Writing Style Guide
An A-Z Reference
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n | o |
p | q | r | s | t | u | v | w | x | y | z
academic degrees
Capitalize the name of the field or degree program only when the full degree name is spelled out and the discipline is included. If abbreviating a degree, the discipline should be lowercase: Use periods when abbreviating degrees.
He has a Bachelor of Science in Psychology.
She will receive a B.S. in psychology.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in physics.
Seventy people hold bachelor’s degrees.
He has a Master of Arts in History.
She will receive an M.S. in recreation.
He earned a master’s degree in mathematics.
Forty people hold master’s degrees.
She is enrolling in a Master of Arts in Teaching program.
Mary has a master of arts from SUNY Cortland.
She has a Ph.D. in chemistry.
He received his doctorate in chemistry.
The word “degree” should not follow a degree abbreviation:
Correct: He has a B.A. in history.
Incorrect: He has a B.A. degree in history.
addresses
The College address
The College address should appear as follows:
SUNY Cortland
P.O. Box 2000
Cortland, NY 13045-0900
or
State University of New York College at Cortland
P.O. Box 2000
Cortland, NY 13045-0900
When including the name of the department and building, use the following styles:
Facilities Management Office
SUNY Cortland
Studio West, Room 137
P.O. Box 2000
Cortland, NY 13045-0900
or
Facilities Management Office
State University of New York College at Cortland
Studio West, Room 137
P.O. Box 2000
Cortland, NY 13045-0900
When using a return address on a form, include department and building names so the form may be delivered to the correct office.
e-mail addresses
E-mail addresses for all faculty and staff are written “first name.last name@cortland.edu” and using lowercase letters.
john.doe@cortland.edu
Web addresses
Do not italicize, bold, underline, capitalize or use all capital letters to emphasize Web addresses. Try to avoid putting a period at the end of the address; recast your sentence if possible. Write Web addresses as follows:
www.cortland.edu or www.cortland.edu/physics/
advisor
not adviser
advisory bodies
Capitalize references to a specific body of advisors heading executive departments for the president. Capitalize “Cabinet” on second reference to distinguish the word from the common noun meaning cupboard, which is lowercase. For “Board of Trustees” capitalize the word “Board” on second reference.
The Board of Trustees meets in December.
She has been a trustee for four years.
The Board sets the policy on funding for the College.
The President’s Cabinet meets each week.
The Cabinet met last week.
Provost’s Council is held every other week.
The Faculty Senate meets every two weeks.
African American
People of African descent living in the United States. See Black.
ALANA
Stands for African, Latin American, Native and Asian. The term is inclusive of ethnic minority groups living in the United States
all right
written as two words
alma mater
The only instance in which alma mater should be capitalized is in reference to a college’s song.
He sang the Alma Mater at his alma mater.
alumni
Class years should appear after a graduate’s name in all correspondence with SUNY Cortland alumni, all alumni publications and formal publications such as the Commencement program. College buildings named after alumni will contain the class year of the alumni on official plaques commemorating the building and in correspondence with alumni.
Identify SUNY Cortland alumni by their class year(s) with an apostrophe before the year. The apostrophe should slant to the right.
Correct: Tom Hubbell ’57 is a member of the team.
Incorrect: Tom Hubbell ‘57 is a member of the team.
If a person has more than one bachelor’s degree from the College, place a comma between the class years:
Sally Smith ’75, ’78, will speak at the event.
If a person has more than one degree from the College, list them as follows:
Avi Javitz ’78, M.A. ’80, won the prize.
Degrees and certificates other than bachelor’s should be listed as follows:
Susan Marshall ’87 M.S.Ed. was named Teacher of the Year.
Mehta Patel ’82 C.A.S. is the school superintendent.
Identify alumni in the following manner:
- Alumna: feminine singular
- Alumnae: feminine plural
- Alumnus: masculine singular
- Alumni: masculine plural or masculine and feminine plural
She is an alumna of SUNY Cortland.
