James Madison University is unlike any other college, from its traditions to its buildings and to its students and their social life. To help navigate through what JMU is all about, I thought I'd break it down by the alphabet.
A is for Alger
Make sure to say hi when passing President Alger on campus! He's the sixth president of JMU and has been since 2012.
B is for Bridgeforth Stadium
Home of the two-time National Champions, Bridgeforth Stadium
C is for Carrier Library
Morgan Timberlake
Carrier Library aka your second home during finals, but realistically speaking, you'll probably spend more time there than at your actual house or dorm.
E is for E-Hall brunch
Nothing better than E-Hall brunch on the weekends, featuring Mr. J's Bagels, a waffle station, omelette station, and more!
F is for Forest parties during FROG Week
FROG Week is arguably the best week of the year. You're back with all of your friends and it's time to hit the pool during the day and head to Forest at night (even though everywhere will be extremely crowded and you'll probably jump from house to house until you go home).
H is for Harrisonburg, Virginia
It's always an adventure in Hburg and nothing is too far apart.
I is for In-state/out-of-state ratio
75/25% but you'll swear everyone is from NOVA, Richmond, or New Jersey.
J is for JAC card
Try to take a decent photo as a freshman because you'll be carrying this around all four-plus years. Your JAC gets you access to your dorm, has all the punches/dining dollars/flex you need for food and Starbucks, and gets you in and out of UREC.
K is for Kline's Dairy Bar
Nothing better on a hot day (or really any day) in the Burg than Kline's ice cream, especially when Brownie Batter is the flavor of the week!
L is for Lacrosse
https://jmusports.com/images/2018/5/27/JMU_Celebrate2.jpg
JMU Women's Lacrosse just won their first National Championship after beating Duke and Boston College to claim the title! Go Dukes!!
M is for Memories
You'll meet some pretty amazing people here and share countless memories that you'll never forget.
N is for Newman Lake
Morgan Ferretti
​Newman Lake sits beside Bridgeforth Stadium and Greek Row. I definitely wouldn't recommend swimming in it, but I've heard there's some sorority and fraternity letters floating around the bottom.
O is for Oversized frat shirts
Once warm weather hits, expect to see all girls in oversized t-shirts, Comfort Colors to be specific.
P is for Parking
Or rather, lack there of.
Q is for Quad
Morgan Ferretti
When weather is nice, expect to see everyone out on the Quad.
R is for Rose Library
Better known as ECL, this library is located on East Campus and has five floors and a Starbucks; however, when it comes to the Battle of the Libraries, Carrier vs. ECL, people will never agree which is better.
S is for Streamers
One of JMU's traditions is to throw purple and gold streamers when our football team scores a touchdown.
T is for Tailgates
Tailgate season is the best season.
U is for UREC
UREC is massive and has everything you need to keep off the dreaded "Freshman 15."
V is for Village
You either lived here as a freshman or hated walking up the hill it's located on.
X is for eXperience of a lifetime
Y is for the best days of the week which end in Y
Monday through Sunday are all pretty amazing days to be a Duke.
Z is for Zane Showker Hall
Showker is home to the College of Business, so Business majors, get ready to spend the rest of your college days there.
