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Style Guide - Capitalization

Capitalization

We're basically "downstyle." In general, avoid unnecessary use of capitals. Sentences read more smoothly if the eye isn’t stopped by frequent capitals.

"Elm Street"; but, "Elm and Maple streets."
"the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America"; but, "the Lutheran church." (However, capitalize "Church" when used specifically in reference to the ELCA: "Gustavus is a college of the Church.")
"President Jim Peterson" and "King Carl XVI Gustaf"; but, "the president" and "the king."

Academic departments, administrative offices, and facilities of Gustavus are capitalized when the complete and official designation is used. Generally, academic areas are preceded by the word "department," while administrative areas are denoted by "office" (although you’ll run into some exceptions—e.g., the Department of Dining Service).

"Department of Theatre and Dance" (note "-re" in reference to the department and facility at Gustavus); but, "theatre department," and "humanities departments." (References to departments at other colleges and universities are not capitalized.)
��"Office of Admission"; but, "admission" or "admission office."
"F.W. Olin Hall"; but, "the computer science building." See the alphabetical usage listing (separate page) for proper first references to campus facilities.

On the other hand, lowercase fields of study except where a proper noun is part of the name:

"philosophy" and "biology"; but, "English," and "Spanish."
"environmental studies"; but, "Scandinavian studies."

Capitalize "College" when that word stands alone in reference to the official policy or academic program of Gustavus (but not in reference to the physical plant alone):

"The College grants the bachelor’s degree"; but, "the college is located in St. Peter." (Note that the capitalization of "College" in reference to Gustavus is an internal device for our own publications; the word should be lowercased when writing for release in newspapers and other outside publications.)

Formal titles (denoting scope of authority, professional activity, and the like) are capitalized when they immediately precede a name:

"Professor Richard Martin," "Coach Jay Schoenebeck"; but, "Richard Martin, professor," and "Jay Schoenebeck, coach of the football team." (By the way, "Coach" as used here implies "head coach"; use "assistant coach" or "assistant" strictly as an occupational description—lowercased in all uses. See also the Titles page.)

Occupational descriptions should be lowercased:

"astronaut John Glenn," "psychology professor Richard Martin," "Gustavus football coach Jay Schoenebeck." (Note the distinctions between the latter two and their formal titles, above; here, they are only descriptions.)

Lowercase academic degrees:

"bachelor’s degree," "master’s degree," "doctorate" (note apostrophe in the first two, but none in "bachelor of arts degree" or "master of science degree"). Avoid using terms such as B.A., M.S., and Ph.D. in text, although they are appropriate in programs and the like. (See the Titles page).

Capitalize official names of organizations and major historical events.��(Some organizations have unusual capitalizations or typography; follow their individual usage: "HarperCollins," "7 UP.")

Lowercase the seasons (e.g., summer, fall, and derivatives like springtime) unless part of a formal name:

"Fall 2002 class schedule," "St. Paul Winter Carnival." (We consider "Fall" and "Spring" to be formal designations for semesters when used with a particular date.)

Did you know?

While "The Rock" has been a landmark at Gustavus for many years, the current one is actually at least the third to occupy the space, replacing the original one that was "stolen" in 1968. "The Rock" is continually being repainted with political slogans, pre-game encouragement, Greek letters, and other colorful propaganda.

New Director of Community Service and Service Learning Joins Gustavus

Gustavus Adolphus College welcomes Jeffrey Rathlef as its new Director of Community Service and Service Learning. Rathlef began his new duties Tuesday, July 1.

Gustavus to Host National Youth Sports Program

Plans are underway for Gustavus Adolphus College to again host the National Youth Sports Program (NYSP), which will take place from July 7 through July 26, 2008.

Gustavus Launches New Website for Alumni

On Tuesday July 1, 2008, Gustavus Adolphus College launched a new state-of-the-art alumni website at gustavus.edu/alumni. The site includes a variety of new features that allow the College's more than 25,000 alumni to interact with each other as well as to receive information from their alma mater relevant to their own interests.

Ohle Officially Takes Office as College's 15th President

Tuesday, July 1 officially marks the beginning of Jack R. Ohle's tenure as the 15th president of Gustavus Adolphus College. Ohle replaces James L. Peterson, who retired after serving as president of the College since July 2003.

Athletic Department Hosts Women's Athletics Golf Outing

The Gustavus Adolphus College Athletic Department recently hosted its sixth annual Women's Athletics Golf Outing on Monday, June 16 at the Le Sueur Country Club in Le Sueur, Minn. Sixty-five participants competed in the four-person golf scramble that raised funds for Gustavus women's athletics. Event winners included the first place team of Mike, Pat, Steve, and Terri Carroll, who won the event with a score of 63.

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