The alumni gathered in Cortland to celebrate.
alumni association
SUNY Cortland Alumni Association
and vs. ampersand (&)
Spell out the word “and.” Do not use an ampersand (&) except in proper names, such as Johnson & Johnson.
Arab
See Middle Easterners.
Asian American
People of Asian descent living in the United States, including, but not limited to, people of Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Cambodian, Filipino and Nepalese heritage. People from India may prefer to be called South Asian. People from Pakistan may prefer to be called West Asian.
Banner Web
black
An inclusive term for people of African descent, including, but not limited to, people from North and South America, the Caribbean and Africa. See African American.
campus names and locations
Building Names
Use of a campus building’s short name is preferred in most cases. The full name is most appropriately used in historical reference materials and for formal occasions.
| Official Short Name | Long Name |
|---|---|
| Alger Hall | Minnie M. Alger Hall |
| Alumni House | SUNY Cortland Alumni House |
| Bishop Hall | Maria W. Bishop Hall |
| Bowers Hall | Ross E. Bowers Hall |
| Brockway Hall | George A. Brockway Hall |
| Casey Tower | James F. Casey Tower |
| Cheney Hall | Francis J. Cheney Hall |
| Clark Hall | William H. Clark Hall |
| Commissary/ Central Receiving |
Commissary/Central Receiving |
| Corey Union | Fay L. Corey Union |
| Cornish Hall | William A. Cornish Hall |
| Davis Building | Carl A. "Chugger" Davis Building |
| DeGroat Hall | Harry W. DeGroat Hall |
| Dowd Fine Arts Center | Ruth E. Dowd Fine Arts Center |
| Fitzgerald Hall | Lawrence J. Fitzgerald Hall |
| Glass Tower Hall | Glass Tower Hall |
| Hayes Hall | Ina M. Hayes Hall |
| Hazardous Waste Building (HAZWST) | Chemical Management Facility |
| Heating Plant | Heating Plant |
| Hendrick Hall | Hendrick Hall |
| Higgins Hall | R. Paul Higgins Hall |
| Interfaith Center | Cortland Interfaith Center |
| Leadership House | Leadership House |
| Lusk Field House | Clayton R. Lusk Field House |
| Main Street SUNY Cortland | Main Street SUNY Cortland |
| McDonald Building | James M. McDonald Building |
| Miller Building | Nathan L. Miller Administration Building |
| Moffett Center | Donovan C. Moffett Center |
| Neubig Hall | Charles and Ida Neubig Hall |
| O'Heron Newman Hall | Rev. Edward J. O'Heron Newman Hall |
| Old Main | Old Main |
| Park Center | Bessie L. Park 1901 Physical Education and Recreation Center |
| President's Residence | President's Residence |
| Randall Hall | Henry S. Randall Hall |
| Service Group | Service Group |
| Shea Hall | James M. Shea Hall |
| Smith Tower | Donnal V. Smith Tower |
| Sperry Center | Elmer A. Sperry Learning Resources Center |
| Stadium Complex | SUNY Cortland Stadium Complex |
| Studio West | Studio West |
| Van Hoesen Hall | Ella Van Hoesen Hall |
| West Campus Apartments | West Campus Apartments |
| Whitaker Hall | Katherine A. Whitaker Hall |
| Winchell Hall | Eileen M. Winchell Hall |
Campus Room or Location Names:
Use of a campus facility’s short name is preferred in most cases.
