Style Guide

The aim of this guide is to promote consistency in Kenyon publications and other written materials, whether they are intended for external audiences or the campus community. Produced by the Office of Public Affairs, the guide covers frequently used terms; usage rules that often pose problems; some general usage guidelines; and a good many rules, terms, and names unique to the College.

Our sources:

For most publications and other written material, we use The Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition, published by the University of Chicago Press. Chicago is an influential guide used by many colleges, universities, and academic presses.
For questions of spelling, we use The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language.
For the Web, we generally follow Chicago. The main exception is in the rules for when to spell out numbers and when to use figures. (See numbers, below.)
For news releases, we follow the Associated Press Stylebook, preferred by many newspapers and other media outlets. We also generally rely on the AP Stylebook when writing about sports.

In some cases, we have created "Kenyon rules" that depart from the sources listed above.

We fully expect to modify this guide as the language and common usage change, and as unforeseen questions arise. We welcome questions about usage and grammar, as well as suggestions for new listings and for making this guide more helpful.

Quick guide to a few common questions

advisor, not adviser
catalog, not catalogue
coauthor, not co-author
co-chair, not cochair
codirector, not co-director
liberal arts college, not liberal-arts college (see hyphen)
nonprofit, not non-profit
theater, not theatre

A

academic degrees
Use periods, as in B.A., M.A., M.B.A., M.F.A., Ph.D.

A Ph.D. is a doctorate. An M.A. is a master's degree. A B.A. or B.S. is a bachelor's degree. Kenyon awards only the B.A. degree.

Do not precede a name with a courtesy title.

RIGHT: Smith lectured on Plato.
WRONG: Dr. Smith lectured on Plato.

academic departments, divisions, and programs (see also administrative departments and offices)
Capitalize when using the official names of departments, concentrations, and programs. The official names of departments begin with "Department of ...," as in: Department of Biology. The official names of interdisciplinary programs (whether majors or concentrations) begin with the name of the discipline. Examples: Asian Studies Concentration, Neuorscience Program.

In second reference or informal uses, we often say "Biology Department" instead of "Department of Biology." Capitalize here as well. Do not, however, capitalize "the department."

Example: For more information, see the chair of the Biology Department. The department office is located in Higley Hall.

Lowercase the names of disciplines.

RIGHT: I came to Kenyon intending to major in art history, but I became fascinated by political science as well. Ultimately, I combined these interests by majoring in American studies.
WRONG: I took two courses in Physics and one in Sociology.

Capitalize academic divisions: the Fine Arts Division, the Humanities Division, the Natural Sciences Division, and the Social Sciences Division. Lowercase "the division" as well as terms like "the natural sciences."

Example: The Humanities Division had a retreat during the summer. The fine-arts faculty will hold their retreat in the fall.

Similar rules apply to the names of administrative departments and offices.

A complete list of academic departments and programs can be found in the Kenyon College Catalog (the course catalog).

Acland Street, Acland Street Apartments
The correct spelling is Acland, not Ackland.

AD, BC, BCE, CE, etc.
See eras

administrative departments and offices (see also academic departments)
Capitalize when using the official titles of departments and offices.

Examples: Office of Admissions, Office of the Provost, Office of the Registrar.

In second reference or informal uses, it is acceptable to capitalize terms like Admissions Office, Provost's Office, and Registrar's Office.

Terms like "the provost," "the registrar," and the "dean of admissions and financial aid" should be lowercased, unless they precede the name of the person. See titles: people.

advisor
Not adviser.

African American, African-American
See ethnic groups

Advanced Placement, Advanced Placement Program

Capitalize the term when it refers to the program run by the College Board. Lowercase when using the term generically.

Example: You may earn Kenyon credit if you scored a 4 or 5 on the Advanced Placement test.
Example: Based on her high school coursework and the results of a proficiency test, she earned advanced placement in chemistry.

a.m./p.m.
Use the lower case, with periods.

B

BC, AD, BCE, CE, etc.
See eras

Board of Trustees
Capitalize when referring to the Kenyon Board of Trustees, but lowercase "board" on second reference. Lowercase "trustee."

Example: The Board of Trustees approved funding for a new residence hall. The board also discussed existing residences, with many trustees advocating a comprehensive schedule for renovations.

