Except in particular cases (the alumni section of the Quarterly, lists of participants such as those included in the "Christmas in Christ Chapel" program, rosters and references in sports programs and brochures, and the calendar section of the Yellow Sheet, to name the common ones), the postal ZIP code abbreviations for states should not be used when abbreviating a state name in text copy. Use the abbreviations accepted by the Associated Press (Minn., Wis., S.D., etc.), but note that eight state names are not abbreviated—Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Ohio, Texas, and Utah. The District of Columbia is treated like a state: "Washington, D.C., is the nation’s capital."
The first mention of any organization, firm, agency, or group should be spelled out. If the organization's name is not well known, indicate the initialism or acronym in parentheses immediately following the first reference and refer to the organization by its abbreviation thereafter. Initialisms and acronyms are appropriate if well known; they do not contain periods (except for U.S., U.N., and U.S.S.R., which are adjective forms only, and—unique to Gustavus—terms like the Alumni Office’s G.I.V.E. volunteer service program, which may be a noun or adjective). Avoid coining initialisms or acronyms; instead, merely shorten the name after the first reference: "The St. Peter Educational Reform Committee," to use a hypothetical example, might be subsequently referred to as "the educational reform committee" or even "the reform committee."
Abbreviate the following in text copy (display uses may deviate):