| Short Name | Long Name | Building |
|---|---|---|
| Alumni Arena | Park Center Alumni Arena | Park Center |
| Bowers Science Museum | Bowers Science Museum | Bowers Hall |
| Brooks Museum | Rozanne M. Brooks Museum | Cornish Hall |
| Brown Auditorium | Ralph A. Brown Auditorium | Old Main |
| Child Care Center | SUNY Cortland Child Care Center, Inc. | Casey Tower |
| College Store | The College Store | Neubig Hall |
| Corey Gymnasium | Whitney T. Corey Gymnasium | Park Center |
| Davis Field | Carl A. "Chugger" Davis Field | Next to Lusk Field House |
| Dowd Fine Arts Theatre | Ruth E. Dowd Fine Arts Theatre | Dowd Fine Arts Center |
| Exhibition Lounge | Corey Union Exhibition Lounge | Corey Union |
| Fireplace Lounge | Corey Union Fireplace Lounge | Corey Union |
| Function Room | Corey Union Function Room | Corey Union |
| Hall of Fame Room | C-Club Hall of Fame Room | Park Center |
| Holloway Field | T. Fred "Prof" Holloway Field | Stadium Complex |
| Holsten Pool | Harriet Holsten Pool | Park Center |
| Horak Training Facility | Karel Horak Athletic Training Facility | Stadium Complex |
| Johnson Lecture Hall | Ellis Johnson Memorial Lecture Hall | Sperry Center |
| Newmark Pavilion | Theodore Newmark Pavilion | Campus quad |
| Poskanzer Conference Room | Charles N. Poskanzer Conference Room | Moffett Center |
| Rumore Computer Lab | Victor M. Rumore ’84 Economics Department Computer Lab | Old Main |
| Sciera Room | John L. Sciera Athletic Traiing Room | Park Center |
| Tomik Fitness Facility | William A. Tomik Fitness Facility | Van Hoesen Hall |
| Wallace Field | Robert Wallace Field | Baseball field near Park Center |
| Woods Fitness Facility | Francis Woods Fitness Facility | Park Center |
Off-campus locations
| Short Name | Long Name | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Brauer Education Center | Robert C. Brauer Memorial Education Center | Selkirk, N.Y. |
| Hoxie Gorge | Hoxie Gorge Nature Preserve | Cortland, N.Y. |
| Mohawk Valley Graduate Center (MVGC) | Mohawk Valley Graduate Center at SUNYIT | Utica, N.Y. |
Outdoor Education Center at Raquette Lake, Raquette Lake, N.Y.
| Short Name | Long Name |
|---|---|
| Outdoor Education Center | Outdoor Education Center at Raquette Lake |
| Antlers | Antlers |
| Camp Huntington | Huntington Memorial Camp |
| Carlson Classroom | Marcia K. Carlson Classroom |
| Clemens Library | Clemens Biological Sciences Library |
| Fuge Dining Room | George Fuge Dining Room |
| Durant Cabin | Durant Cabin |
| Kirby Camp | Kirby Camp |
| Knox Classroom | Knox Classroom |
| Metcalf Hall | Harlan "Gold" Metcalf Hall |
| Mosely Glass Dining Room | Louise Mosely Glass Dining Room |
| Pierson Room | Joe Pierson Room |
catalog
not catalogue
cell phone
chair
not chairman, chairwoman or chairperson
Chicano/Chicana
A term reflecting pride in the indigenous roots of the Mexican American people. Chicana is the feminine form of this word. See Hispanic, Latino/Latina.
class year
Use the following to designate an academic year: freshman, sophomore, junior, senior.
Use “freshman” when referring to an individual or the whole body of students. Use “freshmen” when the term is a plural noun. The term first-year students refers to both freshmen and transfer students who are attending Cortland for the first time. Capitalize “Class” when referring to a specific graduating class.
He is a freshman.
The freshman class is filled with freshmen.
Freshmen may apply for the award.
The senior class is sponsoring the lecture.
She is a junior biology major.
Marjorie, a graduate student in education, will give a presentation.
A group of 30 first-year students signed up for the orientation program.
The Class of ’83 raised $50,000 as a reunion gift to the College.
The Class of 2002 had 1,200 students.
classes
Names of classes are not capitalized unless the specific name of a class is used or the class uses a proper noun or numeral.
She took classes in mathematics, physical education and French.
She is planning to take History of Psychology and Community Recreation.
clean up (v.)
The students had to clean up the mess.
cleanup (n., adj.)
The cleanup took them two hours.
No one signed up for the cleanup committee.
college
Capitalize the word “college” when it refers to SUNY Cortland:
Many SUNY Cortland graduates and their spouses visit the College during Alumni Weekend.
The word “Cortland” or “College” may be used in subsequent or second references to SUNY Cortland.