Brown Family Environmental Center
In formal and official documents (e.g., grant applications), use the complete official name: Brown Family Environmental Center at Kenyon College. For most uses, however, it is not necessary to add "at Kenyon College."

Facilities of the BFEC include:

Visitor and Education Center. Capitalize. You may refer to this building, too, as either the Visitor Center or the Education Center. Both should be capitalized. On second reference, however, when using just the word "center," lowercase it.
Bemis Barn and Aviary. Or Bemis Aviary. Capitalize in both cases. Second reference: the aviary, lowercase; or the barn, lowercase.
Farmhouse. Or BFEC Farmhouse. Capitalize.

buildings
In formal and official documents (e.g., grant applications), use the complete names of buildings.

Example: The physics and mathematics departments are located in Rutherford B. Hayes Hall.
Example: Public sculpture on the Kenyon campus includes Henry Moore's Large Spindle Piece, located in the Philip R. Mather Courtyard.

In posters, e-mail announcements, and other informal uses, it is not necessary to use the complete name.

Example: The tour begins in the science quad, at the doors of Hayes Hall. Participants will get to see laboratories in both Hayes and Tomsich halls, as well as in the Fischman Wing of Higley Hall.
NOTE: In this example, "halls" is lowercased in "Hayes and Tomsich halls." The same logic applies to "Olin and Chalmers libraries." When two (or more) buildings are mentioned, the word "halls" is lowercased.

Use abbreviations and acronyms (e.g., RBH for Hayes Hall) only when you are sure that the intended audience will understand the reference. It's always a good idea to provide a key explaining abbreviations and acronyms.

A complete list of buildings may be found in the College's online and printed directories.

buildings: rooms
All of the following are acceptable (but be consistent in usage within a single document):

Ascension Hall 126
Ascension 126
Ascension Hall, room 126
WRONG: 126 Ascension

Note that some rooms have specific names. Example: Hayes 109 is the Franklin Miller Jr. Lecture Hall. In deciding whether to use the room number or the name, consider what will be most easily understood by the intended audience. A poster advertising a campuswide event might use Hayes Hall 109, while an e-mail to physics majors might use Franklin Miller Lecture Hall.

Here is a partial list of rooms that usually go by their names:

Bemis Music Room. (Note: It may be helpful, especially for external audiences, to specify that it is located on the second floor of Peirce Hall.)
Beulah Kahler Theater
Brandi Recital Hall in Storer Hall (cumbersome but clear)
Campbell-Meeker Room
Olin Auditorium, or Olin Library Auditorium (use the latter for external audiences, to specify the building)
Nu Pi Kappa (needs explanation?)
Philomathesian Hall, or Philomathesian

C

campus addresses
See buildings: rooms.

campuswide
Spelled as one word. Not campus-wide. But college-wide should have a hyphen (because it would appear cumbersome without one).

capitalization: cultural movements
See cultural movements.

capitalization: departments, offices, etc.
See academic departments, divisions, and programs and also administrative departments and offices

capitalization: titles
Professional titles are capitalized when they immediately precede a personal name. Titles are normally lowercased when following a name or used in place of a name. Titles are also lowercased when used alone. Note that this rule applies to civil, military, and religious titles as well as academic titles. The examples here entail academic titles.

RIGHT: Assistant Professor of History Richard Smith has designed a new seminar.
RIGHT: Sheila Jones, associate professor of biology, has received a grant from the National Science Foundation.
WRONG: I took a course from Edward Harvey, Professor of French.
RIGHT: Tom Edwards served as dean of students for many years.
WRONG: During exam period in the spring of my sophomore year, I was summoned to the office of Tom Edwards, Dean of Students.
RIGHT: Philip Jordan Jr., president emeritus, currently lives in Maine.
WRONG: Philip Jordan Jr., President Emeritus, currently lives in Maine.
RIGHT: They consulted with the assistant dean of students for housing and residential life.
WRONG: They met with the Dean for Academic Advising and Support.

Exceptions to this rule:
A named professorship (chair) should always be capitalized, regardless of whether it precedes or follows the name.

Example: I learned to write with discipline and clarity from Perry Lentz, the Charles P. McIlvaine Professor of English.

