A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

For items not listed in this guide, refer to the Associated Press Stylebook and Libel Manual. Where the two disagree, defer to S&B style. See the entries on race, sexuality, acronyms and titles for the most important exceptions to AP style.

acronyms, initialisms and other abbreviations
In general, refer to organizations and institutions by their full names on first reference, followed by the appropriate abbreviation in parentheses, if the article will refer to them by abbreviation later: Free the Planet (FTP). A full name in the headline or deck can serve as the first reference to an organization, if the abbreviation will be familiar to most readers; in this case parentheses need not be used. At the writer's discretion, any organization or institution may be referred to by its full name throughout an article if the abbreviation would be unclear or silly.
There are some exceptions to this rule: particularly familiar abbreviations such as SA¸ ARH, MathLan, and SGA can be used on first reference.

administration
A subcategory of Grinnell's staff, which engages in decision-making, policy-setting, and the oversight of most college functions. Because the distinctions between administrators and other staff (support staff, for example) are sometimes blurry, avoid referring to an individual as an administrator except when necessary. Also avoid referring to a monolithic administration; specify when possible, or use administrators.
Some administrators, particularly the most important ones, are also members of Grinnell's faculty, which does not necessarily mean that they teach classes (though some do) but usually means that they have tenure and can take a job on the faculty even if they leave their administrative post.
See here for a guide to Grinnell's administration.

Admission and Financial Aid, offices of
Admission is singular. These offices are headed by dean of Admission and Financial Aid.

alum, alums
The gender-neutral, Americanized designations for graduates of colleges and universities.

Alumni Recitation Hall
ARH is acceptable on first reference.

Alumni Relations and Development, office of

Anthropology, department of
In the Social Sciences division.

ARH
Acceptable on first reference for the Alumni Recitation Hall.

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Biology, department of
In the Sciences division.

Board of Trustees
Specify Grinnell's or the college's on first reference. Do not capitalize board or trustee on its own.
Many members of the board, especially older ones, are life trustees, which means they are not required to attend meetings or participate actively on the board.

bookstore
Specify Grinnell College's bookstore or the college's bookstore when referring to Grinnell College's bookstore. Do not capitalize.

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cabinet
In SGA, a student body appointed each spring by the incoming president and vice president and confirmed by the outgoing Joint Board. See here for an overview of SGA.

Campus Center
The Joseph F. Rosenfield '25 Campus Center is its official name.

Carnegie Hall

Chemistry, department of
In the Sciences division.

Chinese and Japanese, department of
In the Humanities division.

Chrystal Center
Houses the Registrar, Cashier, Admissions and Financial Aid. The John Chrystal Center is its official name.

City of Grinnell

Classics, department of
In the Humanities division. Teaches Greek and Latin.

class year
Identify past or future Grinnell graduates by placing the year of their graduation, or expected graduation, after their name, without commas: John Smith '89 spoke Tuesday. Add the plural after the year: John Smith '89's favorite hat. For current Grinnell students, base the class year on their official status, regardless of future plans. Exception: to avoid confusion, a .5 may be added to the class years of second-semester seniors during the first semester of a school year: Brandon Zicha '02.5. If a student has just been identified in prose as a first-year, sophomore, junior, or senior, including the class year is sometimes unnecessary.
Many college employees take advantage of a college policy that lets them take one course per semester, free of charge. After a while, this can add up to a degree, and many support staffers therefore have recent degrees from the college. In order to avoid confusion, such staffers should not be referred to by class year.
Here is a list of all traditional Grinnell graduates on the college's faculty and staff as of May 2003. (Graduates on the Board of Trustees are identified in the back of the college's academic catalog.)

Lisa Adkins '80, library
John Andelson '70, Anthropology
Carol Ahrens '94, Student Affairs
Meg Bair '96, Alumni Relations and Development
Heather Benning '96, Physical Education
Rachel Bly '93, Alumni Relations and Development
Edd Bowers '43, Physical Education
Barbara Brown '89, Psychology (technical assistant)
Richard Cleaver '75, Corporate, Foundation and Government Relations
Doug Cutchins '93, Social Commitment
David Dale '78, Information Technology Services
George Drake '56, History
James Duke '88, Dining Services
Bill Ferguson '75, Economics
Ann Geissinger '93, off-campus study
Craig Gibbens '95, Alumni Relations and Development
Kim Gilbert '82, library
Andy Hamilton '85, Physical Education
Misty Huacuja '99, Admission
Al Jones '50, History
Ann Kintner '86, library
Jim Kissane '52, English
Harley McIlrath, bookstore
Mickey Munley '87, Communication and Events
James Onwauchi '95, Admission
Jon Petitt '01, Communication and Events
Sarah Purcell '92, History
Jean Reavis '78, library
Henry Reitz '89, Religious Studies
Erik Sanning '89, Theatre
Milton Severe '87, Faulconer Gallery
Frank Thomas '71, vice president for diversity
Karen Wiese '73, Corporate, Foundation and Government Relations
Jenny Wood '92, Physical Education

college
Do not capitalize except as part of a proper name: Grinnell College's campus but the college's campus.