Refer to the College as SUNY Cortland when recording a voice-mail greeting.
See information on the College name.
College Store
The College Store, not the Book Store, is the preferred name of the retail establishment where textbooks and other College-related and general-interest merchandise are sold.
comma (serial)
Do not use a comma before the words “and” or “or” in a series unless it is needed for clarity.
She bought a printer, paper, envelopes and an ink cartridge.
committee, council and panel names
Capitalize names of specific committees, councils and panels. When not using the full name of the group, write the word in lowercase letters.
The president of the Student Government Association gave a presentation to the College Council.
An announcement will be made when the search committee has chosen a candidate.
The Faculty Senate Steering Committee is seeking new members.
The steering committee is seeking new members.
course work
written as two words
Cortland College Alumni Association, Inc.
While no longer officially acceptable, the name “Cortland College” still appears in a few instances because the names are incorporated and will remain this way unless legally changed.
The commonly used name is SUNY Cortland Alumni Association.
Cortland College Foundation, Inc.
While no longer officially acceptable, the name “Cortland College” still appears in a few instances because the names are incorporated and will remain this way unless legally changed.
credit hour
not semester hour
dash style
Put a space between a long dash and the words that come before and afer it.
dates
Consecutive dates can be written in one of two ways.
The play will be held Jan. 2-25.
The play will be held from Jan. 2 to Jan. 25.
Use “through” when changing months.
The play will be held Jan. 22 through Feb. 22.
Do not use th or st with numbers
Correct: Submit applications by May 1.
Incorrect: Submit applications by May 1st.
day care (n.)
She has two boys in day care.
day-care (adj.)
The day-care center opens at 6 a.m.
days
Always spell out days of the week: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday.
degrees
See academic degrees
department
Capitalize the word “department” only when it appears with an official unit name. For example, Art and Art History Department.
The Political Science Department will hold a panel discussion.
Do not capitalize the word “department” when it appears without the actual department name.
The department boasts the most professors with doctorates.
For The Bulletin, list departments as follows:
Wolfgang Preissler, performing arts (music), will play at the concert.
Maya Martinez, English, will present a paper at the conference.
Do not use the following names when referring to the University Police Department:
Incorrect: Campus Police Department
Incorrect: Campus Safety Department
Incorrect: Campus Security Office
Incorrect: College Police Office
Incorrect: Public Safety Department
Incorrect: Public Safety Office
division
Capitalize the word “division” only when it appears with an official unit names. For example, Division of Student Affairs.
The Division of Academic Affairs is located in the Miller Building.
Do not capitalize the word “division” when it appears without the actual name.
The vice president for finance and management said the division will be hiring several new employees.
For The Bulletin, list division names as follows:
Eliza Yaman, institutional advancement, will lead the panel discussion.
dot com (n.)
He was laid off from the dot com last year.
dot-com (adj.)
The effects of the dot-com bust have been widespread.
E-mail is written with a hyphen.
See e-mail policies and standards
emeriti
Identify retired faculty and staff in the following manner:
Emerita: feminine singular
Emeritae: feminine plural
Emeritus: masculine singular
Emeriti: masculine plural or masculine and feminine plural
Michael Valente, distinguished professor emeritus of art and art history, has been nominated.
Registrar Emeritus Taylor F. Merceau will carry the mace at Honors Convocation.
Katherine Elliott, professor emerita of English, received the award.
federal
Capitalize federal when it is part of a government body that uses the word in its formal name.
Use a lowercase letter as an adjective to distinguish something pertaining to state, county, city, town or private entities.
For many students federal loans are an important part of financial aid.
The Federal Communications Commission is in Washington, D.C.
fieldwork
written as one word
foreign nations
Spell out cities and names of countries. With regard to Canada, spell out city names followed by the full name of the province.
Every year they attend the Shakespeare Festival in Stratford, Ontario, Canada.
She vacationed in Portugal before attending her study abroad program in Salamanca, Spain.
forms
Titles of specific forms, such as the permit to register form, should not be capitalized.
