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
academic affairs—Capitalize the formal name (Office of Academic Affairs) and the casual (Academic Affairs Office). The senior staff member is the vice president and dean for academic affairs.
academic degrees—As an academic institution, we will follow proper rules. When speaking generally, use doctorate, bachelor's degree, master's degree (note use of apostrophes). Specific academic degrees should be capitalized (ex: Bachelor of Arts degree); when abbreviated, they should include periods and be set off by commas: B.A. degree, B.S. degree, M.A. degree, M.S. degree, M.D. degree, or Ph.D. degree.
For lesser-known degrees, such as Master of Fine Arts, Master of Public Administration, Juris Doctor, etc., spell out the entire title, using capitalization on all words except degree. Subsequent references to these degrees should use periods (ex.: M.F.A. degree, M.P.A. degree). Honorary degrees are only referenced if they are from Simpson College.
academic and administrative titles—see titles.
Academic Committees (Appointed) (as of Sept. 2007):
Academic Advisory Council, Animal Care Committee, Dean’s Council, Faculty Development Committee, Learning Environment Steering Committee, Information Technology Advisory Committee, Institutional Review Board, International Education Committee, Strategic Planning Steering Committee
accents (and other foreign marks)—Use accents ( ´and ` )
when possible.
Mac users:
- ´ over a letter by pressing option-e then appropriate letter
- ` over a letter by pressing option-` (before the #1 key) and then appropriate letter
- ˆ over a letter with option-i then letter
- œ using option-q
- ç with option-c
- ß with option-s
- ¨ with option-u then letter
- ø with option-o
- å with option-a
- ˜ with option-n then letter
- ¡ with option-1
- ¿ with option-shift-/
acronyms—Generally, do not use periods, unless an organization's style calls for them. (One exception is "a.k.a." when used for "also known as.")
HOWEVER, when using a person's initials or talking about academic degrees, use periods: B.A., B.S., M.A., M.S., M.F.A., M.D., Ph.D., etc. Consider spelling out lesser-known degrees on first reference.
Avoid using all-caps for words that are not true acronyms, even if a company's style does so; instead, capitalize just the first letter of each word.
admissions—Capitalize the formal name (Office of Admissions) and the casual (Admissions Office). The senior staff member for student admission is the vice president for enrollment. The recruitment officers are admissions (note plural) counselors.
addresses—see states.
adjunct faculty member—person not on tenure track whose association with the college is more permanent. This designation may be combined with any rank (assistant, associate, etc.) This designation may also be used for staff members who hold faculty rank.
African-American—Use hyphen (same for other ethnic groups, such as Japanese-Americans). Be sensitive to the true ethnicity of other black people, such as Jamaican-Americans, or black people from other countries. Other terms to consider: minorities, ethnic minorities. (Note: The national month of observation is called Black History Month.)
alma mater—no caps and no italics; considered an English word.
alumni—
- singular vs. plural: One man is an alumnus; one woman is an alumna; several men, or a group of men and women, are alumni; several women are alumnae. The casual reference to "alum" should be avoided.
- new names: Alumni who have changed their names since graduating, such as alumnae who assumed the last name of their husbands, will be listed by both the new name and the name by which they were known while attending Simpson. (Example: Jane Smith Johnson)
Alumni Association—refers to the Simpson College Alumni Association.
Alumni Association Board of Directors-refers to the board governing the Simpson College Alumni Association.
Alumni Office—Capitalize the formal name (Office of Alumni Relations) and the more casual reference (Alumni Office). The senior staff member for the Alumni Office is the vice president for college advancement.
alumni class years—
- regular use: In most cases, use the apostrophe and the last two digits of the graduating year with one space and no comma between the name and year. (Example: John Smith ’98 sang.) Mac users: Get ’ with option-shift-].
- for classes in another century: When needed to avoid confusion, use all four digits of the class year, surrounded by commas and spaces. (Example: John Smith, 1898, founded the group.)
