apostrophe
Use for possessives, typically not for plurals. Use an open single quote as the apostrophe for omitted figures (Class of ’70, The Spirit of ’76). To key an open single quote, hold down the control key and press the apostrophe key twice.

When listing alumni in school publications, it is desirable to indicate their year of graduation and the level of the degree. No comma is necessary between the last name and class year. For undergraduate degrees, simply use an apostrophe, followed by the two-digit year: Smith ’64. For a master’s or doctoral degree, use MS or PhD (with no periods) to denote the level of their degree: Smith MS ’64. If multiple degrees have been earned, separate them with a comma and space: Smith ’64, MS ’76, PhD ’82.

For current students, do not use this notation, as it implies that they’ve earned a degree. Instead, refer to the class year or expected graduation year: Smith, Class of 2011; Smith, sophomore.

Use an apostrophe in bachelor’s degree, a master’s, etc., but there is no possessive in Bachelor of Arts or Master of Science.

When including specific information about the type of degree an alumni received, do not insert the degree abbreviation between the name and class year, but rather list separately: Joe Smith ’64, Petroleum Engineering. See also Grammar and Punctuation Guidelines.

Athletics Hall of Fame
Each year, the Colorado School of Mines Department of Athletics inducts a new class into the Mines Athletics Hall of Fame in an effort to recognize former Mines' athletes, current or former faculty and staff, and others associated with Mines Athletics. These inductees have distinguished themselves in the field of athletics, either by virtue of their performance in competition, or through their outstanding contributions on behalf of Mines Athletics.

Arthur Lakes Library
Arthur Lakes Library on first reference or in formal usage: Arthur Lakes Library is located on the west side of Kafadar Commons. The library staff meets on Tuesdays. There is no “the” preceding the name (not: the Arthur Lakes Library), nor is “library” capitalized when used in later references. We’re heading over to the library after class.

Asian American, Asian-American
Hyphenate the adjective but not the noun: Several Asian-American students participated. Many Asian Americans joined the club.

associate vice presidents
See Appendix H – Administrative Structure.

assure, ensure, insure
“Assure” means to convince or promise. “Ensure” means to guarantee, while “insure” is used in references to insurance.

athletic director
Formal title is director of athletics. Use lowercase except before a name: Director of Athletics David Hansburg spoke at the luncheon. Joan Doe, director of athletics at the university, resigned her position today.

awards/medals
Use the complete title of the following awards:
Brown Medal
Distinguished Achievement Medal
Melville F. Coolbaugh Award
Mines Medal
Outstanding Alumnus Award
van Diest Gold Medal
Young Alumnus Award/Young Alumna Award
See also CSMAA Awards, Mines Awards, Philanthropy Award Program and Partners in Philanthropy Award Program

B

because, since
“Because” denotes a strong cause/effect relationship, while “since” indicates a logical connection, but no direct causation. Because of tuition rate increases, more Mines students are using financial aid. They went to the game, since they’d been given free tickets.

BELS
Second reference for Bioengineering and Life Sciences (minor).

Ben H. Parker Student Center
Ben H. Parker Student Center on first reference or in formal usage: The Ben H. Parker Student Center is located next to the Student Recreation Center. Lowercase “student center” in subsequent uses. The bookstore at the student center sells all required texts.

Berthoud Hall

bi-
Generally requires no hyphen: bimonthly, bilingual, bilateral.

biannual/biennial
“Biannual” is twice per year (semiannual), while “biennial” is every two years.

bimonthly, biweekly
Means every other month or week.

Bioengineering and Life Sciences (BELS)

black, white
Both words are lowercase when used to describe racial groups.

BlasterCard
One word.

blog
Online journal (comes from “web log”).

board, board of directors, board of trustees
Capitalize board of directors or board of trustees when, on first reference, it is part of a proper name: the Denver Girl Scout Council Board of Directors; use lowercase when used alone or before the proper title: the board of directors of First National Bank. The same rule applies to board of trust­ees, board of managers, board of governors and board of regents. See Appendix H – Administrative Structure for a listing of board members.

bookstore
One word: the Colorado School of Mines Bookstore.

Board of Trustees Honors Scholarship Program
 

Bradford Hall

Brooks Field

Brown Building

Brown Medal
Awarded by Mines, the George R. Brown Medal honors a person who has rendered distinguished service in or to the field of engineering education.

Brunton, The

buildings
As a general rule, capitalize campus buildings that have a formal, given name (buildings that are named for someone). In those cases, capitalize all major words in the name, including the words “Building” or “Center.” Use lowercase for buildings with generic names that reflect the discipline taught or the activity conducted therein: Meyer Hall houses the physics department, and is located south of Kafadar Commons. The recreation center is located on the west side of campus.

