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abbreviations and acronyms: Avoid using
abbreviations in running text. A few standard abbreviations may be used only when
it's customary (a.m. or BCE).
Acronyms that appear in full caps do not take periods
(NAACP, TIAA-CREF). Spell out acronyms on first reference, unless they are well known,
such as NAACP and NCAA. Exception: S.O.S. (Service Organizations of Smith)
is always abbreviated and uses periods. Use periods in academic degrees and in most
two-letter abbreviations (A.B., U.S., a.m., Mr.). See also academic
degrees, addresses, dates and state
names.
academic degrees:
Use lowercase and spell out degrees mentioned in text: bachelor's degree, bachelor
of fine arts; master's degree; doctorate, doctoral degree. Abbreviate degrees appearing
after names (Jane Wyley, Ph.D.) Note: Smith confers the A.B., S.B., A.M.
and S.M. degrees. Smith's undergraduate degree in biological sciences is considered
a bachelor of arts or an A.B.; its graduate degree in biological sciences
is the master of science, or S.M.
academic departments: Capitalize only
when the full formal name is used (Department of Biological Sciences, biological
sciences department, biology department). Formal and informal names may be used interchangeably,
though audience sensitivity should be exercised. Department names can be checked
against the Smith College Web site.
academic disciplines: Use lowercase
for academic subjects, majors and minors, and courses of study -- except in cases
that include a proper noun. (English language and literature, Afro-American studies,
mathematics, medieval studies). See capitalization.
academic titles: Follow the general
rules under titles of people. Exception: Named professorships and
full formal titles denoting academic honors are always capitalized, even when following
a personal name or standing alone(Miriam Petry, Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada;
William Allan Oram, Helen Means Professor of English Language and Literature). Use
the current Smith College catalogue to confirm titles of faculty members. Capitalize
the title "scholar" when it is part of a named scholarship (Rhodes Scholar,
an Ada Comstock Scholar). See also emerita.
academic year: See class
year, numbers and first-year
students.
Ada Comstock Scholars, Ada Comstock Scholars
Program: Always capitalized. Indicated by "AC" after names
of alumnae (as in Barbara Smith AC or followed by class year, if known: Susan Jones
AC '92). Avoid using "Adas"; although this reference is fairly common,
some consider it demeaning. See nontraditional-aged students.
addresses: In college addresses, state
the building before the room (College Hall 5, Neilson Library Browsing Room). Spell
out the names of college buildings. Avoid abbreviations in running text. See building
names and state names.
admission office: Smith College Office
of Admission (note singular)
Advanced Placement, AP
adviser, advisory
African American: The preferred term
is now "black" (lowercase).
Afro-American studies department
age: See numbers.
Ainsworth Gymnasium (building name),
Ainsworth gym (the room)
All-America: sports term
all-college meeting
alma mater
alumna (fem. singular), alumnae (fem.
plural). Varies according to gender and number. Avoid using "alums." See class
year.
Alumnae Gymnasium (houses the College
Archives, next to Neilson Library)
and/or: Avoid this construction; use
one or the other.
application forms: Use lowercase when
referring to forms (admission application, health services form)
athletics department; Department of
Athletics (note the plural), athletic fields. See also sports-related terms.
awards: Names of awards and prizes are
capitalized, but some generic terms used with the names are lowercased. (a Nobel
Prize winner; the Nobel Prize in literature; a Nobel Prize-winning physicist;
the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for Commentary).
bachelor's degree: Smith awards
the A.B.
bias-free and inclusive language
See gender-neutral language, ethnic and national designations and minority.
biological sciences: See academic
degrees
black: Lowercase when referring to race.
board of trustees (generic); Smith College
Board of Trustees (capitalize full name only).
boathouse: Smith College boathouse (one
word)
botanic garden, Smith College Botanic
Garden (when used in full)
brand names or trademarks: Substitute
a generic term when available. The trademark symbol is unnecessary.
Brown Fine Arts Center
building names: Capitalize the names
of specific buildings, use lowercase for generic terms (Neilson Library, the library).
Consult the Smith College map online for accurate names of campus buildings. See
also addresses and capitalization.
building services
Campus Center: capitalized (This is
the formal name for the building.)