- couples: a. both alumni: Generally, list the year with each of their names,
and be sure the woman-if she has a maiden name and married name-is listed last,
to avoid repeating the last name. (Example: John ’45 and Jane Taylor Smith
’46). Be sensitive to exceptions, such as when the woman is the subject, and her spouse, whether alumnus or not, is also mentioned. b. just the man is an alumnus: Do not list the woman's maiden name (Examples: John ’45 and Jane Smith or Jane and John Smith ’45), unless that is also her married name (Example: John Smith ’45 and Jane Taylor). c. just the woman is an alumna: List the couple as follows: John and Jane Taylor Smith ’46 (woman has new married name), or Jane Taylor ’46 and John Smith (woman kept her maiden name). - To indicate a parent of alumni or a current student, use parenthesis to set off a capitol P, and an apostrophe followed by alumni year. No space between the P and the apostrophe or the year (P’84).
a.m./p.m.—Use lower case with periods instead of "o'clock."
(Examples: 8 a.m.;
7:30 p.m.)
American Indian—Native American is another option.
AmeriCorps (note capital C)—national service program that allows people of all ages and backgrounds to help pay for education in exchange for a year of service.
ampersand (&)—Use this symbol if it is part of an official title; otherwise, spell out the word "and."
anniversaries—Use lower case for centennial, sesquicentennial, bicentennial when referring to general anniversaries. (Simpson will celebrate its sesquicentennial in 2010.)
anxious—Use when referring to anxiety, not eagerness.
archives—Use lower-case letters when referring to the items in the archives. Capitalize when referring to Archives (the place)—also Simpson College Archives—located on the library's lower level.
Baccalaureate—service that occurs on the eve of Commencement; capitalize it when referring to Simpson College's service.
biannually—use semiannually instead to mean twice a year, biennially to mean every other year. Confusion can occur by using the term biannually because the prefix "bi" can mean two and twice. Semiannually is a synonym that offers clarity.
biennially—every two years.
bicentennial—see anniversaries.
black—This term is OK but consider using African-American or Jamaican-American, for example. Other terms might also be appropriate: minority, underrepresented group, ethnic minority, ethnic group.
board of trustees—In prose, use lower case. For more formal and promotional text, capitalization may be considered. Individual trustees may be referred to using the rules under "titles." Trustee John Smith or John Smith, a trustee of the college.
books—Italicize names; see titles, composition.
buildings—Use the full name on first reference but shorten for later references if the abbreviation is well-known. If the common abbreviation is made up of just letters, do not use periods between the letters: BSC, BPAC.
Buildings at Simpson College include:
* Amy Robertson Music Center
* Art Center
* Blank Performing Arts Center
* Brenton Student Center
* Barker Hall
* Buxton Hall
* Buxton Stadium
* Carver Science Center
* College Hall
* Cowles Fieldhouse
* Dunn Library
* Great Hall
* Hillman Hall
* Hopper Gymnasium
* Kresge Hall
* Mary Berry Hall
* McNeill Hall
* Pfeiffer Dining Hall
* Picken Hall
* Smith Chapel
* Wallace Hall
business and finance—Capitalize the formal name (Office of Business and Finance) and the casual (Business and Finance Office). The senior staff member is the vice president for business and finance.
cabinet—lower case
The President’s Cabinet—upper case
cabinet level administrators—president, vice president and dean for academic affairs, vice president for business and finance, vice president for information services, executive director of college relations, vice president for college advancement, athletic director, vice president for student development, vice president for enrollment
campaign—Capitalize this when referring to the full and proper title of a major fundraising drive, such as the Comprehensive Campaign; use "the campaign" (lower case) in subsequent references.
capitalization—Avoid unnecessary capitalization, but always capitalize proper nouns. Academic departments, specific classes and college offices are considered proper nouns: Department of Mathematics, a mathematics class, Mathematics 201, Counseling and Career Services.
captions—Identify people in photos using these guidelines: With few people, insert (left), (right), (center) into sentence, using parentheses. With many people, it works best to say (from left) or (front row, from left). Then, subsequent rows need not indicate direction, since a pattern has been established. Try to avoid making the explanatory notes part of the sentence—keep them in parentheses.
CD—no periods when used for compact disc or certificate of deposit.
