Writing Style Guide

A

academic degrees

associate degree, not associate’s
bachelor’s degree
master’s degree
doctorate degree, PhD
No apostrophe in Bachelor of Arts or Master of Science.
If mention of degrees is necessary to establish someone’s credentials, the preferred form is to avoid abbreviation and use instead a phrase such as: John Jones, who has a doctorate in psychology.
Use abbreviations as BS, MA, and PhD only when the need to identify many individuals by degree would make the preferred form cumbersome. Use these abbreviations only after a full name, never after just a last name.
When used after a name, set it off by commas. John Snow, PhD, spoke.
Do not precede a name with a courtesy title for an academic degree and follow it with the abbreviation for the degree in the same reference. Wrong: Dr. Pam Jones, PhD Right: Dr. Pam Jones, a chemist.

academic departments

Use lowercase except for words that are proper nous or adjectives: the department of history, the history department, the department of English, the English department, or when department is part of the official and formal name: University of Connecticut Department of Medicine. See
campus structure, departments and divisions.

Academic Quality Improvement Program

The program the college uses for institutional accreditation. AQIP is acceptable on second reference.

academic titles

Capitalize and spell out formal titles such as chancellor, chairman, etc., when they precede a name. Lowercase elsewhere. Lowercase modifiers such as department in department Chairman Jerome Wiesner.

ACES

The formal title is Adult Career & Education System. ACES is acceptable on second reference.
The center provides combined training in academics, communication skills and job-specific basic computer skills, among others.

acronyms

Use acronyms sparingly, replacing them with the appropriate common noun when possible. Always spell out on first reference unless noted otherwise. The acronym may be used directly after first reference. It is no longer necessary to provide the acronym in parenthesis after the name: The college recently opened its Integrated Systems Training Center. ISTC operates on an open-entry basis. 

addresses

See the AP stylebook.

Laramie County Community College
1400 E. College Drive
Cheyenne, WY 82007

Laramie Campus
1125 Boulder Drive
Laramie, WY 82070

Eastern Laramie County Outreach Center
P.O. Box 580
Pine Bluffs, WY 82082

advisor

Not adviser.

Administration Building (AB)

Houses the President’s Office, Business Services, Human Resources, Accounting, etc. See buildings.

Agriculture Building (AG)

See buildings.

alumnus, alumni, alumna, alumnae

Use alumnus [alumni in the plural] when referring to a man who has attended a school. Use alumna [alumnae in the plural] for similar references to a woman. Use alumni when referring to a group of men and women.

Andrikopoulos Business & Technology Building (BT)

Use on first reference. Full name: Anthony G. and Barbara F. Andrikopoulos Business & Technology Building. Dedicated in August 2006. See buildings.

AQIP

See Academic Quality Improvement Program.

arena (AREN) 

Capitalize when referring to the indoor arena on campus. Use LCCC if needed for clarity. The rodeo will be held in the LCCC Arena. Do not use LCCC College Arena; it is redundant.

Arp Building (Arp)

Not an acronym. The building is named after the Arp family, which donated the majority of land the college now occupies. Houses the Children’s Discovery Center. See buildings.

Arts & Humanities

See divisions.

Student Government Association

SGA is acceptable on second reference.

athletic director

Use the singular athletic unless otherwise in a formal title.

athletic program

Lowercase unless Golden Eagles Athletics or Athletic Department. LCCC reintroduced its athletic program in 2002 after eliminating its teams in 1992. The program consists of the following,which are lowercased with the exception of Esports:

Esports
men’s soccer team
men’s basketball team 
women's basketball
women’s soccer team
women’s volleyball team
rodeo team

audiovisual

One word. Capitalize when referring to the campus department that deals with the production
of sound and visual works for the college. AV is acceptable on second reference. The Audiovisual
Department recorded the president’s speech.