Campus School
capitalization: Capitalize the full
formal names of college departments and offices, course titles, committees, divisions,
associations, prizes, programs, institutes, grants, awards, scholarships, buildings
and rooms. Use lowercase when the names are shortened or when used as a generic term.
(Smith College, the college; Office of Admission, admission office; Smith College
Botanic Garden, botanic garden; Ainsworth lounge). When in doubt, use lowercase. Exceptions: Campus
Center, Public Safety is always capitalized when referring to the Smith College Department
of Public Safety.
Lowercase the common noun elements of names in plural
uses (the rivers Connecticut and Manhan, Amherst and Mt. Holyoke colleges).
See also academic titles, academic disciplines and titles.
catalogue: preferred spelling. Smith
College 2006-07 Catalogue is the official title of the publication;
do not capitalize "catalogue" in Smith College catalogue (the generic
reference). The same applies to the Smith College 2006-07 Handbook.
CDO: Career Development Office
Central Services
chair: Avoid using "chairman." See gender-neutral
language.
choral groups at Smith: the Chamber
Singers, Smith College Chorus, the Glee Club
class year:
Lowercase when spelled out: class of 1934. When stating name and year of graduation,
use space after name and apostrophe with year. (Julia Child '34). References between
1879 and 100 years before the present year should include the entire year (Alice
Jones 1892).
Sophomore, junior, senior are always lowercased. See
also first
year and upper
class.
commas See punctuation.
Commencement, Commencement Weekend:
capitalize when referring to Smith College.
common application form
computer terminology
Internet address protocol: Use all lowercase letters
for Smith e-mail addresses: www.smith.edu (not http://www.smith.edu). Do not italicize
URLs.
Capitalize all named keyboard keys (Ctrl, Home, Shift,
Command), menu items (Save, Print, Exit, Help) and icon names (the Italic button)
and spell them exactly as they appear on the keys or in the software.
Proper names of computer hardware, software, networks,
systems and languages are capitalized (Entourage, WordPerfect, Banner Web) Generic
terms are lowercased (word processing).
Common computer terms: byte, CD-ROM, cyberspace, database,
domain name, download, e-mail, hard copy, home page, HTML, Internet, JPG, iPod, LAN,
listserv, log-in (adj), log in (v), Macintosh, Netscape, online, password, username,
real time, server, search engine, Smith eDigest, spam, URL, virus, Web, Web site,
Web page, webcam, webcast
corporation names: On first reference,
use the corporation's full formal name (Ford Motor Company); the shortened
name can be used for subsequent references (Ford). Look at the copyright notice at
the bottom of the corporation home page for the actual name.
Inc.: Do not use a comma with corporation names
(West Plastics Inc.) Exception: Five Colleges, Incorporated.
Counseling Service (part of Health Services)
course work
cross-country (noun and adjective)
cross-cultural
cross-list (verb)
dashes: See punctuation and dates.
dates Use a comma when including the
day (Tuesday, September 14, 2004; January 15, 1988) but not with month and year only
(January 1988). Do not abbreviate names of days or months in running text. Avoid
using a dash with "from" or "between" (incorrect: from May 7-April
14; correct: from May 7 to April 14). It is not necessary to repeat the month in
citing a range of dates: May 7-14). Use cardinal numbers (August 7, rather
than August 7th). See also "centuries and decades" under numbers listing,
as well as eras.
deaf: Describes a person with total
hearing loss. Use "hearing-impaired" as an adjective, not a noun.
degrees: See academic degrees.
Dean's List
Dining Services
persons with disabilities: preferred
over "disabled," "handicapped" or "impaired." (See AP
Stylebook entry under "disabled.") The term "accessible" is
preferred over "handicap-accessible." Use "wheelchair user" instead
of "confined to a wheelchair." Avoid euphemisms like "mentally
challenged" or terms that evoke pity, such as "victim," "afflicted" or "suffers
from."
Duckett House Special Dining Room
dorm; dormitory: Do not use
when referring to Smith campus housing. Smith students live in houses. See house.