CD-ROM—Note use of hyphen and all caps (acronym for read-only memory).
centennial—see anniversaries.
century—Generally, do not capitalize it (the 19th century or 19th-century architecture), except when part of a proper name or title (Century 21 Realty; Life of the 21st Century by John Smith). Only hyphenate when the century forms a compound modifier.
chair—Simpson’s board of trustees and academic departments have a chair, not a chairman. Use chair to avoid gender bias. (Note that some exceptions may exist whereby a person's official title is chairman or chairwoman.)
chairs, endowed—chair and professorship are generally interchangeable; chair and professor are not. A professor who holds the chair IN a discipline should be referred to as the professor OF the discipline, keeping the name of the chair capitalized, even in shortened, casual references: John Smith, Hales Family Distinguished Professor of Ethics, led the discussion, or John Smith is the Hales Family Distinguished Professor of Ethics or John Smith is the Hales Professor or John Smith holds the Hales Chair in Ethics.
chairholders—People appointed to chairs or professorships are called professors, not chairs
chapel—Capitalize only when using its proper name: Smith Chapel.
check in—two words
checkout—one word
city of _____—In prose, do not capitalize "city."
class standing—Students are first-years, sophomores, juniors or seniors, do not capitalize these class standings even when used as the student’s title: the first-year class, three sophomore students, junior John Doe.
classes—In prose, do not capitalize, even when referring to specific classes. (Examples: the class of 1989, or class of '89; 50th reunion class); see also alumni, class years.
coach—Generally, this is an occupational description and not a formal title. However, when it is used as a courtesy title on subsequent reference, it should be capitalized. See titles.
co-curricular—Use this instead of extracurricular when talking about campus living and learning activities.
college—do not capitalize in isolation when referring specifically to Simpson College. (Example: The college is located in Indianola, Iowa.)
college advancement—Capitalize the formal name (Office of College Advancement) and the casual (College Advancement Office). The senior staff member for college advancement is the vice president for college advancement.
college colors—red and gold
For printed publications that utilize the college's official colors:
Red: PMS 194
Gold: PMS 123
college relations—Used for the title of Executive Director of College Relations. The department is Marketing and Public Relations.
colon—Capitalize the first letter after a colon if the clause that follows forms a complete sentence. Exceptions: titles of papers, articles, chapters, and books, where the first word after colons will always be capitalized.
Commencement—Capitalize when referring specifically to Simpson College's graduation ceremony.
commas—Materials for constituencies should follow the academic and other style guidelines below. Commas (and periods) always go inside quotation marks.
Items in a series: Do not use a comma before the last item in a series. (Examples: We colored it red, gold and blue. They evaluated professors of chemistry, geology, mathematics and computer science. The grant will fund six faculty seminars, a series on prominent policymakers in international relations and the development of a self-instructional language program.)
Press releases: avoid commas when possible: before "and" in a series, unless needed for clarity; before "Jr.," "Sr." and "III," etc. in people's names, and before "Inc.," "Ltd.," etc. in company names.
Class years: No commas are needed to separate a name from a class-year designation. (Example: John Doe ’58 gave a presentation.)
Dates: When using more than one identifier for a date, use commas to separate days, dates, and years. Note that a month alone (no date) does not need a comma between it and the year. (Examples: His presentation on Saturday, Jan. 14, was most informative. The event was held in January 1997. We set the next meeting for July 14, 1997, in Tampa.)
City/State: Use pairs of commas to separate cities from states. (Examples: John Smith of St. Paul, Minn., won the award. The award winners include Bea Baylor, Simpson, Wis.; Jenny Jones, Fort Smith, Ark.; Sam Smith, Rockford, Ill.; and Wayne World, Portland, Ore. The Minnesota band is here. The St. Paul, Minn., band is here.)
Numbers: Use a comma for most four-digit figures that reflect an actual count of things such as money and people (1,345 applicants). Exceptions include street addresses, broadcast frequencies, room numbers, serial numbers and calendar years.
Endings on personal and business names: Use commas before Sr., Jr., III, Inc., Ltd., etc., except when writing for the press.
company—Generally, capitalize and abbreviate (Co.) when part of a company's name, but exceptions may be made.
compound modifiers—Compound modifiers are two or more words that express a single concept. When a compound modifier comes before a noun, use hyphens between the words: a full-time student, a two-hour class. Don’t hyphenate compound modifiers that include the word very or adverbs ending in -ly: a very happy professor, an easily remembered name. Many compound modifiers after nouns don’t need hyphenation: He goes to school full time.
composition titles—see titles.
convocation—Generally, use lower case in prose (ex: fall convocation).
copyright symbol ©—Mac users get this by typing option-g
corporation—Generally, capitalize and abbreviate (Corp.) when part of a company's official title, but exceptions may be made.
