, The Quad is a popular area where several major classroom buildings are located. 

The Rec: Student Recreational Complex.  The Rec houses a wealth of exercise machinery, a swimming pool, indoor track, and a basketball court.  Group exercise classes are offered as well. Students interested in intramural sports can find out more at the Rec.  

Tiger Lair: Tiger Lair is made up of a variety of eateries on the first floor of the LSU Student Union.  Eateries accept cash, credit card, Paw Points, TigerCASH.

Campus Services

C.A.R.E.: Communicate, Assess, Refer, Educate. The C.A.R.E. team is a group of LSU staff members from across campus who meets weekly to address action plans for students of concern.

CAS: Center for Academic Success. CAS offers a variety of strategies, services and programs to help your student succeed academically at LSU. Some examples are tutoring, and learning strategies workshops.

FYE: First Year Experience. A department that plans programs and services directly related to helping first year students to have a successful freshman year.  

Getting Around Campus

Campus Transit: A door-to-door service, free of charge, that runs nightly from 5:30 p.m. to 3 a.m. Campus Transit brings students to and from locations on campus. Students can access this service by calling 225-578-5555.

Easy Streets: A system of limiting vehicle access inside LSU’s campus during hours of zone parking.  This ensures students’ safety while walking around campus by significantly reducing traffic on campus. 

Tiger Trails: LSU’s bus system that transports students to both on campus and select off campus locations.  For the specific routes and information, check out tigertrails.lsu.edu

Academics

Blue Book: A small blue notebook filled with loose-leaf that is generally used for writing-based tests.  Blue Books are used at the discretion of the instructor. They are sold in the LSU Bookstore located in the LSU Student Union.  

CATS: The Comprehensive Academic Tracking System (CATS) is designed to help students reach academic success at LSU and make sure that they are progressing toward graduation each semester. CATS lays out specific course progressions for students to complete during their time at LSU in order to graduate in a timely manner.

Clicker: A small device some teachers use to ensure class attendance and participation.  Generally, a professor poses a question in class, and the student must “click in” an answer on their clicker device.  These devices are sold on the second story of the LSU Bookstore located in the LSU Student Union.  Students will be notified in class and/or on their syllabi if a clicker is required for a specific course.

Computer Based Testing: Some undergraduate courses use computer-based testing as their main method of testing.  Students enrolled in these courses must reserve a time to take an exam within the proper time window.  Students must bring an official picture ID in order to take the test. 

Math Lab: Some math courses require students to complete flexible weekly hours in the Math Lab on campus.  The Math Lab is located in Pleasant Hall and houses several computers for students to use.  Students complete assignments using MyMathLab, a web-based learning system on the computers in the Math Lab.  

Moodle: An online course management system.  Students use Moodle for a variety of purposes including accessing course materials such as syllabi, assignments, etc.  Some instructors post grades on Moodle.  It also has the capability for students to electronically submit assignments and take quizzes via Moodle. 

Office Hours: LSU professors set aside a few hours per week in which they meet with students in their campus offices to get help with course material. These hours are generally printed on the syllabi given out at the start of each semester.

Scantron: A bubble in answer sheet that is used for tests.  Scantrons are used in some courses at the discretion of the instructor.  They are sold in the LSU Bookstore located in the LSU Student Union.

W Grade: W stands for “Withdraw” and is an actual grade a student can receive in a course. A student may receive a W in a course if he or she resigns from a class after the initial drop period at the beginning of the semester. 

Dining

459 Commons: Dining Hall located on the east side of LSU’s Campus. The 459 actually seats 459 people.

Meal Transfer:A Meal Plan Meal may be swapped for a Meal Transfer Combo at participating locations. One Meal will be deducted from the Meal Plan balance instead of the Paw Point balance.  Meal Transfers cover weekend meal service on Saturday and Sunday when the dining halls are closed.   

Outtakes: Miniature grocery store with grab-and-go options located in the 459.  Outtakes also houses a Taco Bell and Papa John’s Pizza.

Paw Points: “Dining Dollars” that come as part of your student’s meal plan to use at eateries on LSU’s campus.  Paw Points can only be used for food items on campus. No additional Paw Points cannot be added once they have been used.  If all Paw Points are not used by the end of the Fall semester, they are transferred to the subsequent Spring semester (but they will not transfer from Spring to the following Fall). 

Take 5: Miniature grocery store with grab-and-go options located in The 5.  Take 5 also houses a Quizno’s.

The 5: Dining Hall located on the west side of LSU’s campus. 

TigerCASH: Money that can be onto a student’s Tiger Card.  It differs from Paw Points in that it can be used around campus as well as various locations off campus.  TigerCASH can be used on other items other than just food. TigerCASH can be added to the Tiger Card at any point in time.  

Living:

Horseshoe: Group of residence halls located on the east side of LSU’s campus.  Residential Life is also located in the Horseshoe in Grace King Hall.

Pentagon: Group of residence halls on the west side of LSU’s campus.  The group of five residence halls forms a pentagon shape. 

Res Hall: Residence Hall. A place for students to live on LSU’s campus.

SI: Supplemental Instruction. SI is a series of weekly study sessions offered for students enrolled in historically difficult courses. SI is open to all students who want to improve their understanding of course material.  

Tiger Card: LSU’s version of the student ID card. The Tiger Card Office is located on first floor of LSU’s Student Union.

Wellness

Mystudentbody: Drug, alcohol and safety awareness online education course that all freshmen are required complete. 

Student Media

Gumbo: LSU’s yearbook.

Legacy: LSU’s monthly magazine published by LSU students.

The Reveille: LSU’s student run newspaper. Pick up a paper copy on campus or visit www.lsureveille.com

Tiger TV: LSU’s television station.

Student Activities

SG: Student Government. SG offices are located on the first floor of the LSU Student Union and offer a variety of opportunities for students to get involved.