The title may also be capitalized after the name when used in a headline, directory, or listing.

ceremonies and celebrations
Capitalize the College's major ceremonies: Opening Convocation, Founders' Day, Honors Day, and Commencement. Also capitalize Homecoming and Homecoming Weekend.

Note the apostrophe in Founders' Day.

class reunion.
See reunion.

class years
Lowercase the following: first-year student, sophomore, junior, senior.

For most purposes when discussing graduates of the College, follow the name with a space, then an apostrophe and the last two digits of the year of graduation.

Example: E.L. Doctorow '52 is one of America's most distinguished novelists.
One can also say: E.L. Doctorow was a member of the Class of 1952. Note that, in this case, use all digits in the year.
WRONG: He will join other members of the Class of '52 at their reunion.

Those who attended Kenyon but did not graduate or receive a degree are called matriculants. To identify matriculants, use all four digits of the class year (the year they would have graduated).

Example: Robert J. Himmelright Jr. 1950 attended Kenyon from 1946 to 1948, then continued his education at the University of New Mexico.
Exception: On the Web, serving mostly external audiences (who will not understand our way of designating matriculants), say: Robert J. Himmelright Jr., a matriculant in the Class of 1950.

codirector
No hyphen.

College, college
Capitalize "College" when referring specifically to Kenyon.

Example: Kenyon College is located in Gambier, Ohio. The College enrolls approximately 1,600 students.

Note: Do not capitalize "college" when not referring specifically to Kenyon.

Example: At Kenyon, students enjoy a multi-faceted college experience.

college-wide
Use hyphen here. But: campuswide (without hyphen)

commas
Use the serial comma, following Chicago: "When a conjunction joins the last two elements in a series, a comma ... should appear before the conjunction."

RIGHT: Kenyon's notable landmarks include Old Kenyon, Rosse Hall, and Middle Path.
WRONG: Kenyon's notable landmarks include Old Kenyon, Rosse Hall and Middle Path.

Commencement. See also ceremonies and celebrations.
Capitalize when referring to Kenyon's graduation ceremony. Also capitalize "Commencement Weekend." Lowercase when referring to a graduation ceremony generically.

committee names
Capitalize the names of Board of Trustee committees, faculty committees, Campus Senate committees, Student Council committees, and so on.

course catalog
The official name of the book is the Kenyon College Catalog. (Prior to 2008-09, the book was called the Course of Study.) One can refer to the book, informally, as "the catalog" or "the course catalog."

Note our use of the simpler spelling: catalog, not catalogue.

Capitalize (and italicize) the official name of the book, but not the informal terms "catalog" and "course catalog."

Example: Graduation requirements are set forth in the Kenyon College Catalog. Students may also find course listings and requirements for all majors in the catalog.

Course of Study
This book, which served as Kenyon's course catalog, no longer exists. In 2007-08, it was replaced by the Kenyon College Catalog, a more comprehensive guide to the College's curriculum and academic regulations.

course titles
Capitalize and use quotation marks for course titles.

Example: She taught both "Classical Mythology" and "Intermediate Greek: Prose."

Exception: The quotation marks should be omitted in long lists of courses, as in the course catalog.

coursework
One word, not two, and not hyphenated.

cultural movements
We follow Chicago, which states: "Nouns and adjectives designating cultural styles, movements, and schools--artistic, architectural, musical, and so forth--and their adherents are capitalized if derived from proper nouns ... Others are usually lowercased."

Examples: Aristotelian, Cartesian, classicism, existentialism, formalism, Gothic (but gothic fiction), Gregorian chant, humanism, impressionism, modernism, Platonism, postmodernism, Pre-Raphaelite, realism, Romanesque, structuralism, surrealism, theater of the absurd.

Exception: Some movements are capitalized to distinguish them from the generic words used in everyday speech.

Examples: Romanticism, Romantic poets.

D

database
One word, not two, and not hyphenated.

dates
Use a comma before and after the year in full dates within sentences.

Example: The lecture will be on April 3, 2009, in Rosse Hall Auditorium.

Daoism
Use Taoism.

departments, programs, and offices
See administrative departments and offices.

divisions (academic)
See academic departments, divisions, and programs.

dorm
Use the term "residence hall."