course load—two words
course titles—see titles.
days of the week—Never abbreviate in prose.
dates—Abbreviate months in prose according to AP style; see commas.
dash—Use a long dash (or em dash) with no spaces between the dash and the words. (The two-hyphen construction died with typewriters.) This is the preferred typesetting/publishing method.
day care—two words. When used as a compound adjective (day care center), do not hyphenate it; one could argue that each modifier could stand alone and that the connection between the words is clear without a hyphen.
dean of the college/academic dean—a.k.a. vice president and dean for academic affairs; see vice presidents.
dean of students—a.k.a. vice president for student development; see vice presidents.
decades—ex: the 1970s; the '70s (no apostrophe before "s").
decision making / decision-making—two words as a noun; hyphenated as a compound adjective (decision-making abilities).
departments, academic—In prose, use lower-case letters for all references, both formal and informal. This obviously does not apply to languages that must be capitalized. (Example: English department, department of anthropology, and anthropology department)
departments, non-academic (a.k.a. offices)—In prose, generally capitalize references to particular offices, both formal and informal. (Example: Office of Admissions and Admissions Office) Some departments may not have official titles or may be more of a place with a specific function than a properly named office (bookstore, library, mail center, print shop); these should use lower-case letters.
Please note that media prefer lower case in almost every instance.
disabilities—Be sensitive but not silly. Talk about impairments (hearing, vision, etc.) when possible. People who cannot walk are disabled, not handicapped, and buildings that accommodate them are, simply, accessible. Avoid constructions like "the disabled." "People with disabilities" is better.
disk—not disc; exceptions: disc jockey and compact disc
ellipsis (...)—Use three dots (no spaces between them, but a space on each side) to signify that something has been left out of a direct quote or that the writer is leaping from one topic to another. A complete sentence will have its own period, followed by a space, then the three dots, space and next sentence.
email—no hyphen, small "e"; capital "e" may be used to start a sentence or a line in a block of formatted type. In prose, make addresses stand out by putting them in italics, and try to avoid having them followed immediately by punctuation marks.
emeritus—an honor earned (not automatic), usually upon retirement. Conforming to the rules of Latin, use this descriptor after the title. (Examples: Single person, by gender and placement: Professor Emeritus John Doe; President Emerita Martha Peterson; Jane Doe, professor emerita) Multiples by gender: professors emeriti (for all men or mixed group); professors emeritae (for all women). Reference to all the faculty and staff who hold emeritus status is, simply, "the emeriti."
extension—For telephone numbers, use "ext." followed by a space and the four-digit number.
extracurricular—see co-curricular
faculty—When used alone, treat it as a singular noun (our faculty is the best). When referring to the people who make up the faculty, use "faculty members."
fair market value—no hyphen because the noun is "market value."
FAQ—Abbreviation for frequently asked questions. It is capitalized and has no periods between letters.
fax—Use lower-case letters (or capitalize the first letter if starting a sentence or line of formatted text with it). Do not use all caps.
first-year student—Use this instead of freshman.
foreign words—Italicize those that are not common English expressions. Many previously foreign words are now accepted as part of the English language and should not be italicized, such as alma mater, rendezvous, spiel.
Simpson Forum—Simpson Forum features events throughout the year to which students, faculty, staff and the public is invited. Students may earn academic credit. Simpson Forum is a proper name and capitalized.
fractions—see numbers.
freshman/men—Use first-year student(s) instead.
fund-raiser—event
fund raising—two words as noun (I work in fund raising)
fund-raising—hyphenated as adjective (a fund-raising event)
gender—Be non-specific when possible without creating cumbersome forms. Examples: staff tend the phones (not man the phones), chair (not chairman or -woman, unless that's part of the official title for that person), spokesperson, sales representative, business owner/entrepreneur/retailer, etc., actor (may be used for both genders), master of ceremonies (may be used for both genders); firefighter, police officer; fellow as adjective (fellow alumni) may refer to both genders.
GPA / grade point average—no hyphen because the noun is "point average." Acronym is GPA (no periods).
Great Ape Trust—Do not use “the” before title. Do not use GAT as substitute.