Communication and Events, office of
The college's public relations department.

comprehensive fee
Tuition refers only to the cost of education; comprehensive fee includes room, board, and other miscellany. Most articles will discuss comprehensive fees rather than merely tuition. Tuition and fees is an acceptable synonym.

Computer Science
See Mathematics and Computer Science, department of.

concentrations
Concentrations are sometimes confused with the minors that other schools offer, but they're different, because they aren't just smaller versions of majors. Concentrations are interdisciplinary, which means they're combinations of courses from various departments, culminated in a interdisciplinary seminar or research project in the senior year.

A list of concentrations Grinnell offers can be found in the academic catalog.

conjunctions
Sentences may occasionally begin with and, but, or or. The technique should not be overused.

contractions
May be used at the writer's discretion.

curriculums
Not curricula.

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Dean, office of the

departments and offices
A department is a group of faculty and staff dedicated to a certain field of study, such as the Chemistry department, which teaches and studies chemistry. (Each department belongs to one of three divisions: Social Sciences, Sciences, and Humanities.) Capitalize the department's name when it refers to the department: Jane Smith, Mathematics, and a Computer Science major. Do not capitalize the word department itself: the English department. Do not capitalize a word describing an academic discipline in general: John Smith '89 enjoys studying computer science.

An office is a group of staff dedicated to a certain area of the college's administration, such as Student Affairs.

disabilities
Refer to these characteristics only when they are clearly relevant to the story, and ask sources or subjects to self-identify rather than assigning the categories yourself. In general, use disabled rather than handicapped. Capitalize cultures that arise from communities of disabled people: Deaf culture.

disclosure
Though stories should never be written or edited by anyone with personal interest in the issue, it may sometimes be necessary to mention a formal relationship between the S&B itself and something it writes about. Articles about the Student Publications and Radio Committee, for example, should note that the committee oversees and allocates funding for the S&B.

division
Grinnell's academic departments are divided into three divisions: Sciences, Social Sciences, and Humanities. Like the departments, each has a chair selected from among its faculty for a two-year term.

dormitories
Grinnell has 19: Norris, Cowles, Dibble, Clark, Gates, Rawson, Langan, Smith and Younker on North Campus; Loose, Read, Haines, James, Cleveland and Main on South Campus; and dorms A, B, C and D on East Campus. Capitalize Hall on first reference to a particular building: James Hall. Dorm is acceptable on any reference. Official names (Mary B. James Cottage) are not necessary.

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Economics, department of
In the Social Sciences division.

Education, department of
In the Social Sciences division. Because education is seen as a vocation rather than a discipline, the department does not offer a major; instead, it offers a state-certified licensure program that happens to be exactly the same size as a major (plus a ninth semester that includes on-the-job experience). Education students, therefore, always have an academic major in addition to their vocational study.
The education licensure program is sometimes incorrectly referred to as a "concentration." It isn't one.

English, department of
In the Humanities division.

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faculty
With students and staff, one of the three major parts of Grinnell College. The word can be an adjective or a noun: faculty housing, faculty members' residences. The noun is collective and singular: the faculty meets once a month.

Financial Aid, office of
See Admissions and Financial Aid, offices of.

Fine Arts Center
The Bucksbaum Center for the Arts is its official name.

first-year
Not freshman.

Flanagan Theater

Forum North Lounge, Forum South Lounge, Forum Coffeehouse, Forum Desk, Forum Grill
There is only one of each, so we capitalize them all.

French, department of
In the Humanities division.

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German, department of
In the Humanities division.

Goodnow Hall

Grin network
Independent of the MathLAN and Residential Networks; it links most computers in academic buildings.

GUM, the
The college's humor magazine. Used to be short for Grinnell Underground Magazine, it is thought, but the full name is no longer used. Do not capitalize or italicize the.

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hall social coordinator
Student volunteer who organizes social events in each dorm cluster. HSC on second reference.

handicaps
See disabilities.

