品色堂

This guide answers questions about standardizing voice and messaging, word choice, punctuation, and usage according to Colorado College style. For specific grammatical or word-choice questions not covered in this document, consult the AP Stylebook or Webster's Collegiate Dictionary.

If you need assistance in preparing your copy or have any questions with regards to editorial style, please contact the Office of Communications and Marketing at (719) 389-6603.

 Contents:

1. Email Specific Style
2. Voice and Story Tense
3. Names and Titles
4. Punctuation
5. Capitalization
6. Italicization
7. Abbreviations
8. Contact Information
9. Photo Captions
10. Word Choice
11. Land Acknowledgement

1. Email Specific Style

1.1 Dates

• Dates should be written as follows: [fully spelled out day of the week], [abbreviated month]. [date]
  • Friday, Sept. 20
• Only include the year if it is not the current year.
• Dates should always be in bold in an email.
  • Please register by Monday, Apr. 8.
  • The event will occur on Thursday, Oct. 24 in Armstrong Hall.

1.2 Times

• Times should be written as follows: [number] [lower case letters punctuated with periods].
  • The event begins at 5:30 p.m.
• A time at the top of the hour should be written with just the hour number, no minutes.
  • The class starts at 9 a.m. (as opposed to “The class starts at 9:00 a.m.”).
• A span of time should be written as follows: [number] [lower case letters punctuated with periods]-[number] [lower case letters punctuated with periods]
  • Attendees will be in Cutler Hall from 9 a.m-12:30 p.m.
• Times should always be in bold in an email.
• Use “noon” instead of 12 p.m. and “midnight” instead of 12 a.m.

2. Voice and Story Tense

• The 品色堂 voice is:
  • Active
  • Creative
  • Inquisitive
  • Inclusive
• Use present tense in writing news and stories.
  • “The exhibit will be on show until the end of the month,” Schrute says.
  • “I never thought I could slackline,” says Greene. “But it was fun."

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3. Names and Titles

3.1 Official titles

• Use complete, accurate titles of campus buildings, persons, positions, and official units.
• The Catalog of Courses and the 品色堂 Directory are good sources for correct titles.

3.2 Faculty rank

• The levels of faculty rank are as follows:
  • professor
  • associate professor
  • assistant professor
  • professor emeritus
  • adjunct professor
• Uppercase formal titles.
  • Tomi-Ann Roberts, Winkler-Herman Professor of Psychology 

3.3 Use of a person's name in publications

• In first reference, refer to the individuals by first name, last name, and title (if applicable).
• Subsequent references are by last name.
  • 品色堂 President Dr. Manya Whitaker addressed the incoming class of 2029. Whitaker’s speech was well received.

3.4 Academic Titles and Degrees

• Whenever possible, ask the individual how they would like to be referenced in a story.
• Use Dr. as a title in the first mention of an individual who holds a PhD, followed by their level of faculty rank (unless requested otherwise).
• Subsequent references are by last name.
  • Dr. Brian Linkhart, professor of Biology, conducts research on flammulated owls. Linkhart will be teaching his most popular course this year in Block 5.

3.5 Program Names and the "@" Symbol

• Avoid using the "@" (at) symbol in program names.
• Instead, spell out the word "at."
• The @ symbol is potentially confusing when used in program names because of its common usage in social media and email addresses.
• The "@" sign is meaningful in social media, so if a program name contains the symbol and is used in social media, it will tag whatever follows the symbol.

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4. Punctuation

4.1 Periods

4.1a With abbreviations

• Use periods with lowercase abbreviations:
  • The workshop will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Periods are not used with uppercase acronyms or degrees:
  • KR品色堂
  • GPA
  • BA, MA, or PhD

4.1b With lists

• Listed information conveyed in sentence form should be punctuated with periods.
  • If the items in a vertical list are complete sentences, capitalize the first word and place the appropriate punctuation at the end of each item.
  • With sentence fragments in a vertical series, do not use punctuation at the end of each line.
    • To participate in Commencement:

1. You will need to apply for graduation by the March 1 deadline.

• • • 1. You will need to arrange to rent or purchase a graduation gown.