Greek letters—Mac users: get delta with option-j; get epsilon with option-w; get omega with option-z
handicaps—see disabilities.
headlines—Capitalize the first letter of important words in a headline, including multiple words in a hyphenated construction. (Example: Fund-raising Goal Achieved in Nick of Time) When using quotation marks in headlines, use single marks instead of double. Shortcuts, such as numerals and %, are acceptable.
health care—two words. When used as a compound adjective (health care provider), do not hyphenate it; one could argue that each modifier could stand alone and that the connection between the words is clear without a hyphen.
high-tech—adjective
Hispanic—a person whose ancestors come from Spain. See Latino.
historic—When preceded by an article, use "an" (an historic day).
holidays and holy days—Capitalize official well-known celebrations. (Examples: Christmas Day, Fourth of July, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Valentine's Day)
Homecoming/Reunion Weekend—This formal reference is preferred, using capitalization and slash. When talking just about Homecoming, capitalize it as long as it refers specifically to Simpson’s event.
home page—two words.
honorary degrees—LL.D. degree is the Doctor of Laws degree, and L.H.D. degree is Doctor of Humane Letters degree. Try to be explicit in the text that these are honorary degrees.
honors—Cum Laude (with honor/praise), Magna Cum Laude (with great honor/praise) and Summa Cum Laude (with highest honor/praise). At Simpson College, these terms are capitalized in the Commencement program.
Human Resources Office—Note plural.
hyphens—Hyphens are joiners. To create a list of points, use the bullets button in Word, not hyphens. Also see compound modifiers.
ID—Do not use periods when referring to identification. (plural: IDs)
incorporated—Capitalize and spell out or abbreviate (Inc.) according to a company's official title. If that's unclear, abbreviate. Precede with a comma except when writing for the press. See commas.
Indian—Use a descriptor, such as North American, unless referring to someone from India. Native American is also suggested.
Indianola, city of—the word “city” is not capitalized.
information services—Capitalize the formal name (Office of Information Services) and the casual (Information Services). The senior staff member is the vice president for information services.
initials—Use periods and no space between initial letters of someone's name
innercity—no hyphen.
International Education—an umbrella term that encompasses study abroad and exchange programs.
Internet—Reference to the Net is also acceptable.
intramural sports/intramurals-use to describe extracurricular sport activities for students.
J.D.—Doctor of Jurisprudence degree (both earned and honorary)
Jr., III, etc.—Abbreviate and capitalize when part of someone's name; precede by a comma except when writing for the press. See commas.
Kwanzaa—midwinter African-American celebration.
Latino/Latina—refers to a person (based on gender) whose ancestors come from Latin America. Latino-American is the common reference (regardless of gender) to U.S. citizens from Latin America.
L.H.D.—Doctor of Humane Letters degree. Try to be explicit in the text that this is an honorary degree: He received the honorary L.H.D. Degree.
library—Use lower case in generic use and when speaking of the Simpson College library. Formal title—Dunn Library—should be used in formal presentations and in fund-raising materials. The library also houses the Simpson College Archives.
LL.D.—Doctor of Laws degree. Try to be explicit in the text that this is an honorary degree.
logos, College-wide—Simpson College logotype must be represented on all Simpson College materials. (font: New Century Schoolbook Bold)
Official colors: Red: PMS 194, Gold: PMS 123
College seal: use for only the most official and formal occasions such as certificates, formal invitations and diplomas..
College crest: or coat of arms, is not to be used in place of the logo and its use is very restricted to only the most official documents, and then only at the discretion of the president.
longtime—one word as an adjective.
low-tech-adjective
master—Use for both sexes; mistress is outmoded and has bad connotation. (Example: Master of Ceremonies)
marketing and public relations—Capitalize the formal name (Office of Marketing and Public Relations) and the casual (Marketing and Public Relations Office). The senior staff member is the executive director of college relations.
mathematical symbols—Mac users:
- get µ with option-m
- for ≠, use option-=
- get √ with option-v
- get ≈ with option-x
- get ÷ using option-slash
- get ∞ using option-5
- get ≤ using option-comma
- get ≥ using option-period
mid—no hyphen when used as prefix, unless it precedes a capital letter or numerical figure.
midnight—Use this rather than 12 a.m. to avoid confusion.
midterm—For midsemester breaks, use midterm break for the one that occurs in autumn; spring break is more commonly used for the other.