Students must pick up the drop/add form in the Registrar’s Office.
fundraiser
fundraising
General Education
Always capitalize any reference to the General Education program. The abbreviation GE is acceptable on second reference.
grade point average
The abbreviation for grade point average is GPA.
Hispanic
A term grouping all people of Spanish-speaking descent. This is the preferred inclusive term in some regions, especially in the Southwest. See Chicano/Chicana, Latino/Latina, Mexican American.
home page
HTML
hypertext markup language (lowercase in Web addresses)
HTTP
hypertext transfer protocol (lowercase in Web addresses)
hyperlink
hypertext
hyphenation
Hyphenate “on-campus,” “part-time,” and “full-time” when using as a modifier.
Students live in on-campus housing, not off-campus housing.
She will live on campus, not off campus.
She has a full-time job.
He works part time.
incorporated names
While no longer officially acceptable, the name “Cortland College” still appears in a few instances because the names are incorporated and will remain this way unless legally changed.
Cortland College Alumni Association, Inc.
Cortland College Foundation, Inc.
Indian
1. See Native American.
2. People from the country of India. See Asian American.
Internet
Jr., Sr., II, IV, etc.
Do not set off with commas: Martin Luther King Jr., Pope John Paul II.
kick off
(v.) The dinner will kick off the weekend’s activities.
kick-off
(adj.) The kick-off speech was well received.
kickoff
(n.) The event is a kickoff to the week-long celebration.
Latino/Latina
Refers to people of Latin American origin. An emerging inclusive term for people from North America, Central America, South America and the Spanish-speaking Caribbean. Latino has regional and academic support and seems to be preferred on the East and West Coasts. Hispanic is considered an alternate term by many. Latina is the feminine form of this word. See Chicano/Chicana, Hispanic, Mexican American.
login
logon
logoff
majors
Names of majors are not capitalized.
He is a geology major.
Mexican American
People of Mexican descent living in the United States.
See Hispanic, Latino/Latina.
Middle Easterners
An inclusive term referring to people from a region in western Asia and northeast Africa that includes, but is not limited to, the nations of the Arabian Peninsula, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and Turkey. The term Arab traditionally refers to a person from the Arabian Peninsula.
money
Use the dollar sign and numbers. Do not use a decimal and two zeros unless the number of cents must be specified.
She spent $15 on a T-shirt and $23.50 on a sweatshirt.
months
Always spell out March, April, May, June and July.
When followed by a number, abbreviate Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov., Dec.
April 14, Dec. 22
Any month followed by a year should be spelled out in full.
September 2002
Native American
Indigenous people who inhabited the Americas and Caribbean prior to the European conquest. Many Native Americans use tribe in referring to their people. Recommended usage is to refer, whenever possible, to a particular people or nation by name, i.e. Iroquois, Oneida, Onondaga, Navajo, Maya, Cherokee, Sioux, etc.
numbers
Spell out numbers between one and nine. Use numerals for 10 and above unless the number starts a sentence.
The 10th Annual Run for Life was held June 15.
She had nine students in her class.
Eighty-eight students graduated with honors.
The school has more than 900 computers available for student use.
offices
Capitalize the word “office” only when it appears with an official unit name. For example, the Human Resources Office.
Bring all receipts to the Business Office.
The Admissions Office is located in the Miller Building.
For The Bulletin, list offices as follows:
Mary Jones, public relations, will conduct a seminar.
Robert Smith, career services, will lead the panel discussion.
offline
online
Written without a hyphen.
Incorrect: on-line
Open House/open house
Capitalize when referring to the College’s event: Registration is under way for Open House, which will be held April 17.
Lower case in all other instances: The Admissions Office holds several open houses for prospective students each year.
organization titles
Organization titles should be capitalized as follows:
Civil Service Employees Association
Student Government Association
SUNY Cortland Faculty Senate
United University Professions
On second reference, the abbreviated versions of these organizations may be used, such as Faculty Senate or Senate. If using the acronyms for these organizations, such as UUP, SGA and CSEA, put the acronym in parentheses after the spelled out version of the name in the first reference, i.e. Student Government Association (SGA).