B

board of trustees

Always lowercase: Laramie County Community College board of trustees. Acts as a collective noun and takes a singular verb. The board of trustees is holding its first meeting.

bookstore

Capitalize when referring to the college’s bookstore. There is one located on the Cheyenne campus. The students will pick up supplies at the LCCC Bookstore. 

Blue Arches

Identifies the entryway into the Community College Center on the north end of campus.

buildings

All proper names of buildings should be capitalized and use an ampersand when needed. Fine Arts Building, Career & Technical Building. Retain capitalization in informal instances when building is assumed: The class will be held in Fine Arts. When used with a room number,
abbreviate only upon second reference: The meeting will be held in Fine Arts, Room 123. It then will move to FA 165.

Administration Building (ADM)
Agriculture Building (AG)
Andrikopolous Business & Technology Building (B)
Arena (AREN)
Arp Building (Arp)
Auto Body (AB)
Auto Tech (AT)
Career & Technical Building (CT)
Center for Conferences & Institutes (CCI)
Central Plant North
Clay Pathfinder Building (PF)
College Community Center (CCC)
Education & Enrichment Center (EEC)
Fine Arts Building (FA)
Flex Tech (FT)
Health Science Building (HS)
Ludden Library
Plant Operations Building (PM)
Prentice/Surbrugg Health Sciences Building (HS)
Recreation & Athletic Complex (RAC)
Residence Hall (RH)
Science Center (SC)
Student Services Building (SS)
Surbrugg Prentice Auditorium (AUD)
The Training Center (TC)

C

cafeteria

Lowercase. Preferred term is dining room.

canceled

Not cancelled.

campuswide

One word. Like statewide.

campus structure

The college is made up of six service areas. Capitalize the formal name and use an ampersand (&).
President’s Office or Office of the President
Business Services
Instructional Services
Integrated Technology Services
Student Services
Workforce & Community Development

Career & Technical Building (CT)

Houses the Adult Career & Education System, Integrated Systems Training Center, the Career Center, UW Outreach and auto body courses. The name was changed in 2008 from Construction Trades Building. See buildings.

catalog

Capitalize when used with a year. The 2008-09 Catalog is available online. Lowercase in other uses.

Campus Safety

LCCC’s Campus Safety is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week by calling 307.630.0645.

Center for Conferences & Institutes (CCI)

CCI is acceptable on second reference. See buildings.

Central Plant North

The newer plant on campus that was completed in 2009. See buildings.

Children’s Discovery Center

CDC is acceptable on second reference, but avoid the use of acronyms.

class descriptions

Any information regarding class or course descriptions must be exactly the same as the information provided by Instructional Services in the current LCCC catalog. See class names.

class names

Lowercase classes and courses unless using the specific and complete title or if the name carries a proper noun or numeral. Biology 1001, the biology course, Western Civilization.

Clay Pathfinder Building (PF) 

Houses admissions and the Student Hub. See buildings.

clubs and teams

Lowercase campus clubs unless you use the specific and complete title. Across Cultures Club, Sonography Club, Speech and Debate Team, Wingspan. But: speech team, student newspaper club.

college

Capitalize only when part of a proper name. Dartmouth College, Laramie County Community College. But: Thousands of students attend the college.

College Community Center (CCC)

Houses Emporium, Dining Room, Student Lounge and LCCC Playhouse. CCC is acceptable on second reference. See buildings.

community college

Always spell out unless needed for space in ads, posters or flyers. Western Wyoming CC. Capital letters and no periods. See college.

courses

See class descriptions or class names.

curriculum

Singular. Curricula is the plural form.

D

dates

Do not use ordinal numbers: 12^th, 22^nd. The event will be held from April 10-12.

dean’s list

See honor roll.

departments

Capitalize formal and complete names of campus departments. The word department may be dropped if the meaning still makes sense. The LCCC Foundation, Scholarships & Financial Aid, Marketing & Communications Department. See academic departments, campus structure, divisions.

Dining Services

The on-campus service that provides meals for the campus community.

dollar amounts

See prices.