E

East, Eastern, eastern
See geographical terms.

e-mail
Note the hyphen. Not email.

eras
Use BCE and CE, not BC and AD. Note that capital letters are used, without periods.

Example: This course will examine the Roman Empire from the first century BCE through the fifth century CE.

ethnic groups
Capitalize the names of ethnic and national groups, e.g., Aborigines, African Americans, Asian Americans, Caucasians, Hispanics, Latino, Latina, Native Americans.

The hyphen is not used in phrases like "African American," whether the phrase functions as a noun or adjective.

Example: African Americans migrated to northern cities during this period.
Example: This course examines the work of African American playwright August Wilson.

Designations based loosely on color are usually lowercased.

Example: During the civil rights movement, blacks and whites marched together.

F

first-year
Use "first-year student," not "freshman."

first-year quad
Lowercase this term.

freshman
Avoid this term. Instead, use "first-year student."

G

Gambier Hill
While this is not an official place name, it is used as such in Kenyon tradition and should be capitalized. It is acceptable to use, simply, "the Hill," when it is clear that you are referring to Gambier Hill.

geographical terms
Capitalize the names of continents, countries, cities, oceans, and such--i.e., entities that appear on maps, and the adjectives and nouns deriving from them.

Examples: Chicago, Chicagoan, Ireland, Irish.

Regional terms. Capitalize regional terms that are accepted as proper names, but lowercase the adjectives and nouns deriving from them.

Examples: the Northwest, northwestern; the East, East Coast, eastern, an easterner; the Far East; the Midwest, midwestern, a midwesterner.

Popular names. These are usually capitalized (but not put in quotation marks).

Examples: the Bay Area, the Cape, the Eastern Shore, the Fertile Crescent, the Gulf, the Lake District, the Left Bank, the Loop (Chicago), the Panhandle, the Rust Belt, Silicon Valley, the Sun Belt, the Twin Cities the Upper West Side, the Wild West.

grades
Capitalize grade categories, without quotation marks.

Example: He received an A in "Linear Algebra," but his transcript showed a Withdraw for "General Physics I."

For plurals, do not use the apostrophe.

RIGHT: She got two As, two Bs, and a C.
WRONG: She got two A's, two B's, and a C.

grade point average
Do not use a hyphen in this phrase.

H

the Hill
See Gambier Hill.

honors
Capitalize "Honors Program," but not "honors."

Example: The Honors Program in anthropology requires independent research. Students intending to read for honors should contact the chair of the department.

Capitalize departmental honors.

Example: Students may receive no honors, Honors, High Honors, or Highest Honors.

Lowercase college honors: cum laude, magna cum laude, summa cum laude.

Note: These terms are not italicized.

honorary degrees
Honorary degree recipients are designated by the letter H and the year in which they were awarded the degree.

Example: Denise Schmandt-Besserat H'08.

Note that many honorary degree recipients are also alumni, Kenyon parents, or both; or they may be the parents of more than one Kenyon graduate. Some examples of stylistic treatment:

James D. Cox '60 H'97
Beatrice C. Mayer H'87 P'71
Charles P. Waite Jr. '77 P'06,'10 (he is the parent of students in the classes of 2006 and 2010)

hyphens. See also prefixes.
In general, use hyphens with compound modifiers that come before a noun.

Examples: right-handed pitcher, dog-eat-dog world, mass-produced consumer goods, non-English-speaking countries, state-inspected assisted-living facility, lower-than-expected third-quarter earnings, well-trained athlete (but: an athlete who is well trained).

The hyphen is not necessary for common compounds that will be clearly understood.

Examples: liberal arts college, liberal arts and sciences education, high school transcript, political science major, art history curriculum, public welfare administration, graduate student housing.

It is important to use hyphens, however, when the absence of a hyphen might lead to ambiguity or confusion.

Example: small-animal hospital (a hospital for small animals) vs. small animal hospital (an animal hospital that isn't large).
Example: heavy-truck driver (a driver of heavy trucks) vs. heavy truck driver (a truck driver who weighs a lot).
Example: much-needed clothing (clothing that is badly needed) vs. much needed clothing (a lot of needed clothing).

