Below is a "cheat sheet" of common acronyms and abbreviations used around campus.
| Management Program and Business Related | |
| ASAP | As Soon As Possible |
| cc: | "carbon copy;" used on memos and letters to show who else gets a copy |
| CEO | Chief Executive Officer; ultimate decision-maker for a company |
| CFO | Chief Financial Officer; person in charge of all finances and operations |
| DMM | Design, Manufacturing, and Marketing |
| DSO | Designing and Staffing (High-Performance) Organizations |
| FYI | For Your Information; used on memos to indicate that no action is required |
| HRD | Human Resources Development |
| IPO | Initial Public Offering |
| Intro | Introduction |
| MFG.SYS.MGMT. | Manufacturing Systems Management |
| Mgmt. | Management (sometimes abbreviated mgt) |
| MIS | Management Information Systems |
| OR | Operations Research (statistical study of operations) |
| R&D | Research and Development |
|
RPI-Related |
|
| APO | Alpha Phi Omega, a service fraternity that helps with lost and found and used book sales |
| C&CC | Chapel and Cultural Center, located on Burdett Avenue, near Peoples Street |
| CC | Alternate acronym for the DCC (Darrin Communications Center) |
| CDC | Career Development Center (in the DCC); help finding jobs or coops |
| CII | Center for Industrial Innovation; the tall white building on campus (near 15th Street) |
| Coop | Cooperative Education; paid work that can be considered part of schooling (see CDC) |
| DCC | Darrin Communications Center; the low brick building attached to the CII |
| DOSO | Dean of Student's Office; located on the 2nd floor of the Troy Building |
| DSES | Decision Sciences and Engineering Systems, an interdepartmental program |
| ECSE | Electrical, Computer, and Systems Engineering; an RPI department |
| EMAC | Electronic Media, Arts, and Communication; an RPI department |
| frat | Fraternity; social organization for men (women's organizations are called sororities) |
| I&MS | Instrumentation and Media Services (in DCC); source for audio-visual (AV) equipment |
| IES | International Education Services, the office that helps with visas and such |
| ITS | Information and Technology Services; the computer people on campus |
| JEC | Jonsson Engineering Center; brick building next to CII |
| LL&C | Language, Literature, and Communication; an RPI department |
| LRC | RPI's Lighting Research Center, located in Watervliet |
| OMSA | Office of Minority Students Affairs |
| PDE | Office of Professional and Distance Education at RPI; also called RSVP |
| Pitts | Pittsburgh building; home of the Lally School of Management and Technology |
| RA | Research Assistant |
| RCS | Rensselaer Computing System, the mainframe that supports campus computing |
| RSVP | Rensselaer Satellite Video Program; distance learning program at RPI (also called PDE) |
| TA | Teaching Assistant |
| VCC | Voorhees Computing Center; the "church" |
| WRPI | RPI's student-run radio station, FM station dial 91.5; plays a wide range of programs |
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Miscellaneous |
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| AV | Audio-Visual; equipment such as overhead and slide projectors and cassette players |
| Catch-22 | A no-win situation created by bureaucratic "red tape;" from a book of the same name |
| CYA | "Cover Your Ass;" documenting problematic situations to defend against later problems |
| Dept | Department |
| DJ | Disc-Jockey; person who handles music for a radio program or dance |
| DWI | Driving While Intoxicated; a serious alcohol-related driving offense |
| ID | Identification |
| KISS | Keep It Simple, Stupid |
| Snafu | Situation Normal: All Fouled Up |