Midwest—All regions should be capitalized (the Northeast, the South).
money—Use numerals. For amounts under a dollar, use numerals and the word cents: 5 cents. Use numerals for any amount over a dollar and don’t use unnecessary zeros. The decimal system (taken out 1 or 2 places) is usually preferred for numbers above $1 million. (Examples: $1.123 million, or better yet: more than $1.1 million, nearly $1.2 million) (Symbols: ¢ = option-4; £ = option-3; € = shift-option-2; ¥ = option-y). When forming a compound adjective, use a hyphen. (Examples: He gave $50. His gift was $1 million (simple nouns). He presented a $1-million gift (compound adjective). The year-end total was nearly $1.5 million.)
months—Capitalize the names of months in all uses. When a month is used with a specific date abbreviate only Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov., Dec.
mortarboard—the cap worn at commencement.
move in—two words
move out—two words
multidisciplinary—no hyphen; refers to three or more disciplines.
multimedia—no hyphen.
National Science Foundation Fellowship—Spell out for initial use. Can abbreviate for future references. NSF Fellows are chosen from a national pool of students for a three-year fellowship.
Native American—also Indian. Include modifier, such as American Indian, and, when possible, be precise and use the name of the tribe.
newspapers—see titles, composition.
No.—Use this capitalized abbreviation for number when referring to a position or rank. (Examples: No. 1 city in America; No. 3 choice)
nonfiction/nonprofit—no hyphen. Depending on the organization, "not-for-profit" may be preferred. Refer to Simpson College as an independent college (nonprofit for postal purposes).
noon—use this rather than 12 p.m.
numbers—(see also No.) In general, spell out zero through nine (and first through ninth) and give numerals for 10 and above (10th, etc.). Fractions, such as two-thirds, should be spelled out. If paired with a whole number, use the decimal system: 2.25. Percentages, measurements, GPAs and ages should always be represented by numerals. Headlines: use numerals, even for 1-9. Spell out any number if it’s the first word in a sentence or rewrite the sentence so another word is first.
online—one word
people—In general, use this instead of persons. If, however, someone uses persons in a quote or a signed letter, let the author's preference reign.
percent—Spell out the word in text. The % sign may be used in numerical charts and headlines. Percentages should always be represented by a numeral. (Examples: an increase of 4 percent, but a 4-percent increase; HEADLINE: Board Grants 4% raise)
period—Always place a period inside quotation marks.
periodicals—see titles, composition.
Ph.D.s—Technically, it should read "Ph.D. degrees." Other proper alternatives: doctoral degrees or doctorates.
phone numbers—Use a hyphen (not parentheses, slashes, or periods) between the area code and the number; do not include "1" with toll-free number. For campus extensions, use "ext." followed by space and four-digit number.
p.m./a.m.—Use periods and lower-case letters. (Examples: 8 a.m.; 7:30 p.m.)
possessives—Use apostrophe-s after singular and some plural nouns to indicate possession. (Examples: Jim's desk; women's rights) When either a singular or plural noun ends in s, use only the apostrophe. (Examples: Kansas’ schools, students’ rooms)
president—For Simpson Magazine articles and other mostly alumni/student publications, the president's full name need not be spelled out in the first reference. First and subsequent references may be made to President Byrd. First references to anyone else must include full names and titles. When full reference is required, use President John W. Byrd.
President's House—Sigler House
problem solving / problem-solving—two words as a noun; hyphenated as a compound adjective (problem-solving skills).
professor—title generally reserved for tenure-track faculty positions. Do not abbreviate "prof." when used without a name. When introducing a faculty member, use the full academic title, including assistant, associate, adjunct, visiting, etc., as needed, along with the person's name. Long titles are more easily read after the name and surrounded by commas. (Associate Professor of Psychology John Smith OR John Smith, associate professor of psychology, OR psychology professor Jim Smith—the latter example is lower case because it is simply an adjective, not a formal title; it is also confusing because it does not indicate academic rank, only that he teaches psychology.) Subsequent references to faculty are by last name, except in captions, where the title Prof. and the name may be used. Capitalization follows titles rules.
Do not assume a member of the faculty is a professor. At Simpson there are five ranks of faculty:
* Lecturer - A rank provided to part-time faculty who have taught with distinction at Simpson for several years.
* Instructor – An entry-level rank for full-time faculty who do not possess a terminal degree but must attain one to be awarded tenure.
* Assistant Professor – An entry-level rank for full-time faculty who do hold a terminal degree but have not yet attained tenure.