Dual Degree Programs
eDigest: the regular e-mail for campus
news
Early Decision Plan, Fall Early Decision,
Winter Early Decision
e-mail: Use as a noun or an adjective,
not as a verb. The plural form is "e-mail messages."
emerita (fem., singular); emeritae (fem.,
plural); emeritus (male, singular); emeriti (male, plural). Lowercase. Exceptions:
Capitalize when used before a name or when it is an official part of a named professorship
(the professor emerita of history). Note that these are honorary designations and
do not simply mean "retired."
eras: Use CE, BCE—Common Era and
Before the Common Era. Preferred to AD and BC as more inclusive. CE (like AD) always
precedes the year. (CE 500)
ethnic and national designations: Try
to use the preferred designations. National-origin identifiers do not require hyphens,
even when used as modifiers (Latina/Latino, Polish American newspaper, indigenous
students). Use lowercase for "black" and "white." See African
American.
extension: Spell out this word for all
campus telephone numbers. Exception: If space is limited, use "ext." but
never "x".
faculty: a singular collective noun.
Add the word "members" to make it plural.
Faculty Council
Family Weekend (formerly Parents Weekend)
fellow, fellowship: Lowercase except
when used with proper names.
festivities: The following Smith celebrations
are capitalized: Commencement, Commencement Weekend, Family Weekend, Illumination
Night, Junior Brunch, Ivy Day, Last Chapel, Mountain Day, Otelia Cromwell Day, Rally
Day, Rally Day convocation, Opening Convocation
Field House
fieldwork (but course work)
first-year students:
Avoid using the word "freshmen."
Five College, Incorporated: All formal
references to the title of the consortium should appear with the word "Incorporated" written
in full and preceded by a comma. Capitalize anything associated with the Five College
Consortium, either officially or unofficially (Five College Department of Dance,
Five College professor, Five College Cooperative Ph.D. Program, Five College interchange,
Five College bus service, Five College students). Do not capitalize when referring
to the five colleges in general (and not the consortium).
Ford Hall: Smith's new building
for the sciences and engineering
foreign words and phrases: Italicize
words that haven't been incorporated into everyday English usage. (Merriam
Webster's Collegiate Dictionary is a good source for determining accepted
usage.) When using a foreign term more than once in the same article, second and
later appearances should not be italicized.
full-year course: Use "yearlong" course
instead.
fund raising (verb), fund-raising (adjective
or noun), fund-raiser (noun)
the Gamut (in the Mendenhall Center
for Performing Arts), upper Gamut, lower Gamut
gender-neutral language: Masculine nouns
and pronouns are not generic; chairman, forefathers, sportsmen, mankind, he, his,
and the like, should not be assumed to include women. Try to use generic nouns: "photographer" instead
of "cameraman"; "representative" replaces "congressman"; "supervisor" instead
of "foreman"; "nurse" replaces "male nurse."
If possible, avoid using gender-specific singular pronouns (he or she, his or her):
Consider rewriting sentences to include plural pronouns or to eliminate the possessive
pronoun altogether.
geographic locations: General compass points and terms derived from
them are lowercased if they simply refer to direction or location (western Massachusetts).
Regional terms are generally capitalized (a Southern accent, East Coast, the Northeast,
Western Hemisphere). General terms are always lowercased (Pioneer Valley, the valley).
Capitalize legendary and popular names (Big Apple, Happy Valley). See addresses and state
names.
grade point average, GPA
Graham Hall (the lecture hall in Hillyer
Hall)
Grécourt Bookshop, Grécourt
Gates
gymnasiums (preferred over "gymnasia")
Health Services
hearing impaired: an adjective, not
a noun.
Helen Hills Hills Chapel (No, it's
not a misprint.)
Hillyer Art Library, Hillyer lounge
historic, historical: Preceded by the
article "a" (not "an")
historical periods: A descriptive designation
of a period is usually lowercased (baroque, colonial period, nuclear age). Exception: "Renaissance" is
usually capitalized to avoid ambiguity. Names of prehistoric periods are generally
capitalized: Ice Age, Bronze Age. Consult the "historical periods and events" entry
in the AP Stylebook.
holidays: Veterans Day (no apostrophe),
Mother's Day. See also festivities.
honorary degree, honorary doctorate,
honors
honors thesis
honorary degree
hot line
house: Smith-specific term for student
residence building. Not dorm.
house system
hyphen: See punctuation entry.
