- This term is exclusively used at Rice University, particularly among members of Brown College. When this tradition or the name originated is unclear, but it is believed that the person who coined this term felt the need to differentiate the president’s quad from all others. This is likely because it is helpful to know where to find the college president at all times.
P-quad
proper noun; blending
A quad (living space for four people) in Margarett Root Brown College historically passed down from college president to college president. While non-college presidents can be tenants of the quad, it’s almost always the case that one of their roommates is the college president (or was, as is the case during the brief period of changeover every year). While there is no official rule that the college president must live in that particular quad, it’s essentially become an unspoken tradition.
Etymology : P-quad is a blending of the words president and quad. President comes from Latin roots prae, meaning “before”, and sedere, meaning “to sit.” Quad is its own root, meaning “four.”
Source : Friend 1: “Do you know where is?” Friend 2: “She’s probably in P-quad.” (In person. 11-5-2019)
Last modified: 6 December 2019