* Associate Professor – Mid-level faculty who typically have been on the Simpson faculty for at least six years and have been granted tenure.
* Professor – Tenured senior faculty members who have been at Simpson College for at least 13 years.
“Adjunct Professor” is not an official rank. It’s a description for individuals who are part-time faculty members at Simpson and have not attained the rank of lecturer.
professorship—see chairs, endowed.
program names—Capitalize programs that address special interests and have the word "program" in the formal title, such as Sophomore-Year Initiatives Program.
programs, academic—As with academic departments, generally use lower case when referring to Simpson’s academic programs.
"re-" words—Use hyphen only before words that begin with "e" or those needing clarity, such as re-creation.
re-creation—Use hyphen when referring to "creating again" to avoid confusion with recreation.
registered mark ®—Mac users get this by typing option-r
religious affiliation—Simpson College maintains ties with the United Methodist Church.
residence halls—Use this instead of dorms.
resumé—The original French word has another accent over the first "e" but English pronunciation does not reflect that accent. (Mac users: hit option-e and then e again)
reunions and classes—Do not capitalize. (Examples: 25th reunion class; the class of 1973's 25th reunion)
room names—Capitalize formal room names.
room numbers—Do not capitalize the word "room," if used at all.
seasons—spring, summer, fall, winter are never capitalized in prose, except when starting a sentence.
security—Capitalize the formal name (Office of Security) and the casual (Security Office).
semesters—May Term is a proper noun and is capitalized but do not capitalize fall or spring semesters: She took an economics class in the fall, He enjoyed May Term, the spring semester ends in April.
semicolon—Used as conjunction to indicate a greater separation of thought and information than a comma can convey.
Sr.—Capitalize and abbreviate when part of someone's name; precede by a comma except when writing for the press. See commas.
sesquicentennial—see anniversaries.
Simpson College—Use Simpson College or the college, not the College.
Simpson Magazine—"Magazine" is part of the official title. Do not precede name by "the" when referring to the full title. (Example: When you read Simpson Magazine, tell us what you think.) Call it the magazine (lower case) in subsequent references.
Spaces—Use only one space at the end of sentences, not two.
spring break—no caps.
staff—When used alone, it's a singular noun (Our staff is well-educated). Say "staff members" when talking about the people who make up the staff. (Our staff members are well-educated.)
state of—not capitalized in prose.
states—Always list cities with states, regardless of Associated Press rules, for the benefit of international readers (Indianola, Iowa however, may be referred to as just Indianola as long as no other Indianola may be confused with it). Use AP abbreviations when states accompany a city. (When a state is mentioned alone, spell it out.) Postal abbreviations: When publishing an entire address for readers' mailing purposes, use the two-letter postal abbreviation for states.
In prose, use commas on both sides of the state when it is listed with a city: We stopped in Boise, Idaho, before heading home.
AP State abbreviations:
Ala.
Md. N.D.
Ariz.
Mass. Okla.
Ark.
Mich. Ore.
Calif.
Minn. Pa.
Colo.
Miss. R.I.
Conn. Mo.
S.C.
Del.
Mont. S.D.
Fla. Neb.
Tenn.
Ga.
Nev. Vt.
Ill.
N.H. Va.
Ind.
N.J.
Wash.
Kan.
N.M.
W.Va.
Ky.
N.Y.
Wis.
La.
N.C.
Wyo.
Eight states are never abbreviated: Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Ohio, Texas and Utah
state universities—Use a hyphen when referring to a specific campus of a university system. (Ex: University of Wisconsin-Madison)
Student-athlete—Note hyphen in this compound noun. No hyphen would indicate that the student is studying to be an athlete.
student development—Capitalize the formal name (Office of Student Development) and the casual (Student Development Office). The senior staff member for student admission is the vice president for student development/dean of students.
Student teacher—two words; student is an adjective here, not part of the noun.
students—
- years: In general, students should be listed by the year they will graduate, ’YY, rather than by description of first-year student, sophomore, etc.
- hometowns: Students should always be listed with their hometowns in parentheses: Jill Brown ’01 (Austin, Texas) co-directed the project.
- subsequent references: Do not use courtesy titles. Generally, use just their first names upon subsequent reference; use last names on subsequent reference in sports news (but sports features should use first names).
study abroad / study-abroad programs—see International Education.
