February 20, 2026 by

At Cedarville University, you’ll find a community like no other. The connection between students is indescribable. Whether you’ve known someone for years or you met them yesterday, everyone treats each other like family.  

This was the driving factor that brought me to Cedarville. Yes, the campus is beautiful, and they have great academics, but the relationships among all the students and the lively vibe everyone brings are unprecedented.  

This is sometimes called the “Cedarville bubble.” 

To give you a little taste of the fun community on campus, there are a few things I can teach you when it comes to how Cedarville students talk. With the community comes lots of fun, silly “lingo” phrases we use daily. 

Hopefully, this post can help you begin to understand some of these sayings and help acclimate you to life in the “Cedarville bubble” (there’s one saying already!). 

Cedar-everything 

With such a tight-knit community, there are lots of things specific to Cedarville’s campus and student body. Thus, we often refer to things commonly seen as Cedarville-specific by affixing “Cedar” to them. 

For example, since our campus is in the middle of a bunch of cornfields, the winds can get pretty crazy. These are the “Cedar-winds.” The lake (called Cedar Lake) tends to magnify the winds as well. 

Thankfully, we only experience cedar-winds periodically, and it’s typically just during the wintertime. Around that same time, during cold and flu season, you may also hear about the Cedar-plague (it’s just a common cold). 

If you begin to use these phrases, you will sound like a Cedarville student in no time. 

Abbreviations Galore 

Adding to our lingo, we find ways to make everything more efficient. One way we do that is by shortening everything.  

Yes, I mean everything.  

We shorten class building names, food choices, gas stations, coffee shops, and everything in between.  

For instance, pretty much every building on campus is abbreviated. The Dixon Ministry Center is the DMC, the Stevens Student Center is the SSC, the Biblical Center for Theological Studies is the BTS … you get the gist.  

That is the case for every single building around campus, whether it’s just one word (Apple, Tyler, Callen) or an acronym. 

My personal favorites are for dining options. Chick-fil-A is just Chick, and Panda Express is just Panda. There are also some more places we have abbreviated off campus. The gas station across the road is called “the rip.” Additionally, one of our coffee shops in town, called Beans-n-Cream, is shortened to “Beans.” If you implement these abbreviations in your speech, you will sound just like a Cedarville student in no time! 

Cedarville-Specific Events 

One of my favorite things about Cedarville is its on-campus events. The University does a great job at hosting fun activities throughout the semesters to keep things novel and interesting. And with these activities come names for them, which can be confusing if you are unfamiliar with them! 

The first one you need to know, which is at the end of each school year, is called Elliv. This event, where students get to showcase their God-given gifts and talents in front of the entire University, is my favorite by far. Another event I love to look out for is called Moonlight Madness, which is a late-night basketball showcase held at the beginning of basketball season. During Christmas season, Cedarville has Deck the Halls, where each residence hall acts out a story in its hall for other students to experience. 

Cedarville also often hosts Alt Nights, which are a blast. These are nights on campus where activities are scattered all over. They will have things like putt-putt and laser tag in the field house, a silent disco in the BTS, a movie in the DMC, breakfast for dinner in the dining hall, and so much more. These are great because they are a good way to take a break from the stress school brings.  

Make sure to look out for these events, now that you know their specific names! 

Dr. White’s Catchphrase 

The last, and arguably most important, Cedarville phrase is coined by Dr. White, giving the student body a good motto to live by.  

When preaching, Dr. White loves to drive home the idea of “No Bible, no breakfast.” By saying this, he portrays the importance of reading your Bible daily, ensuring one-on-one time with God, which is such a gift to experience. Therefore, making sure to read your Bible first thing in the morning is the best way to start the morning.  

If you hear students, or even professors, saying, “No Bible, no breakfast,” now you know why! 

Conclusions (one last motto) 

I will leave you with one brief, final phrase that Cedarville students say. On account of us being the Yellow Jackets, which have stingers, our own student motto is “Sting ’em!”  

Now that you know the basics of Cedarville lingo, I hope you are getting excited to live life on campus. Sting ’em, future Yellow Jacket! 

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