Use lowercase for rooms and facilities within buildings: room 312 of the chemistry building. EXCEPTIONS: Capitalize rooms and facilities within buildings that have a formal, given name: Metals Hall, the McNeil Room. Most campus buildings are listed individually in this style guide, and a list is provided in Appendix D.

bullets
See bullets in the Punctuation and Grammar Guidelines.

bylaws

C

C2B2
Colorado Center for Biorefining and Biofuels

campus-wide
An exception to the general rule of omitting the hyphen in “-wide” constructions. See also -wide.

Campus Writing Program

capitalization
Capitalize only proper names; avoid capitalizing generic terms. Specific examples follow:

awards/funds - Always lowercase the words “award” and “fund” when not used as part of an official name:  the awards committee, the award for best teaching assistant, the new endowed fund.

academic calendar - Do not capitalize academic semesters: summer field session, fall semester.

academic departments/subjects - Do not capitalize academic subjects unless a word is a proper noun: His favorite courses are calculus and English. Capitalize words in academic departments only if they are proper nouns or they compose the official department name: He is studying quantum mechanics in the physics department. She wants to earn a minor in international political economy from the Division of Liberal Arts and International Studies.

administrative offices - Do not capitalize units unless using the full formal name of the department: She is a photographer for the Colorado School of Mines Foundation. The library staff held a party.

athletic teams - The Orediggers. (The student newspaper is The Oredigger; to avoid confusion, the Mines sports teams should not be italicized.)

buildings - see buildings entry.

campus organizations - Capitalize the formal names of campus organizations and ongoing programs: Interfraternity Council, University Council, McBride Honors Program.

centers/institutes - Capitalize the full formal name, such as the Sharon and John Trefny Institute for Educational Innovation, but lowercase the shorter form: the institute; the Ben H. Parker Student Center, the student center; the Center for Wave Phenomena, the center.

class titles - Use lowercase: sophomore, senior. When referring collectively to a class, however, capitalize: Sophomore Class.

course titles - Specific course titles should be capitalized (no quotation marks or italics), but can be lowercased when only describing subject matter rather than serving as an official title. He teaches beginning calculus each fall. All students are required to take EBGN 201 Principles of Economics.

committee names - Capitalize full names of officially established committees. Lowercase otherwise: the Diversity Committee, the editorial committee.

company, product names - Follow the spelling and capitalization used by the company: iPod, MacBook, eBay, Procter & Gamble. Always capitalize the first letter of all sentences, however.

degrees - Lowercase: bachelor of science, master's degree, doctorate. See also degrees.

departments - Do not capitalize generic department names: He is studying calculus in the math department. Capitalize departments only when the official name is used: A new professor joined the Colorado School of Mines Mining Engineering Department. Also, always remember to capitalize proper names: English department. (Mines does not have such a department, but other universities do.) See also department/division names.

divisions - Capitalize full names; lowercase unofficial division names: Liberal Arts and International Studies Division, the liberal arts department. See also department/division names.

offices - Do not capitalize units unless using the full, proper name of the department: See administrative offices, above.

programs - Lowercase all common names: computer science, music program; uppercase proper names: Nuclear Engineering Program.

titles - Lowercase and spell out professional titles relating to people, unless directly preceding the name and therefore part of the name: Professor Brian Gorman; Coach Bob Stitt; Willy Hereman, department head, said he was excited about the new program. (See more examples under titles and names.)

career center
Colorado School of Mines Career Center on first reference or in formal usage: The Colorado School of Mines Career Center is located in the student center. The career center staff members are available to assist students with their job searches.

CASA
Center for Academic Services and Advising

Caucasian
 

CCAC
The Colorado Center for Advanced Ceramics
The Clear Creek Athletics Complex

CDHE
Second reference for the Colorado Department of Higher Education.

Center for Revolutionary Solar Photoconversion (CRSP)

census day
Lowercase. Last day to register, add courses, drop courses without a "W," register for no-credit (audit), register for independent study, and last day to drop a class and receive a full tuition refund.

centers
Capitalize when used as part of a name, lowercase otherwise; see capitalization. Remember that acronyms commonly used within a unit may not be appropriate or necessary for an external audience.

Both institutes and centers are listed in this style guide, and more information about them can be found at www.mines.edu/research/ord/centers_institutes.html. Also see Appendix C for a complete list of centers and institutes.

CERI
Second reference for the Colorado Energy Research Institute.

chair
Use whatever title the group uses for its leader: “chairman,” “chairwoman,” “chairperson” or “chair.” If the information from the group does not make clear the title the group uses, “chair” is preferred. (The Mines Board of Trustees uses “chairman.”) See also endowed chairs, endowed professorships.