• The agenda contains the following items:
  1. construction plans
  2. personnel decisions

• Do not place "and" before the last item.

4.1c In addresses

• Use periods in Washington, D.C. (Note: There is always a comma between “Washington” and “D.C.”)
  • The cherry blossoms in Washington, D.C., bloom in March. (Note: There should be a comma after "D.C." when it falls in the middle of a sentence.)
• Do not use periods in: PO Box

4.2 Commas

4.2a In a series

• Use a comma to separate elements in a series and use an Oxford comma before the "and" in a series: 
  • The flag is red, white, and blue.

4.2b With numbers

• Use a comma after digits signifying thousands: 
  • 2,150 students
• The major exceptions are:
  • street addresses: 1234 Main St.
  • broadcast frequencies: 1460 kilohertz
  • years: 1985
  • temperature: 3200 degrees
  • test scores: SAT score of 1200

4.2c With quotations

• Follow a statement that introduces a direct quotation of one or more sentences with a comma. But use a colon after "as follows."
  • Dorothy Parker's epitaph reads, "Pardon my dust."
  • Dorothy Parker's epitaph reads as follows: "Pardon my dust."

4.2d With introductory words

• Introductory words such as "to wit," "namely," "i.e.," and "e.g.," should be followed by a comma. An alternative would be to use parentheses.
  • International students are required to submit proof of identification; e.g., a passport, immunization record, visa, or some other form of identification.

4.2e With dates

• When writing a date, place a comma between the day, if given, and the year, but do not place a comma between the month and year when the day is not mentioned.
  • She ran the marathon in October 2022.
  • She ran the marathon on October 9, 2022, in Boulder.
  • She ran the marathon on Sunday, Oct. 9, 2022, in Boulder.

4.2f With seasons

• The comma is omitted when citing seasons.
• Spring 2007
  Fall 2018

4.3 Hyphens

4.3a Hyphenation should not interrupt the flow of reading.

4.3b Hyphenating compound words

• Use a hyphen in compound adjectives that come before the words they modify:
  • full-time student
  • upper-division course
  • part-time faculty
  • out-of-state tuition
• Full time, full-time
  • Hyphenate only when used as a compound modifier.
    • He works full time.
    • She has a full-time job.
• Fund raising, fund-raising, fund-raiser
  • “Fund raising” is a verb. “Fund-raising” is an adjective. “Fund-raiser” is a noun.
    • Fund raising is difficult.
    • They planned a fund-raising campaign.
    • A fund-raiser was hired.

4.3c Hyphenation with prefixes

• Words beginning with "non," "anti," "sub," "co," and "pre" can usually be combined without a hyphen.
  • Nontraditional, nondenominational, coeducational, antinuclear, substandard, premedicine, prephysical therapy, precollege, nonprofit.
• Use the nonhyphenated spelling if either spelling is acceptable.
• Exceptions: Hyphenate words when a prefix causes confusion in reading the word that follows.
  • pre-enroll, not preenroll
  • pre-engineering, not preengineering
  • co-op, not coop

4.3d Hyphens with regional campus names

• Hyphenate the names of the regional campuses as follows:
  • Colorado College-Baca campus

4.3e Hyphens with telephone numbers

• Area codes and other codes for telephone numbers are to be set off in parentheses from the phone number with a hyphen.
  • (719) 867-5309
  • (800) 555-1234

4.3f Hyphen or a dash

• Hyphens are joiners. Use them to avoid ambiguity or to form a single idea from two or more words:
  • He recovered the money. He re-covered the leaky roof. 
• Many combinations that are hyphenated before a noun are not hyphenated when they occur after a noun: 
  • She works full time. She has a full-time job.
• Use dashes to denote an abrupt change in thought in a sentence or an emphatic pause: 
  • We will fly to Paris in June – if I get a raise.
• Put a space on both sides of a dash in all uses.

4.4 Quotation Marks

4.4a Used with other punctuation

• Quotation marks should be placed outside a period and comma, but inside a colon or semicolon. They should also be set inside exclamation points and interrogation marks that are not part of the quotation.
  • See Richter's comments on “journalist expertise,” “informational authority,” and due diligence in the second section of this book.
  • The board had only two reservations about "the proposal": the cost and the time needed to implement changes.