Note the special placement of the hyphen when two compound modifiers end in a common element: the choral- and instrumental-music concert, nineteenth- and twentieth-century ideas, five- to ten-minute intervals.

Words that otherwise might be misread should be hyphenated. Example: re-creation.

Compounds formed by an adverb ending in -ly plus an adjective or participle are not hyphenated, either before or after a noun.

Example: The widely published author will speak next month.
Example: She was smartly dressed.

Use hyphens with age terms.

Example: a fifty-five-year-old man, eight- to ten-year-olds.

Compounds formed with prefixes (see also prefixes) are normally closed, with exceptions of the sort noted below.

Examples: antebellum, anti-hero, coauthor, coeditor counterrevolution, hyperactive, megamall, metalanguage, microeconomics, postdoctoral, postmodernism, premodern, preregistration, prewar, preempt.

Exceptions: A hyphen should appear before a capitalized word, before a numeral, and before a compound term. A hyphen should also appear to separate two i's, two a's, and other combinations of letters or syllables that might cause misreading.

Examples: anti-inflammatory, anti-Hitlerian, co-opt, intra-arterial, post-Vietnam, pre-1950, non-self-sustaining, anti-intellectual, pro-life, pre-eminent.
Exception: non-major.

I

interdisciplinary programs
See academic departments, divisions, and programs.

Internet
Capitalize this term.

J

Jr., Sr., and III
Do not use a comma before or after these elements.

Example: Robert A. Oden Jr. served as Kenyon's president during the construction of the new science buildings.

John W. Adams Summer Scholars Program in Socio-Legal Studies
The official name for this program. It should be capitalized. Note, too, the hyphen in "Socio-Legal" (an exception to our general rule on the prefix "socio-"). Students participating in the program can be called Summer Legal Scholars (in caps).

K

KCDC
Kenyon College Dance and Dramatic Club

Kenyon buildings
See buildings.

Kenyon College
In second reference, capitalize "College."

Example: Kenyon College is located in Gambier, Ohio. The College enrolls approximately 1,600 students.

Note: Do not capitalize "college" when not referring specifically to Kenyon. Example: At Kenyon, students enjoy a multi-faceted college experience.

Kenyon College Catalog
See course catalog.

Kenyon Fund
Capitalize "the Fund" in second reference.

Kenyon Parents Fund
No apostrophe in "Parents." In second reference, capitalize "the Fund" or "the Parents Fund."

Kenyon Review
As with other periodicals as well as newspapers, the initial "the" in the title of the Kenyon Review is lowercased (unless it begins a sentence) and not italicized. In second reference, one can use "the Review."

Example: Prominent writers as well as promising newcomers appear in the pages of the Kenyon Review. Critics continue to regard the Review as one of the nation's best literary journals.

Kenyon Review Award for Literary Achievement
Do not italicize. Quoting Chicago: "When the name of a newspaper or periodical is part of the name of a building, organization, prize, or the like, it is not italicized."

Kenyon Review Student Associates
Do not italicize (see rule for Kenyon Review Award for Literary Achievement).

L

lectures
Capitalize the name of a lecture series.

Example: Pierce Scranton spoke on campus as part of the Burton Morgan Lecture Series.

The titles of individual lectures go in quotation marks.

Example: Higley Hall Auditorium was packed for Jane Goodall's lecture, "The Chimps of Gombe."

M

Middle Ground café
Lowercase "café," which is not part of the name of the restaurant.

N

named professorships
See capitalization: titles.

non-major
Hyphenate. (This is an exception.)

nonprofit
One word; do not hyphenate.

Nu Pi Kappa
For external audiences, you may want to note that this room is located on the third floor of Ascension Hall.

numbers
In general, following Chicago, spell out whole numbers from one through one hundred. Use numerals for numbers higher than one hundred.

Example: The forty-three political science majors in the Class of 2005 returned for a reunion.

Exception: For the Web and in news releases, use Associated Press style, in which you spell out whole numbers from one through nine, and use numbers for 10 and above.

Spell out round numbers.

Example: The building is three hundred years old.
Example: Some three thousand people in Gambier lost power when a breeze arose.

Spell out any number that begins a sentence; or recast the sentence to avoid awkwardness.