Chauvenet Hall

city of Golden

citywide
See also the entry –wide.

classes/class years
Capitalize when referencing a single class (Class of ’07), but lowercase when referring to a span of classes (the classes of ’95-’05). Two-digit abbreviations are appropriate in all instances. Use an open single quote for the apostrophe preceding the year. Incorrect: ‘07; correct: ’07.

When listing alumni in school publications, it is desirable to indicate their year of graduation and the level of the degree. No comma is necessary between the last name and class year. For undergraduate degrees, simply use an apostrophe, followed by the two-digit year: Smith ’64. For a master’s or doctoral degree, use MS or PhD (with no periods) to denote the level of their degree: Smith MS ’64. If multiple degrees have been earned, separate them with a comma and space: Smith ’64, MS ’76, PhD ’82.

For current students, do not use this notation, as it implies that they’ve earned a degree. Instead, refer to the class year or expected graduation year: Smith, Class of 2011; Smith, sophomore.

When including specific information about the type of degree an alumni received, do not insert the degree abbreviation between the name and class year, but rather list separately: Joe Smith ’64, Petroleum Engineering.

Clear Creek Athletics Complex (CCAC)
The capstone project that will complete updates, renovations and additions to Mines’ athletics facilities. For all facilities, use full formal name on first use; abbreviate on second reference. Spell out “and” rather than using the ampersand (Track & Field is permissible.) CCAC encompasses the following facilities:

• Marv Kay Stadium; Kay Stadium
  When referring to the stadium and the playing field, use Harry D. Campbell Field at Marv Kay Stadium; Campbell Field at Kay Stadium on second reference
• Harold and Patricia Korell Athletics Center; Korell Athletics Center
• Harry D. Campbell Field; Campbell Field
  When referring to the playing field and the stadium, use Harry D. Campbell Field at Marv Kay Stadium; Campbell Field at Kay Stadium on second reference.

·       Southwestern Energy Company scoreboard

·       Frank and Dot Stermole Track and Field Complex; Stermole Complex

• Stermole Soccer Stadium; Stermole Stadium
• Marshall and Jane Crouch Field Events Complex; Crouch Complex
• Jim Darden Field; Darden Field
• CSM Softball Field

co-
Use a hyphen when forming words that indicate an occupation or status: co-worker, co-director, co-author, co-sponsor.

COF
Second reference for College Opportunity Fund.

collective nouns
These nouns can denote a unit or individual items. When indicating a unit, they take singular verbs and pronouns, but if the noun refers to individual members, it takes a plural verb. Typically, faculty, class, committee, crowd, family, group, herd, jury, orchestra, team denote a unit, and take singular verbs.

A thousand bushels is a good yield  (A unit; singular verb.)
A thousand bushels were created. (Individual items; plural verb.) 

The entire faculty is meeting today. (A unit)
Many faculty are working on their projects this weekend. (Individual members)

colleges

In 2011–2012, Mines established three colleges, each headed by a dean, under which 14 academic departments are organized.

·       College of Engineering and Computational Sciences (CECS)
Mines’ first college, formed in 2011. Includes four departments: Applied Mathematics and Statistics, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and Mechanical Engineering.

·       College of Applied Science and Engineering (CASE)
Includes four departments: Chemistry and Geochemistry, Chemical and Biological Engineering, Metallurgical and Materials Engineering and Physics.

·       College of Earth Resource Sciences and Engineering (CERSE)
Includes six departments: Economics and Business, Geology and Geological Engineering, Geophysics, Liberal Arts and International Studies, Mining Engineering and Petroleum Engineering.

College Opportunity Fund (COF)
Since 2004, the mechanism by which the state of Colorado provides funds for each in-state student via stipend.

colon
See colon in the Punctuation and Grammar Guidelines.

Colorado
See state of Colorado.

Coloradans

Colorado Center for Biorefining and Biofuels (C2B2)

Colorado Department of Higher Education (CDHE)

Colorado Energy Research Institute (CERI)

Colorado Renewable Energy Collaboratory
A research partnership among Mines, Colorado State University, the University of Colorado Boulder and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

Colorado Research in Education and Wind (CREW)

Colorado School of Mines
Use full name on first reference. When referring to as “school” or “university,” do not capitalize; the preferred usage is “Mines.” To maintain consistency across campus, avoid “CSM.” Although some campus entities have adopted “CSM” in their official names, the acronym should be avoided in future naming and communications. Use "Mines" anywhere you would use "CSM"

Correct: Colorado School of Mines is a world-class engineering and applied science university. Mines is home to more than 4,000 students, many of whom chose the school for its rigorous academic programs and proximity to the mountains. The school is located in Golden, Colorado.

Incorrect: The Colorado School of Mines is a world-class engineering and applied science university. CSM is a world-class engineering and applied science university. The Mines is a world-class engineering and applied science university. The School is located in Golden, Colorado.