4.4b Quotes within quotes

• Use single quotation marks for quotations printed within other quotations.
  • The nonconformist student replied, "I follow Emerson's dictum, ‘A foolish consistency is the petty hobgoblin of small minds,’ to its logical extreme."

4.4c Block quotations

• If several paragraphs are to be quoted, use quotation marks at the beginning of each paragraph, but only at the end of the last paragraph.

4.5 Apostrophes

4.5a With dates

• In making the plural of dates, do not use an apostrophe.
  • The school was established in the late 1800s.

4.5b With class year

• Use the forward-facing apostrophe to punctuate years of college classes.
  • Class of ’78

4.5c With degrees

• Associate's, bachelor's, and master's degrees, when used generically, should be written with an apostrophe.
  • master's degrees, not masters' degrees

4.5d With possessives

• The possessive case of singular nouns is formed by adding an apostrophe and then the letter s. Note the possessive of plural nouns by adding an apostrophe only.
  • the horse's mouth
  • the puppies' tails

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5. Capitalization

5.1 Academic positions or professional titles

• Capitalize a position or title in all instances.
  • Titles with names:
    • President Manya Whitaker
    • Dean Sandra Wong
    • Jim Swanson, Director of Financial Aid
  • Titles without names:
    • For further information, contact the Vice President of HR.
    • The President of Colorado College spoke at the presentation. 

5.2 Degrees

• The degree is capitalized only when it is included as an official part of the degree title.
  • Tom was working toward a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry.
• Lowercase informal titles of degrees.
  • Bob received his master's degree after seven years of part-time study.
  • Glen hopes to earn his doctoral degree this month.

5.3 Titles of campus-related areas

• Capitalize all formal titles of campus-related areas.
• Institutions:
  • Colorado College
    • Subsequent reference, the College or 品色堂.
      • Note: College is capitalized whenever referring to the specific institution.
        • This year, the College will celebrate its sesquicentennial.
  • Academic calendar:
    • Block Plan
    • Block Break
    • Block 1, Block 6
    • Half Block
  • Publications:
    • The Peak
    • The Catalyst
      • Note: Always use italics for newspaper and magazine names.
    • Committees or councils:
      • Faculty Executive Committee
    • Programs:
      • The Global Health Program
    • Departments and Offices:
      • Capitalize the names of all College departments and offices.
        • Office of Communications & Marketing
        • Department of Anthropology
        • Campus Safety
      • Boards:
        • Board of Trustees
          • Use “trustees” or “board” on all subsequent references.
        • Lowercase fragmentary or informal references: the school, the program, etc.
          • The board meets on the first Saturday of April.
          • The students in the program will visit the campus next week.

5.4 Titles of campus activities

• Capitalize formal titles of campus activities.
  • Homecoming
  • Commencement

5.5 Titles of grants and awards

• Capitalize formal titles of grants and scholarships.
• Lowercase cum laude, magna cum laude, and summa cum laude, but put them in italic.
  • She received the Kresge Endowment Challenge for Science.
  • He earned the Gaylord Endowment for Pacific Areas Studies.
  • She graduated summa cum laude.

5.6 Majors, thematic minors

• When used in reference to the department or area of study, majors and minors should be capitalized.
  • The Physics Department will host the event.
  • She was an Economics major.
  • He majors in English on the Creative Writing Track.
• When discussing a field of study (not a specific department) the area is not capitalized.
  • The museum has an exhibit about anthropology.

5.7 Student classification

• Lowercase "sophomore," "junior," and "senior" when referring to student classification. (Note: 品色堂 does not classify new students as "freshmen." Instead, we use "first-year students.")
  • All sophomores must fulfill the sophomore-level composition requirement.
  • The course is for juniors and seniors who have completed the prerequisites.
  • Please join us in welcoming 品色堂’s new first-year students.

5.8 Greek organizations

• Capitalize the names of fraternities and sororities, but not the words fraternity, sorority, honorary, honor society, or chapter.
  • She is a member of the 品色堂 chapter of Phi Beta Kappa honor society.