HelpDesk
Information Technology Services' student-staffed technology hotline. Information Technology Services' HelpDesk on first reference; further explanation may sometimes be necessary in context.

Herrick Chapel
The college's nondenominational worship space. Used most frequently for Black Church, Scholars' Convocations, and the weddings of alums.

History, department of
In the Social Sciences division.

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infinitives
May be split: to boldly go and boldly to go are both correct.

Institutional Research, office of

internet
The massive global computer network over which email, web pages, and other data can be shared. Contrary to AP style, do not capitalize.

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Joint Board
An SGA body comprising senators elected from each hall and from off-campus housing and the SGA cabinet, including the president and vice president. The body holds weekly meetings throughout the year. SGA's Joint Board on first reference. See here for an overview of SGA.

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Mathematics and Computer Science, department of
Both these subjects are technically taught by a single department in the Sciences division, although the faculty have different titles and the students have different majors. They share an SEPC. For all practical purposes, treat them as separate departments: Jane Smith, Mathematics, and a Computer Science major.

Mathematics, mathematics
The capitalized Mathematics refers to that portion of the department of Mathematics and Computer Science which specializes in mathematics; either math or mathematics can be used for the discipline.

MathLAN
Acceptable on first reference for the Mathematics Local Area Network. It is independent of the Residential Network and the Grin network.

Music, department of
In the Humanities division.

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off-campus college-owned, off-campus non-college-owned
OCCO and OCNCO on second reference.

Old Glove Factory
Renovated from the defunct Morrison, McIntosh and Company glove factory. Near Central Park downtown, it houses Accounting, the Treasurer, Alumni Relations and Development, Human Resources and College Services.

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peer institutions
An official list of schools that Grinnell chooses to consider its "peers," first assembled in 1999 and used whenever the administration compares itself to other schools. Most of them are small, coeducational, highly selective schools in small towns. They are: Amherst College in Massachusetts, Bowdoin College in Maine, Carleton College in Minnesota, Colorado College in Colorado, Davidson College in North Carolina, Kenyon College in Ohio, Macalester College in Minnesota, Oberlin College in Ohio, Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania, Washington and Lee University in Virginia, and Williams College in Massachusetts.

Because the list is essentially arbitrary, identify as Grinnell's official "peer institutions" on first reference.

Philosophy, department of
In the Humanities division.

Physical Education Complex
PEC on second reference.

Physical Education, department of
In the Social Sciences division. It does not offer a major.

Physics, department of
In the Sciences division.

post office
Distinguish between the city's post office and the college's post office unless the context makes this obvious.

prepositions
May be used at the end of sentences at clauses, as long as their objects are immediately obvious. The experience it reminded her of is easy to read; the experience it reminded her of last night is not. In the latter case, write the experience of which it reminded her last night, or rephrase completely.

president
Never capitalized, except before a proper name.

President, office of the

Psychology, department of
In the Sciences division.

punctuation
See the AP stylebook's excellent entry on punctuation for a more thorough and skillful set of guidelines than we could hope to provide. This shortened section, however, should be required reading for all writers.

commas: In lists, do not place a comma before the final conjunction: pigs, sheep and wolves. Do not place commas before or after a class attribution: John Smith '89 spoke Tuesday. Place commas before and after the names of departments and offices: Jane Smith, Mathematics, spoke Tuesday and Phil Jones, Student Services, answered the telephone.
dashes: Sometimes confused with hyphens, and often unnecessarily replaced for commas, dashes are used between words to signify abrupt transitions in a sentence: Smith-herself a graduate of Yale-described Grinnell as a peer to the finest colleges on the East Coast.
ellipses: These consist of a space, three consecutive periods, and another space, like a freestanding word: "We tried … and we failed." If an ellipsis occurs between sentences, place a period at the end of the first sentence and capitalize the next as usual: "We tried. … Later, we realized that we had failed." There is no need for ellipses before or after bracketed insertions or attributions: "We tried [but] failed." "We tried, he said, and we failed."
hyphens: Use hyphens at your discretion, but only as joiners: usually, to combine multiple words into a single modifier. Reserve for occasions when they help clarify meaning: a none-too-confident smile or the green-eyed monster.

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race, ethnicity, and origin
Refer to these characteristics only when it is clearly relevant to the story, and ask sources and subjects to self-identify rather than assigning the categories yourself. Capitalize labels based on regions: Southern, Caucasian, Cuban-American. Do not capitalize white or black. In general, use Latino to refer to Latin American culture. Do not use Oriental to refer to Asian culture; in most cases, distinguish between East Asian and South Asian. Use Native American rather than American Indian. In the abstract, use people of color, faculty of color, etc., rather than racial minorities.