ID, IDs, Smith ID
Illumination Night
independent study
Information Technology Services
interdepartmental
international students: Use "international" when
referring to people (avoid the term "foreign").
Office of International Students and Scholars:
formerly "Office of International Students"
Internet
italics: See titles or foreign
words.
ITT: Indoor Track and Tennis Facility
ITS: Information Technology Services
Ivy Day
Jean Picker Semester-in-Washington Program
John M. Greene Hall, Greene Hall, JMG
judicial board or Student Government
Judicial Board, SGA Judicial Board
Junior Ushers
Junior Year Abroad Programs (in Florence,
Geneva, Hamburg and Paris), junior year abroad, junior year in Geneva
Jr.: Do not use a comma: Jeff Jones
Jr.
Kosher Kitchen, Kosher Co-op Kitchen,
kosher food
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Last Chapel
Leo Weinstein Auditorium
Lyman Conservatory, the conservatory
master's degrees: Smith confers
the A.M. and the S.M.
Department of Mathematics and Statistics:
formerly the "Department of Mathematics"
McConnell roof observatory
medalist: winner of
the Smith College Medal
Mendenhall Center for the Performing Arts;
the performing arts center
Mendenhall Fellows
minority: Use specific references when
possible (Asian American, Mexican American) or "person of color" or "women
of color" if specifics are not known. Try to avoid the word "minority" and
focus instead on diversity. See ethnic and national designations and African
American entries.
Mission Statement
Mortimer Rare Book Room
Mount Holyoke: not Mt. Holyoke
Mountain Day
Museum of Art: Capitalize
when referring to the Smith College museum.
Mwangi Cultural Center
names of people: Use last name only
on second and subsequent references. Avoid courtesy titles: Dr., Ms, Mrs., or Mr.
Use Jr., II, and so on with complete names only, and eliminate the preceding comma.
nationals, regionals, Easterns (sports
competitions)
NCAA divisions: Use roman numerals (Smith's
teams are Division III)
Neilson Library Browsing Room
Neilson, William Allan (not Allen)
newspaper and magazine titles: Capitalize
the name and set in italics, exactly as it appears in the masthead, including punctuation
and preceding article (The New York Times, The Albany Times-Union, Time magazine).
See titles.
NewsSmith
nontraditional-aged students, students
of nontraditional college age. Use when referring to Ada Comstock Scholars; avoid
saying "older students."
numbers: Spell out numbers one through
nine, use figures for 10 and above, even when this means mixing words and numerals
in the same sentence. This rule holds for ordinals as well.
Spell out numbers when they appear as the first word
of the sentence or recast the sentence (preferred). Use commas in numbers of four
or more digits (2,367), except in dates, addresses and page numbers. Large rounded
numbers should be spelled out (nearly a thousand people; 2 million residents).
academic year (2001-02) When citing academic
years, and use an en dash (which, when typeset, is slightly wider than a hyphen)
and do not repeat the century.
age: always use numerals (a 5 year old, the 5-year-old
boy)
fractions: Use figures for all fractions larger than
one; spell out for less than one (1-1/2; two-thirds).
centuries and decades: Use an s without an
apostrophe to indicate spans of decades or centuries 1930s, 1800s; decades: '30s,
the thirties; centuries: hyphenate adjectival forms of centuries (eighteenth-century
architecture). [See also "eras."]
money: Use numerals, not words, for all dollar amounts,
and eliminate zeros when possible ($6 million drive, $40 million)
percentages: Always use numerals for percentages and
spell out the word (7 percent)
telephone numbers: Use parentheses with area code:
(413) 584-2700. See also extensions entry.
temperature: Always use numerals, drop plus and minus
signs, and spell out "degrees" (minus 20 degrees, 7 below zero).
See also addresses, dates, eras, class
year, and time of day entries.
OneCard
online
Opening Convocation
orientation, orientation week
pass/fail grading option
Physical Plant
Picker Engineering Program, the Picker
program
plurals: Do not use an apostrophe for
plurals of acronyms: SATs, DVDs. See capitalization for plurals of common
noun elements used with proper names.
No apostrophe is necessary when pluralizing numbers or
letters, as in letter grades (the 1930s, two Bs and a C-); however, use an
apostrophe with the letter grade A to avoid misreading (two A's).