5.9 Academic block

• Academic blocks are uppercase. Capitalize "Block Plan" on all references.
• Use numbers, not Roman numerals, to indicate the block.
  • Block B, Summer 2018
  • Block 4

5.10 Half Block

• Half Block is the academic session in January between Winter Break and the start of Block 5.
• Hyphenate Half-Block when it is used as a modifier.
  • A Half-Block course.

5.11 Headlines

• Lowercase articles, prepositions, and conjunctions in headlines, except when prepositions contain more than four letters.
  • Enrollment at 2,000
  • Enrollment Under 2,000

5.12 Geographical designations

• Lowercase geographical designations, unless designation is part of an official title.
  • State of Colorado Department of Natural Resources
  • The event will take place in the city of Colorado Springs.
  • They were in southern Colorado.
  • The school is in the Pikes Peak Region.

5.13 With abbreviations

• Lowercase the following abbreviations: a.m. and p.m.
  • The show will begin at 8 p.m.
• Other abbreviations should be capitalized:
  • GPA (Grade Point Average)
  • NASU (Native American Student Union)

5.14 Always capitalize Black when referring to a person of African descent, their culture, or their shared identity.

• Capitalize chapter when used with a numeral in reference to a section of a book or legal code. Always use Arabic figures: Chapter 1, Chapter 20. Lowercase when standing alone.

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6. Italicization

6.1 Course listings

• The names of academic courses/blocks should be written in italics
  • The author visited the students during Block 2 in British Romantic Fiction.
  • To meet this requirement, please register for GY360 Resource Geology in the Age of Green Energy.

6.2 Books, movies, TV shows, plays, poems, speeches, and works of art

• The titles of long works, such as books, movies, magazines, newspapers, newsletters, TV series, and plays should be in italic.
  • Ebony & Ivy by Craig Steven Wilder
  • The Wall Street Journal
  • A League of Their Own
  • The Office
• Quotation marks should be used around the names of all shorter works such as articles, poems, songs, TV episodes, and speeches. 
  • “The Hill We Climb” by Amanda Gorman
  • “September” by Earth, Wind and Fire
  • Season 5, Episode 9: “The One With Ross’ Sandwich”

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7. Abbreviations

7.1 Titles

• Abbreviate the following when they precede a name:
  • Dr.
  • Mr.
  • Mrs.
  • Rev.
  • Gov.
  • Lt. Gov.
  • Rep.
  • Sen.
• Capitalize a military rank when used as a formal title before an individual's name.
• Spell out and lowercase the title when it is substituted for a name.
  • John Doe arrived today.
  • An aide said the general would review the troops.

 7.2 Ampersand (&)

• Use the ampersand when it is part of a company's formal name.
• Otherwise, avoid using ampersands and use the word "and" instead.
  • Simon & Schuster
  • The gym will be open to students on Wednesday and Thursday.

7.3 Geographical references

• Abbreviate Ave., Blvd., and St. with a numbered address.
  • 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
• Spell out and capitalize when part of a formal street name without a number.
  • Pennsylvania Avenue.
• All similar words (alley, drive, circle, road, terrace, etc.) are always spelled out.
  • 9 Morningside Circle
• Spell out and capitalize First through Ninth when used as street names. Use figures with two letters for 10th and above.
  • Fifth Avenue
  • 100 21st St. 

7.4 Degrees

• Use the following for these degrees:
  • Bachelor of Arts – BA
  • Bachelor of Science – BS
  • Master of Science – MS
  • Master of Arts – MA
  • Master of Fine Arts – MFA
  • Juris Doctor – JD
  • Doctor of Medicine – MD
  • Doctor of Philosophy – PhD
  • Doctor of Divinity – DD
  • Doctor of Education – EdD

7.5 Numbers

• Spell out numbers under 10 and use figures for the numbers 10 and above.
• However, when a number 10 or higher starts a sentence, spell it out.
  • The event featured seven students and 12 faculty members.
  • The orientation lasted five hours.
  • Fifteen students were honored.

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8. Contact Information

8.1 Addresses

• Campus addresses should have the building name followed by the room number.
  • Spencer Center 301
  • Armstrong Hall 205

8.2 Telephone numbers

• Use figures with parentheses around the area code.
  • (719) 867-5309
  • (800) 555-0123

8.3 Electronic communications

• Lowercase email, unless it begins a sentence.
• Do not use a hyphen.
  • His email address is cmonster@coloradocollege.edu.