E

Eastern Laramie County Outreach Center

An outreach center, not a separate campus. Its office address:
Eastern Laramie County Outreach Center
P.O. Box 580
Pine Bluffs, WY 82082
307.432.1678

email

Lowercase, except at the beginning of a sentence. 

Esther and John Clay Fine Arts Gallery

Located in the Surbrugg Prentice Auditorium. Holds art shows throughout the year. Admission is free.

ESL

English as a Second Language. ESL is acceptable on second reference.

events

When listing information for an event, list time and then date.

F 

Fine Arts Building (FA)

See buildings.

first annual

Do not use. Say first or inaugural instead. See AP Stylebook.

Flex Tech (FT)

See buildings.

G

GEAR UP

No hyphen. The acronym is acceptable on first reference for Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs.

GED

The acronym is acceptable on first reference for General Educational Development. No periods. See HSEC or HiSET.

Golden Eagles

The college mascot, whose official name is Talon. Use in the plural form when used as a modifier. Golden Eagles Athletics. Golden Eagles volleyball camp.

GPA

The acronym is acceptable on first reference for grade point average. No periods.

Greenway

The Greater Cheyenne Greenway is a system of paths that serve as a gateway to the parks and neighborhoods of the community. The Greenway runs though campus.

Gymnasium

Capitalize when referring to the room in the Physical Education Building. Use LCCC if needed for clarity. The event will be held in the LCCC Gymnasium. Gym also is acceptable. See buildings. 

H

Hathaway Scholarship

Created by the state and approved by the Legislature in March 2006. The scholarships, which are merit- and need-based, may be used at the University of Wyoming or any state community college.

Health Science Building (HS)

Not Health Sciences. HS is acceptable on second reference. The building opened in 2009. See buildings.

Health Sciences & Wellness

See divisions.

High Plains Register

An annual literary and arts magazine published by students. Do not italicize or place in quotes.
Avoid use of the acronym HPR, substituting the word magazine or publication instead.

home school

Also, home schooled, home schooler. 

honor roll

Always lowercase. The president’s list, vice president’s list. Students who earn president’s list honors must have a cumulative grade point average of 4.0; those who earn vice president’s honors must have a cumulative GPA of 3.5 to 3.99.

HVAC/R

Acceptable upon first reference. Stands for Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration. 

IJK

L

Laramie Campus

The college is moving away from using Albany County Campus or ACC to describe the campus in Laramie, Wyoming. The preferred label for this campus is: the Laramie campus. The college opened the facility in 2006 at 1125 Boulder Drive, Laramie, Wyoming.

Laramie County Community College

Spell out upon first reference. Subsequent references can be abbreviated to LCCC. When referring to LCCC as the college, leave college lowercased.

Ludden Library

Full name: Randall W. and Yvonne D. Ludden Library. Dedicated in June 2006. See buildings.

M

Mall

The walkway separating the north and south sides of campus. It runs from the Residence Halls to the Flex Tech Building. The Mall is part of the Greenway.

Multipurpose Room/Gym

No hyphen. Capitalize when referring to the room in the Recreation & Athletic Complex. Use LCCC if needed for clarity. The event will be held in the LCCC Multipurpose Room. MPR is acceptable on second reference. See buildings.

myLCCC

myLCCC is the college's student portal providing access to email, announcements, software, class registration and more. It should be written with lowercase "my" and uppercase "LCCC" always.

N

O

off campus, on campus

Hyphenate only when used as a modifier. The meeting was held off campus. The on-campus event went smoothly.

offices

Capitalize formal and complete names of campus offices; lowercase informal names and incomplete designations. The President’s Office, the Counseling & Advising Office. But: the secretary’s office, the division office.

online

One word, no hyphen.

Outreach & Workforce Development

P

Pathways

LCCC has 8 Pathways, which group related programs and may allow students to explore the different programs within that Pathway for one or more semesters without wasting credits, time or money. The Pathways are:
Agriculture & Equine
Business & Accounting
Communication & Creative Arts
Health Sciences & Wellness
Human & Public Services
Information Technology
Science, Technology, Engineering & Math (STEM)
Trades & Technical Studies

phone numbers

See telephone numbers.