Latin plurals: addenda, analyses, consortia, criteria,
curricula, data, media, millennia, theses, syllabi, symposia
Anglicized plurals: appendixes, colloquiums, gymnasiums,
indexes, memorandums
Poetry Center
possessives: Singular proper names ending in s take
only an apostrophe: Morris' designs, Williams' speech.
post-season
prefixes: Compounds formed with prefixes
are normally closed. For further information, consult Webster's Dictionary,
the AP Stylebook or the Chicago Manual of Style (15th edition,
page 307). Examples: multicultural, nonprofit, prelaw, prehealth, postdoctoral, postseason,
preorientation
prehealth, prelaw, premedical, premed
preorientation programs
President's House
professor: In running text, all faculty
members at any rank may be referred to as "professor."
professorships, named: Full titles of
named professorships are always capitalized, even when they appear after the professor's
name.
Public Safety: The Smith department
is capitalized. Do not use the word "security" when referring to the
Smith department.
punctuation: This entry addresses frequently
asked questions and is not meant to be comprehensive. See "A Guide to Punctuation" chapter
in the AP Stylebook for a more complete explanation.
apostrophe: See possessives, holidays, decades,
and plurals.
commas
series Use for words in series of three or more after
every item except the last and next to the last (performances on Thursday, Friday
and Saturday). Exception: Use a comma after the next to the last item
if it helps avoid ambiguity. (Examples: undergraduate, business, and graduate and
professional schools; the required courses are Elementary German, Reading German,
and Conversation and Composition.) When some items in the list contain internal
commas, semicolons should be used between the items (and before the final conjunction
as well).
restrictive and nonrestrictive clauses A
phrase that is restrictive (essential to the meaning of the sentence) should not
be set off by commas. A nonrestrictive clause, however, should be enclosed in commas
or, if at the end of a sentence, preceded by a comma. See that/which entry.
dashes
For a detailed explanation of the different usages of em- and en-dashes and hyphens,
see the Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition, sections 6.80 to 6.94.
ellipses
Used only to indicate missing words or phrases in quotations.
hyphens
Hyphenate compound modifiers when they precede nouns (an awe-inspiring sight, a
well-prepared meal); leave open when they follow nouns (the sight was awe inspiring,
the meal was well prepared). See also prefixes entry.
Do not hyphenate well-established compound modifiers
(a high school play, the civil rights movement).
Do not hyphenate modifiers containing an adverb ending
in "ly" (mildly irritating
fellow, a highly complex question).
Suspensive hyphenation: For phrasal adjectives sharing
a common element. Example: He received a 10- to 20-year sentence.
quotation marks
Periods and commas generally go inside closing quotation marks. Colons, semicolons,
question marks and exclamation points follow closing quotation marks unless a
question mark or an exclamation mark is part of the quoted matter.
Quad, Quad I, Quad II
Rec Council (preferred to Recreation
Council)
re-create (to create again), recreate
(to take recreation)
Regular Decision Plan; Regular Decision
religious titles: the Reverend Richard
Phillips, not Rev. or Reverend Phillips (consult AP Stylebook—this
gets complicated)
Renaissance: See historical periods entry.
Resource Center for Gender and Sexuality in
Wesley House
résumé
riding stable, Smith College Riding
Stable
room and board: Use "housing and
meals" when referring to Smith.
rooms: Capitalize official room names
(Neilson Library Browsing Room) but not when they are simply locations or informal
names (Ainsworth lounge). When in doubt, use lowercase.
satisfactory/unsatisfactory grading
option; S/U grading option (on second reference only)
scholar-athlete
School for Social Work, SSW (on second
reference)
Scott Gymnasium; Scott gym
seasons: Use lowercase (fall, spring,
winter).
security: Use "Public Safety" when
referring to the Smith department.
semesters: Use lowercase (fall semester,
first semester, interterm)
SGA Cabinet, SGA office, SGA Senate
Smith College Club (formerly the Faculty
Club)
senior class gift, senior class speaker
Seven Sisters (adjective or noun)
Smith College health insurance program
Smith College Archives, College Archives,
the archives
Smith College Medal
Smith College Riding Stable; the riding
stable
The Smith Fund: formerly the Smith Alumnae
and Parents Fund
Smith-Northampton Summer School
Smith Scholars Program; Smith
Scholars
Sophomore Push; Sophomore Push Committee
S.O.S. : Service Organizations of Smith
(Use periods for the acronym.)
sports-related terms: All-American (n.
or adj.); Easterns, nationals; NCAA divisions use roman numerals: Division III (Smith's
teams are Division III teams); Region I; regionals; varsity eight (crew). See AP
Stylebook for a comprehensive listing.