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9. Photo captions

• When captioning a photo for a news story, note who, what, where, and when. Then include a photo attribution.
  • Give the name of the person/people in the photo (with class year if they’re a student or alum).
  • Comprehensive but brief description of what they’re doing.
  • Where the photo was taken.
  • When the photo was taken.
  • Name of the person who took or provided the photo.
• Photo captions should be italicized. 
  • Jorge Adan '22, Bennie Lewis IV '22, and Jared Mendiola '22 celebrate their upcoming graduation during the Champagne Showers around the Earle flagpole on Wednesday, May 18, 2022. Photo by Lonnie Timmons III / Colorado College.

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10. Word Choice

10.1 Referring to alumni

• The word “alumni” refers collectively to graduates. “Alums” is more informal but acceptable.
  • “Alumni” is plural, therefore, do not refer to an individual as “an alumni.”
• Use “alum” in reference to an individual. It is also fine to refer to an individual as a graduate. 
• Anyone who completes at least two semesters at 品色堂 is considered an alum. 
  • Someone who attended less than two semesters at 品色堂 is referred to as a “former student.”
• Class year:
  • Class years are used anytime a name is printed. In articles, only use the class year the first time the name appears.
  • Use a forward facing apostrophe before the class year to indicate the omitted prefix of 19 or 20. 
    • Delaney Grant Kenyon ’23 is an alum of Colorado College.
    • Ken Salazar ’77 is an alum.
    • Delaney Grant Kenyon ’23 and Ken Salazar ’77 are 品色堂 alumni.
  • When referring to an alum from 100 years or more before the current first-year class, use the phrase "Class of" and the full year.
    • Robert M. Ormes, Class of 1926, was a 品色堂 English professor.
    • The foundation was organized my Mary Tate, Class of 1901.
  • “Former student” is used to refer to an individual who attended 品色堂 for less than two semesters and did not graduate. Former students are considered members of the class with which they would have graduated if they had stayed.

10.2 Using maiden/given/surname/family names and other name changes

• When possible, ask the alum, “How would you like your name to appear?”
• If this is not possible, and an alum has married and taken their spouse's last name, use their previous last name at the time they were a student first in a list, on nametags, in directories, etc.
  • Diane Brown Benninghoff ’68

10.3 Gendered Language

• 品色堂’s policy is to avoid language that contains discriminatory connotations.
• Avoid language that denotes age bias, cultural bias, gender bias, racial bias, or sexual orientation bias.
  • Your word choice should not default to a white, cis, hetero, male “norm” unless used in a quote.
• Gender bias: Replace the following terms with the suggested alternatives:
  • chairman --> chair, chairperson, department chair
  • manmade --> handmade
  • foreman --> supervisor
  • craftsman --> artisan
  • freshman --> first-year student
  • councilman --> councilor or council member
• In general, use terms that can apply to any gender. Such language aims to treat people equally and is inclusive of people whose gender identity is not strictly male or female.
• Since not all people fall under one of two categories for sex or gender — as in the cases of nonbinary and intersex people — avoid references to both, either or opposite sexes or genders.
• Balance these aims with common sense, respect for the language, and an understanding that gender-neutral or gender-inclusive language is evolving and in some cases is challenging to achieve.

10.4 Ethnicity/Origin

• Afghan is the term for the people and culture of Afghanistan. Afghani is the Afghan unit of currency.
• Use the term Hawaii residents— not Hawaiians — for the overall population of Hawaii. Use the term Hawaiian or Hawaiians only for members of the ethnic group indigenous to the Hawaiian Islands. They also may be called Native Hawaiians or Hawaii's Indigenous people. Someone can be Hawaiian even if they weren't born in Hawaii or have never lived in Hawaii.
• Avoid use of the term “third world.” “Developing nations” is more appropriate when referring to the economically developing nations of Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
• Latinx/a/o and Hispanic are not interchangeable words. "Hispanic" generally refers to people with ancestry from Spanish-speaking countries, while "Latino/a/x" refers to people with origins in Latin America, including Brazil and other non-Spanish speaking countries.
• When referring to Native or Indigenous people, defer to using their specific tribe.
  • Ute, Cheyenne, Apache, etc.