Pacific Islander
People of the islands in the Pacific Ocean including the three major ethnic groups: Polynesians (Tahitians,Samoans, Hawaiians and others); Micronesians (U.S. Trust Territories, Guam, Wake Island, Bikini and Kwajelin); and Melanesians (New Zealand, Australia and the Solomans).
Park Center not PER
It is incorrect to use PER to describe the Park Center.
percentages
Spell out the word percent except in scientific, technical and statistical copy. In tables, use the % symbol.
Seventy percent of the faculty responded favorably.
More than 90 percent of the class passed the exam.
period
When text is going to be typeset, use only one space after a period. Typeset text appears in publications such as the College Catalog, The Bulletin, Columns, brochures, etc. This does not apply to letters, memos and reports.
phone numbers
Phone numbers should be written as follows:
For off-campus publications: (607) 753-2222
For on-campus publications: ext. 2222
When using an area code, put it in parentheses.
If including more than one extension, use a virgule (/) between the numbers: (607) 753-2222/2221.
Students’ phone extensions consist of five digits beginning with the number 8.
They should be written as follows:
For off-campus publications: (607) 753-5545 and the student’s
five-digit extension.
For on-campus publications: ext. 8-2222.
program
The word “program” is never capitalized unless it is part of a formal title.
The program in international studies offers courses each semester.
She is participating in the Master of Arts in Teaching program.
The Liberty Partnerships Program is part of the Outreach Services Office.
The Computer Applications Program was established in the ’70s.
SUNY Cortland has one of the largest study abroad programs in the SUNY system.
publication and event titles
Books, magazines, newspapers and journals should be italicized:
The New York Times.
Articles, plays, TV shows, TV episodes, movies, exhibitions, lectures, etc. should be put in quotation marks.
“Newshour With Jim Lehrer”
“Strategies for Success in Your First Year of Teaching”
Subsequent references, which may be abbreviated, should also be in quotes.
regions
Capitalize widely recognized regions of New York State.
We live in Central New York.
She grew up in the Southern Tier.
He is from Upstate New York.
The store is located on the Lower East Side.
residence halls
Residence hall, not dorm or dormitories, is the preferred name for
on-campus and College-supported housing.
room listings and numbers
Write locations by first listing the building, then the room number:
Corey Union, Room 206
Cornish Hall, Room D-211
Miller Building, Room 205
Van Hoesen Hall, Room A-14
When rooms do not have a number, write them as follows:
Brockway Hall Jacobus Lounge
Corey Union Exhibition Lounge
Corey Union Fireplace Lounge
Corey Union Function Room
Dowd Fine Arts Gallery
Dowd Fine Arts Lab Theatre
Dowd Fine Arts Theatre
Park Center Alumni Arena
Park Center Corey Gymnasium
Park Center Hall of Fame Room
semesters/seasons
Semesters or seasons should be written as follows:
The course will be offered in Spring 2003.
More than 200 classes will be held during the spring semester
He will begin classes during the Fall 2003 semester.
School opens in the fall.
We had a dry summer.
I attended Summer Session classes.
She will take classes during Summer Session I.
Several of my friends are taking Winter Session courses.
state
Capitalize state when it is part of a government body that uses the word in its formal name.
Use a lowercase letter as an adjective to distinguish something pertaining to state, county, city, town or private entities.
Our state colleges need funding.
We live in the state of New York.
We live in New York State.
state abbreviations
Abbreviate states (as listed below) using Associated Press (AP) style in the body of any work. Use U.S. Postal (PO) abbreviations when listing mailing addresses.