Staff Council
state names: Spell out in text, except
when used in conjunction with a city, county or town (e.g., She was born in Massachusetts
in 1960; She was born in Northampton, Mass., in 1960). Set off state names with commas
before and after when used after a city in a sentence. Note: Use the two-letter
postal abbreviations only with full addresses and ZIP codes.
Stoddard Hall auditorium
Student Financial Services (formerly
Office of Financial Aid)
student activities fee
Student Government Association (SGA), SGA Cabinet, SGA
Judicial Board
study-abroad (adj.)
telephone numbers: use parentheses with
area code: (413) 584-2700
that/which: Use "that" for
restrictive clauses and "which" for nonrestrictive. See the "commas" entry
in the punctuation section.
theatre: (at Smith) Department of Theatre,
theatre department. Use the "theater" spelling in generic use, unless
the specific organization uses the "-re" spelling.
TIAA-CREF retirement plan
time of day: Use numbers, eliminate
unnecessary zeros, use a.m. and p.m. (lowercase with periods). Use "midnight" and "noon" (lowercase)
instead of 12 a.m. and p.m. (Examples: 8-11:30 a.m.; 7 a.m. to midnight; 8
a.m. to 1 p.m.) Spell out durations used in running text. Example: An eight-hour
workday. The class meets at two o'clock.)
titles
of works
Italicize titles of books, magazines, newspapers, legal cases, films, full-length
plays, paintings and exhibitions. See newspaper and magazine titles and Smith
publications.
Enclose in quotation marks the titles of lectures,
short stories, poems, songs, booklets, fliers and television series (unless specific
episodes are mentioned, then series title is in italics, episode in quotations),
Consult AP Stylebook under "composition titles" for more information.
course titles should be set in Roman
with initial caps. See capitalization.
of people
Capitalize official titles that appear before names (President
Carol T. Christ, Dean of the College Maureen A. Mahoney, Associate Professor June
Brown). Lowercase informal descriptive titles and occupational titles used before
names (history professor Ellen Richter, department chair Anne Miller). Use lowercase
for titles appearing after names (Carol T. Christ, president of the college). Use
the Smith College catalogue to confirm the titles of faculty members. Exceptions:
Titles in display (in mastheads and in other headings) or in formal usage (programs
and announcements) are often capitalized without regard to these rules. See also academic
titles and emerita.
Move titles to follow names whenever possible (Carol
T. Christ, president of Smith College; Karen Green, assistant professor of theatre).
Use lowercase for titles standing alone (the president,
the dean, the director of graduate study). "Junior Usher" is an exception.
T-shirt
transgender: adjective and noun. (transgender
students)
trustees, Smith College Board of Trustees,
board of trustees
United States: spell out when used as
a noun, abbreviate the adjectival form (U.S. Senator Carol Moseley-Braun, U.S. currency,
an ally of the United States).
university and college names: For universities
with several campuses, try to follow the preferred punctuation for each campus (see
individual Web sites). For example, University of Massachusetts Amherst; University
of California, Berkeley; University at Albany, State University of New York. Use
shortened names (UMass, MIT) only in informal references. Exception: Mount
Holyoke College: do not abbreviate "Mount."
upper-class students/upperclassmen:
Avoid these terms. When practical, replace with "returning students" or "upper-level
students." Consider using "sophomores, juniors and seniors," if
it doesn't seem too wordy.
vespers, Christmas vespers
Visiting Year at Smith (not Visiting
Student Program)
Web, Web site, Web page, webcam, webcast
William Allan Neilson Library (Note
the spelling of the middle name.)
Program for the Study of Women and Gender:
formerly women's studies
white: Lowercase when referring to race.
work-study, Federal Work-Study Program,
work-study students
ZIP code
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