Example: Eight hundred and forty-nine Kenyon students registered to vote in Gambier.
Example: In all, 849 Kenyon students registered to vote in Gambier.

Use numerals (and decimal points) for course credit.

Example: Kenyon's intensive introductory language courses carry .75 units of credit per semester, for a total of 1.5 units per year. The typical semester-long course carrries .5 units.

Numerals are also preferred for many scientific uses.

Numerals are used for sports statistics.

O

Olin Auditorium
For the Web and other external audiences, it may be best to use Olin Library Auditorium, specifying the building for those who might otherwise be confused.

online
No hyphen.

Orientation
Capitalize Orientation when referring to the Orientation Program. (Also capitalize Orientation Program.) Keep lowercase when not referring to the program.

P

parents
Like alumni, the parents of Kenyon students (or Kenyon alumni) are designated with a number referring to the class year of their student(s).

Example: William Spitz P'08 is a trustee. [Mr. Spitz is the parent of a student in the Class of 2008.]

Peirce Hall
Note that the "e" precedes the "i" in Peirce Hall, which is named for William Foster Peirce, president of the College from 1896 to 1937.

periodical titles
See titles: works.

Philomathesian Hall
For external audiences, you may want to note that this room is located on the second floor of Ascension Hall.

phone numbers
Use hyphens between the elements of a phone number.

Example: 740-427-5158

policymaking
Spell as one word.

professorships, named
See capitalization: titles.

R-S

rainsite
Spell as one word.

Example: Commencement will be held outdoors. The rainsite is the Kenyon Athletic Center.

reunion
Capitalize the event Reunion Weekend, as well as Reunion when it is used as shorthand for Reunion Weekend. Lowercase the word when used generically.

Example: Nearly sixty alumni of the Chamber Singers are planning to attend Reunion. They'll be presenting a concert on Saturday evening during Reunion Weekend. "I've been looking forward to this reunion for years," said one.

rooms and room numbers
See buildings: rooms.

S

science quad
Lowercase this term.

Senior Exercise
Capitalize this Kenyon term.

Example: In order to graduate, all students must complete the Senior Exercise in their major.

Senior Staff
Capitalize this term when it refers to Kenyon's administrative leadership team, consisting of the president, division heads, and so on.

Socio- as prefix.
Do not hyphenate.

Example: The class examined the sociopolitical implications of the war.

Summer Science Scholars Program
Capitalize this Kenyon program. Also capitalize "Summer Science Scholar" when referring to a participant.

Summer Legal Scholars
The official name for this program is John W. Adams Summer Scholars Program in Socio-Legal Studies. It should be capitalized. Note, too, the hyphen in "Socio-Legal" (an exception to our general rule on the prefix "socio-"). Students participating in the program can be called Summer Legal Scholars (in caps).

T

Taosim
Not Daoism.

titles: people. See also capitalization: titles.

titles: works
Capitalize and italicize the titles of: books, periodicals, newspapers, movies, plays, television and radio programs (but not single episodes), works of art (paintings, drawings, sculptures, installations, etc.).

Use quotation marks for articles, short stories, poems, and chapters within books.

Exception: Use italics for a very long poetic work, especially one constituting a book (e.g., Dante's Inferno).

Note this rule, from Chicago: When newspapers and periodicals are mentioned in text, an initial "the," even if part of the official title, is lowercased (unless it begins a sentence) and not italicized.

Example: They distributed issues of the Kenyon Review.

When the name of a newspaper or periodical is part of the name of a building, organization, prize, or the like, it is not italicized (Chicago). Thus, there are no italics in the Kenyon Review Award for Literary Achievement or the Kenyon Review Student Associates.

Single episodes of television programs are not italicized. Use quotation marks.

Example: In "The Marine Biologist," from the fifth season of Seinfeld, George saves a beached whale.

trustee
Lowercase "trustee," even when discussing members of Kenyon's Board of Trustees.

U

upperclass students
This term (one word, lowercase) designates sophomores, juniors, and seniors.

W

Web pages and sites
The Web comes from the proper name World Wide Web (the Internet's most widely used information-retrieval service) and is thus capitalized. Capitalize all of the following: Web site, Web page, the Web.

Lowercase the following, however: webcam, webcast.

West, Western, western
See geographical terms.