| State Name | AP | PO |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Ala. | AL |
| Alaska | Alaska | AK |
| Arizona | Ariz. | AZ |
| Arkansas | Ark. | AR |
| California | Calif. | CA |
| Colorado | Colo. | CO |
| Connecticut | Conn. | CT |
| Delaware | Del. | DE |
| District of Columbia | D.C. | DC |
| Florida | Fla. | FL |
| Georgia | Ga. | GA |
| Hawaii | Hawaii | HI |
| Idaho | Idaho | ID |
| Illinois | Ill. | IL |
| Indiana | Ind. | IN |
| Iowa | Iowa | IA |
| Kansas | Kan. | KS |
| Kentucky | Ky. | KY |
| Louisiana | La. | LA |
| Maine | Maine | ME |
| Maryland | Md. | MD |
| Massachusetts | Mass. | MA |
| Michigan | Mich. | MI |
| Minnesota | Minn. | MN |
| Missouri | Mo. | MO |
| Mississippi | Miss. | MS |
| Montana | Mont. | MT |
| Nebraska | Neb. | NE |
| Nevada | Nev. | NV |
| New Hampshire | N.H. | NH |
| New Jersey | N.J. | NJ |
| New Mexico | N.M. | NM |
| New York | N.Y. | NY |
| North Carolina | N.C. | NC |
| North Dakota | N.D. | ND |
| Ohio | Ohio | OH |
| Oklahoma | Okla. | OK |
| Oregon | Ore. | OR |
| Pennsylvania | Pa. | PA |
| Rhode Island | R.I. | RI |
| South Carolina | S.C. | SC |
| South Dakota | S.D. | SD |
| Tennessee | Tenn. | TN |
| Texas | Texas | TX |
| Utah | Utah | UT |
| Vermont | Vt. | VT |
| Virginia | Va. | VA |
| Washington | Wash. | WA |
| West Virginia | Va. | VA |
| Washington | Wa. | WA |
| West Virginia | W. Va. | WV |
| Wisconsin | Wis. | WI |
| Wyoming | Wyo. | WY |
times
Times should be written without a colon or double zeros, unless listing a specific time after the hour. The “p” and “m” or “a” and “m” should always be lowercase and followed by a period. The words “noon” and “midnight” should not be capitalized. A hyphen with no spaces indicates a time frame.
Street parking is not allowed from 2:30-6 a.m.
The symposium runs from 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Most staff members go to lunch at noon.
Class will end promptly at 12:10 p.m.
titles
administrative, faculty and staff
Capitalize a person’s title when put before the name:
Dean John J. Miller.
Professor of Psychology Joyce Chou.
For more information, contact Philosophy Department Chair Kara L. McCarthy.
Vice President for Institutional Advancement Carlos Rivera gave the introductory speech.
Do not capitalize titles when listed after a name or titles that do not include a name.
Roland Nelson, vice president for student affairs.
Shirley Newman, professor of exercise science and sport studies.
Victoria M. Kaczynski is associate dean of the School of Arts and Sciences.
For more information, contact the appropriate school dean or department chair.
The president will announce the employees to be honored.
A residence hall director will be hired for the academic year.
The resident assistant will be available to help students.
Professor, associate professor, assistant professor, adjunct lecturer, instructor, chair, head coach and other titles are not capitalized unless used before a name:
Edward Sullivan is chairing the department.
Department Chair Fred Gao will head the committee.
She was promoted from associate professor to professor in 2002.
He is an adjunct lecturer in the Biological Sciences Department.
Professor Suzanne Powell will give three presentations this semester.
She is the head women’s basketball coach.
Courtesy titles such as Dr., Miss, Mrs., Ms. and Mr. are only used in formal written communications or in conjunction with special event programs such as Commencement and Honors Convocation. The title also may be used on business cards or stationery. If a person chooses to not use a title but list a degree instead, such as Ph.D., it is preferable to list it after a person’s name.
under way
(adv.) Two words in virtually all uses:
Alumni weekend is under way.
Used only as one word in a nautical sense to mean not at anchor:
The fleet is underway to its secret destination.
Web
webcast
webmaster
Web page
Web site
white
Members of the dominant or majority culture in the United States. While the term Caucasian is commonly used in place of White, neither a common ancestry related to the Caucasus Mountains region, nor an assumption that all whites are culturally or ethnically homogeneous should be assumed.
World War I, World War II
World Wide Web
years
Use an s without an apostrophe to indicate spans of decades or centuries.
SUNY Cortland was open in the 1920s.
Use an apostrophe slanted toward the right for class years.
She belonged to the Class of ’82.