Telephone numbers—Always us a 10-digit telephone number, even if the number is on campus. Include the area code in parentheses: (515) 961-1681.
T-shirt
task force—two words.
theatre—This is Simpson’s style for all references to proper and general nouns. The Simpson College theatres, however, are Pote Theatre and the Barnum Studio Theatre in Blank Center.
time—Do not use :00 (Example: 8 p.m.) Official invitations might opt for more formal use of times, including "o'clock;" use noon and midnight rather than 12 p.m. and 12 a.m. to avoid confusion. For time ranges, use a hyphen without spaces.
titles—When titles are used before names, they are capitalized: Professor of Biology Pat Singer. When they are used after a name, do not capitalize titles: Pat Singer, professor of biology. Titles such as Dr., Mr., Miss, Ms. or Mrs. should not be used. Use “the” before Rev. to denote a member of the clergy: the Rev. Chris Waddle. Legislative and governmental titles should be written as: Sen. Charles Grassley or U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin, Rep. Leonard Boswell or U.S. Rep. Leonard Boswell, or Gov. Tom Vilsack.
USED IN ISOLATION: Without names attached, these words become generic nouns and should not be capitalized. (The president gave a speech.)
INVITATIONS/ SPECIAL PUBLICATIONS: short, formal blocks of copy may call for total disregard of the above stated rules.
- COMPOSITION TITLES:
Capitalize the principal words, including prepositions and conjunctions of four or more letters, and capitalize articles and words of fewer than four letters if they are the first or last word in the title. Italicize titles of newspapers, magazines, and books (excluding reference works and the Bible), movies, TV programs, plays, epic poems, operas, CDs, DVDs, exhibit titles, and individual works of art. However, it might also be appropriate to use no special punctuation at all or quotation marks instead. Whichever route is taken should remain consistent in every story throughout the publication. - Use quotation marks around the titles of articles, chapters, lectures, movements and dance pieces.
OFFICIAL COURSE TITLES: When talking about a specific class, capitalize it, but do not italicize it. (Biology 101: Anatomy of a Rat; Psychology 210: The Mind of a Serial Killer)
trademark ™—Mac users get this by typing option-2
trustees—see board of trustees.
United States—Spell out except when using it as a descriptor (U.S. companies; U.S. Department of Education); casual reference to the States is acceptable.
universities—Use a hyphen when referring to a specific campus of a university system. (Example: University of Wisconsin-Madison)
vice presidents—vice president and dean for academic affairs; vice president for business and finance; vice president for college advancement; vice president for enrollment; vice president for information services; vice president for student development; see titles.
visiting professors and visiting instructors—temporary hires for sabbatical replacements or occasional courses. This non-tenure-track designation can be combined with any rank (instructor, assistant professor, etc.).
visiting scholars—international scholars who may be here to teach or to conduct research, often as part of an exchange program.
Web—capitalized in this informal reference; see World Wide Web.
Web addresses—Italicize them and list them inside parentheses to avoid confusion with surrounding punctuation. Ex: Simpson’s Web site (www.simpson.edu) is up and running. Visit Simpson on the Web (www.simpson.edu). Include appropriate resource indicators if needed for clarity.
webmaster—one word and lower case; never webmistress.
Web page—two words (same for home page).
Web site—two words; list a pertinent Web address (see Web address entry) on everything that goes out and set it apart within prose by putting it in italics.
work force—two words.
Work load—two words.
Work place—two words.
Work-study—note hyphen.
World Wide Web—three separate words and no hyphen in this proper noun (note that in regular usage, worldwide is one word). Casual reference = the Web.
Xerox—Because this is a trademark name, use photocopy instead.
years, class—see classes.
years, alumni class designation—no comma before or after the year and no space between the name and the year (this assures that the apostrophe will face the correct way and that the class year will never be separated from the name): Bob Jones'59 is the new coach.
Years, series—In prose, print the words the reader should be reading, such as "from," "to," "between," and "and." (Example: We lived there from 1975 to '76.) In other uses, such as headlines and lists, use all four digits followed by a hyphen, plus just two digits if the century remains the same. (Examples: 1970-75; 1990-2001; 1997-98 school year)
years, plural—1970s or the '70s (no possessive apostrophe).
zero—spell out.
ZIP code—Its acronym stands for Zoning Improvement Plan.