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 Jack R. Ohle" 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 Lisa Heldke," "Coach Mark Hanson "; but, "Lisa Heldke, professor," and "Mark Hanson, coach of the basketball 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," "philosophy professor Lisa Heldke," "Gustavus basketball coach Mark Hanson." (Note the distinctions between the latter two and their formal titles, above; here, they are 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 2008 class schedule," "St. Paul Winter Carnival." (We consider "Fall" and "Spring" to be formal designations for semesters when used with a particular date.)