Registrar, office of the

Religious Studies, department of
In the Humanities division.

residence life coordinator
Student Affairs employee who oversees student life in one of Grinnell's dorm clusters. RLC on second reference.

Residential Network
The computer network that links computers in the dorms and in off-campus college-owned housing. The Grin network, which links most computers in academic buildings, and the MathLAN, which is used mainly for math and computer science, are independent networks. ResNet on second reference.

Roberts Theater

Russian, department of
In the Humanities division.

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S&B
Refer to the Scarlet and Black by its nickname.

SA
Student volunteer responsible for enriching student life on each floor of each dorm. Acceptable on first reference for student advisor.

Science Center
The Robert N. Noyce '49 Science Center is its official name.

secretary
Avoid the term; use support staffer and support staff. Distinguish when necessary between academic support staff and administrative support staff.

SEPC
Composed of student majors in each department. Works with professors to set academic policy and to hire new faculty, and sends a member to the Student Curriculum Committee. Student Educational Policy Committee on first reference.

sexual orientation
Refer to this characteristic only when it is clearly relevant to the story, and ask sources and subjects to self-identify rather than assigning the categories yourself. In general, use queer rather than gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, homosexual, etc. Use orientation rather than sexuality or sexual preference.

SGA
Acceptable on first reference for the Student Government Association. May also be referred to as the student government. See here for an overview of SGA.

Sociology, department of
In the Social Sciences division.

Spanish, department of
In the Social Sciences division.

staff
With students and faculty, one of the three main parts of Grinnell College.

Steiner Hall

student advisor
Student volunteer responsible for enriching student life on each floor of each dorm. SA is acceptable on first reference.

Student Affairs, office of

Student Services, office of

Student Educational Policy Committee
Composed of student majors in each department. Works with professors to set academic policy and to hire new faculty, and sends a member to the Student Curriculum Committee. SEPC on second reference.

Student Government Association
SGA is acceptable on first reference. May also be referred to as the student government. See here for an overview of SGA.

Student Publications and Radio Committee
A five-member body, elected by the student body each spring, responsible for supervising and allocating funding to student-run media, including the S&B. SPARC on second reference. Stories about SPARC should usually mention SPARC's role in funding the S&B.

students
With faculty and staff, one of the three main parts of Grinnell College.

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Theatre, department of
In the Humanities division. Teaches dance and dramatic literature courses as well as acting, directing, design, and technical work.

theater, theatre
Use theater to refer to a building or physical location and theatre to refer to the activities which take place within.

titles
Never capitalize a person's title unless it is an official title and it falls before a proper name. Thus: Dean of Admissions Jane Smith but Admissions dean Jane Smith and Jane Smith, dean of Admissions. Do not use courtesy titles such as Mr. Ms., or the Rev. unless they are necessary to distinguish between people sharing a last name. Do not use Miss or Mrs. unless requested to do so by a source.

Academic titles: Do not use titles such as Prof. or Dr. Distinguish medical doctors from professors by referring to their professions in prose: John Smith, a doctor at the Grinnell Regional Medical Center.
Military titles: Use military titles on first reference only, and only if they are pertinent to the story at hand.
Literary and artistic creations: For the titles of works of art, italicize larger works such as books, periodicals, albums, paintings, sculptures and full-length plays and films. Place in quotation marks the titles of smaller works such as short stories, articles, essays, songs, one-act plays and short films.
When the title of a periodical, group or organization begins with an article such as the or and, do not capitalize or italicize the initial article: the GUM, the Beatles, the Board of Trustees.

Treasurer, office of the

tuition
See comprehensive fee.

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User Consultant
One of Information Technology Services' student employees. UCs staff some computer labs and the HelpDesk. UC on second reference. The UC corps is managed in part by several User Consultant Coordinators (UCCs), who are usually experienced UCs.

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vice president
Never capitalized, except before a proper name. Never hyphenated.
The college administration includes many vice presidents with different responsibilities. SGA has one vice president, who also serves as the president of academic affairs (PAA). SGA's vice president, therefore, should be referred to as vice president/president of academic affairs on the first reference and VP/PAA on the second, unless the person is acting or speaking as the holder of one particular office. See here for more on these offices in SGA.

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Wall Theater
A studio theater and classroom in the Fine Arts Center.

Wal-Mart

world wide web
The set of pages, written in hypertext, that are transmitted over the internet. Contrary to AP style, do not capitalize.