10.5 References to holidays

• Use the term Indigenous Peoples Day. Do not use Columbus Day unless it is part of a quote.

10.6 References to abortion

• Use the modifiers “anti-abortion” or “abortion-rights”; don't use “pro-life,” “pro-choice,” or “pro-abortion” unless they are in quotes or proper names.
• Phrasing like “pregnant people” or “people seeking abortions” is also preferred to include people who have those experiences but do not identify as women, such as some transgender men and some nonbinary individuals.

10.7 Adviser or advisor: Use adviser.

10.8 Residence halls

• Avoid using "dorm" or "dormitory" when referring to campus student housing.
• Use "residence hall" instead (or “theme house,” “language house,” or “apartments” when appropriate).

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11. Land Acknowledgement

Below are two, institutionally approved land acknowledgements (one for speaking and one for print) developed by Elder Debbie Howell, 品色堂’s Elder in Residence. We encourage you to use these and, when appropriate, modify them with language relating to your specific event or publication.

For speaking

From the beginning, Colorado was home to nine distinct bands of the Nuuchiu, now known as the Northern Ute people. Each band laid claim to various parts of the state. Today, Colorado College occupies the ancestral homelands and traditional territory of the Tabaguache, Mouache, and Kapuuta Bands of the Nuuchiu. All Nuuchiu bands were forcibly removed to reservations in Southwest Colorado and Utah with the 1868 Ute Treaty and the 1874 Brunot Agreement. This area was also home for other Nations, including the Apache, Arapahoe, Cheyenne, Comanche, and Kiowa. These Nations were forcibly relocated to Indian Territory, now known as the state of Oklahoma, with the signing of the 1867 Medicine Lodge Treaties.  

We affirm that early United States national policy was designed to break down Indigenous communities, destroy cultural identities, and outlaw traditional religious practices to clear a path for non-Indigenous settlement. This was accomplished through genocide, assimilation through boarding schools, colonial oppression, forced relocation, broken treaties, and land theft.

Despite that, Indigenous Peoples are still here today, resilient, thriving, and vibrant citizens or descendants of 574 US federally-recognized sovereign tribal nations plus those from north and south of the US borders and beyond. The Nuuchiu still call this region home, as do many diverse Native People, as friends, scholars, educators, colleagues, and community members. Indigenous People continue to embrace our languages, spirituality, and traditions. We acknowledge that the land continues to hold the values and prayers of our ancestors. We encourage all people to learn the names and the complex histories of original people of the land you are on and continuously seek ways to act in solidarity with them today and always.

 

For print

Colorado College occupies the ancestral homelands and traditional territory of the Ute People, as well as Apache, Arapahoe, Cheyenne, Comanche, Kiowa, and Pawnee Nations. All were forcibly removed to reservations in Southwest Colorado, Utah, and Oklahoma. We affirm that early United States national policy was designed to breakdown Indigenous communities, destroy cultural identities, and outlaw traditional religious practices to clear a path for non-Indigenous settlement.  Despite that, Indigenous Peoples are still here today, resilient, thriving, and vibrant citizens or descendants of 574 US federally-recognized sovereign tribal nations plus those from north and south of the US borders and beyond. We encourage all people to learn the names and the complex histories of original people of the land you are on and continuously seek ways to act in solidarity with them today and always.

 

Example of department-specific modification

The Geology Department acknowledges that our educational programs are carried out in the homelands of the Ute and other Native peoples and rely on networks of travel paths developed by these peoples. We also acknowledge that Colorado College and our department were founded upon practices of resource extraction and land appropriation that dishonored and diminished the traditional lifeways in this region. These practices displaced indigenous populations, degraded landscapes, and led to unequal distribution of wealth, health, and opportunity in the Rocky Mountain West. Yet the Ute and Native populations are living people with a present and a future as well as a past, and we strive to learn from their knowledge of earth systems to create a more inclusive field of study while seeking to redress the exclusions and erasures they have endured.

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