15 Hotelie/ Cornell Terms to Know before this Fall

Congratulations to the Hotel School's Class of 2022! Your hard work has paid off and we are excited to welcome you to the Hotelie family in the fall! Before you come to the Hotel School, we thought that there were a few terms you might want to know before coming in.

1. Hotelie: a student at Cornell's School of Hotel Administration (SHA)

Most likely to be found at Statler Hall, Hotelies are a diverse group of students on Cornell's campus. Dedicated to service and hospitality, we use the knowledge learned in our core classes to make an impact, whether it be when working at the Statler Hotel, being part of student organizations, or helping each other during prelim season.

2. Prelims: Cornell's term for midterms

From Hotelies to Engineers to students at ILR, prelims are part of Cornell's culture. During this time, Cornellians are often found in Olin and Uris Libraries, dorm study lounges, or their dorm rooms creating study guides, flipping through stacks of index cards, and going through practice prelims.

3. DDLS: Dean's Distinguished Lecture Series

The Dean’s Distinguished Lecture Series or DDLS has been part of the Hotel School’s culture since 1928 when it was founded in 1928 by the Hotel School’s founding dean Howard Meek. Every Friday, a leader or rising star from the hospitality industry visit Cornell and speaks to the DDLS students in Statler Auditorium. The sectors that the DDLS speakers work in vary from food & beverage, hotel operations, aviation, and others. The DDLS speakers discuss their experience in the industry and what they have learned and how they grown from those experiences.

DDLS is held every Friday in the fall semester and is also known as “Hotelie Fridays” amongst Cornell students. Freshman and transfer Hotel School students make up the majority of the DDLS class but many sophomores and upperclassmen continue to attend because of the valuable lessons DDLS speakers share with students.

4. Bus Comp: Business Computing

Bus Comp is one of the core courses all freshmen and transfer Hotel School students will take in the fall. This course teaches Hotelies how to use Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel to create templates to maximize efficiency and ensure standardization as well as learn how to use charts and pivot tables through Excel.

5. CAs: Course Assistants & Office Hours

I highly encourage you to attend office hours for your courses throughout your college career. It is a great way to make sure you understand the course content as well as meet your course's CAs.

6. FWS: Freshmen Writing Seminar

FWS courses are one of the courses freshmen Hotelies will take out of the Hotel School. It is a great way to get to know students outside the Hotel School as well as refine your writing skills and perhaps discover a new, different genre.

7. Mac's & Terrace

Mac's and Terrace are the two eateries located in Statler Hall. Often, Hotelies have lunch in Statler Hall as all of their Hotelie classes will be in Statler. Mac's has meals such as sushi, pasta, enchiladas, custom sandwiches and salads, flatbreads, smoothies, and coffee beverages. Terrace is well-known for its burritos, quesadillas, salads, and Asian noodle bowls.

8. TCAT

The TCAT are the buses that run on Cornell's campus and the surrounding area. The 30 bus leaves from Risley Hall and stop at Uris Hall - making it easier to make it to class on time. The 82 leaves from Balch Hall and Appel and stops at Uris Hall as well.

9. CTB: Collegetown Bagels

Located in Collegetown, CTB is a great place for bagels, sandwiches, and coffee/ tea beverages.

10. The 180

Created in 2017, the 180 is a student-run publication that covers the yearly happenings of the School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University. The 180 aims to provide tangible memories through photos and recollection of moments at SHA.

11. OL: Orientation Leader

During Orientation Week (O-Week), you will be assigned an OL and will be in a group of freshmen. Your OL will guide you during orientation, helping you navigate campus, get to events, and learn more about your freshman experience at Cornell.

12. Bin Labs: Binenkorp Laboraties

Located on the third floor of Statler Hall, the Bin Labs have four separate computer classrooms. Your Bus. Comp. sections will be held in the Bin Labs and you can occasionally have other classes in the labs for research and group projects.

13. Slope Day: an end-of-the-year music festival

The day after the last day of classes, Cornellians all gather on the Slope to listen to numerous singers and musician groups to celebrate the end of spring semester.

14. Club Fest: a biannnual event where students can explore many student organizations

At the start of every semester, Club Fest is held in Barton Hall. Hundreds of student organizations on campus gather and meet students. From pre-professional business, medical, and law fraternities to dance groups to consulting groups to Acapella groups, there is an incredible diversity of interests at Cornell.

15. Tabling & Quartercards: student organization recruitment

Often found at the Balch Arches, Ho Plaza, on tables in libraries, or in Statler Hall, student organizations reach out to students through quartercards. Roughly the size of 1/4 of a standard printer paper, quartercards contain information about student organization recruitment and what they do on campus. Sometimes, student organizations will have tables on Ho Plaza for fundraisers as well.

Samuel Cremieux | SHA '21