Plant Operations Building (PO)

See buildings.

president’s list

See honor roll.

prices

Use dollar sign. Do not use decimal point for even dollar amounts.
Right: $99 or $149.50
Wrong: $99.00 (add reference under cost and dollar amounts)

programs

Lowercase academic programs. The equine studies program, the surgical technology program. Any information regarding program descriptions or requirements must be exactly the same as the information provided by Instructional Services in the current LCCC catalog.

Q

R

Registered trademark symbol (®)

Use only when mandated. Not necessary for press releases or other journalistic uses, such as the LCCC website or Wingspan. When used, use only for first reference, and place in superscript to avoid confusion and to create consistency.

Residence Hall (RH)

Capitalize when referring to on-campus housing at LCCC. The college has three individual residence halls, Foundation Hall, Blue Hall and Gold Hall. See buildings.

room numbers

Use figures and capitalize room only when used with a figure: Room 149. No space between the building and room number: Room SC304.

S

Science Center (SC)

Not Science Building. See buildings.

Security

See Campus Safety.

SEEK

Summer Educational Experiences for Kids. SEEK is acceptable upon second reference.

semester

Lowercase. Capitalize fall, spring and summer only if the are followed by the year. Do not use semester between the term and the year; it is redundant. Right: Fall 2007, Summer 2008. Wrong: Winter Semester 2007.

school year

2007-08 school year, 2000-01 basketball season. Do do not use a back slash or m dash.

student-athlete

student classifications

Do not capitalize freshman, sophomore, junior, senior or graduate student.

student handbook

Capitalize when used with a year. 2007-08 Student Handbook. The handbook is updated yearly and is available online.

SGA

Use Student Government Association on the first reference. SGA is acceptable upon second reference.

Surbrugg Prentice Auditorium (AUD)

May abbreviate to SPA or auditorium. See buildings.

T

Talon

Full name: The Laramie County Community College Talon. Talon or Talon magazine is acceptable on first reference. Do not italicize or place in quotes. The magazine is published by the LCCC Marketing & Communications Department.
Talon is also the official name of Golden Eagles mascot.

telephone numbers

Use a period to separate numbers. Do not use a 1 before toll-free numbers: 307.778.LCCC, 800.522.2993. For news releases, follow AP style: 307-778-LCCC.

Laramie County Community College
307.778.LCCC or 800.522.2993

Laramie Campus
307.721.5138

Eastern Laramie County Outreach Center
307.432.1678

time

Use lowercase a.m. and p.m., with periods. Always use figures, with a space between the time and the a.m. or p.m.: “By 6:30 a.m. she was long gone.” If it's an exact hour, no “:00″ is required. "The event starts at 7 p.m.."

theatre

Use theatre, and not theater. LCCC Theatre Club. But: theatre instructors, theatre classes.

titles

See the AP stylebook.

The Training Center (TC)

Not The Training Center Building. See buildings.

U

Union Pacific Centennial Room

Do not use U.P. Centennial Room. Located in the Center for Conferences & Institutes. Comprises of rooms 129 and 130. See buildings.

University of Wyoming

UW is acceptable on second reference.

V

vice president’s list

See honor roll.

W

website

One word. Use a period at the end if the site falls at the end of a sentence.
Use lccc.wy.edu for LCCC's website. Do not use "www." in front of it.
Sites should not be underlined in print materials. Do not capitalize letters within the address unless absolutely necessary for readability.

Western Undergraduate Exchange

WUE is acceptable on second reference, but avoid the use of acronyms. The Western Undergraduate Exchange is a program through which students in participating states may enroll in designated institutions and programs in other participating states at a reduced tuition level.
Participating states include: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana,
Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.
Wyoming community colleges also extend the WUE rate to Nebraska students.

XYZ