The possessive of Mines is Mines’—the apostrophe follows the “s.”
Mines’ expert faculty members are well-known for cutting-edge research initiatives.

Colorado School of Mines Alumni Association (CSMAA)
Use full name on first reference; “CSMAA” or “the association” may be used thereafter. Lowercase “alumni association” or “the association” when not preceded by “Colorado School of Mines.”

Colorado School of Mines Bookstore
Full, formal name. When referring to the bookstore, do not capitalize.

Colorado School of Mines Career Center
Full, formal name. When referring to the career center, do not capitalize.

Colorado School of Mines Foundation
Use full, formal name on first reference. When referring to the foundation, do not capitalize.

Colorado School of Mines Student Recreation Center
Full, formal name. When referring to the recreation center or the rec center, use lowercase.

comma
See comma in the Punctuation and Grammar Guidelines section.

commencement
Capitalize when referring to the formal ceremony; lowercase for generic usage. The December commencement ceremony at Mines is referred to as “Midyear Degree Convocation.” Go to Bunker Auditorium to be seated for 2015 Commencement. Mines holds two commencement ceremonies each year.

committee
Capitalize the full names of committees that are part of formal organizations. Use lowercase for shortened and informal versions of committee names.

Campus-wide committees:
Academic Assessment Committee
Athletic Board
Biosafety Committee
Board of Student Organizations
Board of Student Publications
Budget Committee
Calendar Committee
Diversity Committee
Faculty Handbook Committee
Promotion and Tenure Committee
Safety Committee
Sustainability Committee
Undergraduate Student Affairs Committee

company names
Use the same capitalization and punctuation as the company does, for example, Proctor & Gamble, MasterCard, BP.

composition titles

Capitalize the principal words, including prepositions and conjunctions of four or more letters. Capitalize an article – the, a, an – or words of fewer than four letter if it is the first or last word in a title.

Mines follows the Chicago Manual of Style rules for formatting composition titles. Italicize the titles of books, movies, magazines computer games, radio and television programs and the titles of lectures, speeches and works of art. Do not use italics or quotation marks around the Bible or books that are primarily catalogs of reference, including dictionary, directories and handbooks. Use quotation marks around chapter titles, individual works within a collection and songs.

ConocoPhillips Center for a Sustainable WE²ST at Colorado School of Mines

convocation
Capitalize when referring to Mines’ convocation ceremony, but lowercase other references. The December commencement ceremony at Mines is referred to as “Midyear Degree Convocation.”

Coolbaugh Hall

Coolbaugh House

Cooperative Education Program

CoorsTek Center for Applied Science and Engineering
The facility, named for CoorsTek and the Coors family, will be located on and around the site of the current physics building, Meyer Hall, at 15^th and Arapahoe streets. The center will support the College of Applied Science and Engineering and be the new home for the Department of Physics.

CoRE
Chevron Center of Research Excellence

Corporate Partnership Award
An award for corporate donors; part of Philanthropy Awards Program, Mines’ Corporate Partnership Award, established in 2014, recognizes industry partners whose extraordinary investments are making an impact at Mines.

course titles
Specific course titles should be capitalized (no quotation marks or italics), but can be lowercased when only describing subject matter rather than serving as an official title. He teaches beginning calculus each fall. All students are required to take EBGN 201 Principles of Economics.

coursework
One word.

CREW
Second reference for Colorado Research in Education and Wind.

CRSP
Second reference for Center for Revolutionary Solar Photoconversion.

credit hours
Use numerals to refer to credit hours. The class was worth 3 credit hours. She took a 3 credit hour class. Note there is no hyphenation.

criteria, criterion
Criteria is the plural form of criterion.

CSM
Do not use CSM. Use full name of institution on first reference. Use Mines as second reference or shorthand reference to Colorado School of Mines.

CSMAA
Avoid this acronym for Colorado School of Mines Alumni Association in formal usage and in writing, unless it becomes cumbersome to do so. See Colorado School of Mines Alumni Association.

CSMAA Awards
Colorado School of Mines and its alumni association proudly honor exemplary members of the Mines community through the following awards: Outstanding Alumnus/na Awardees, Young Alumnus/na Awardees, Alumnus/na of the Future, Melville F. Coolbaugh Awardees and Honorary Members of CSMAA.

CSMF
Avoid this acronym for Colorado School of Mines Foundation in formal usage and in writing, unless it becomes cumbersome to do so. See Colorado School of Mines Foundation.

CTLM Building
Second reference for Center for Technology and Learning Media.

cultural and historical periods, movements, styles
In general, the names of historical or cultural periods are lowercased, except for proper nouns and adjectives, or to avoid ambiguity: baroque architecture, classical sculpture, colonial politics, romantic painting; but Hellenistic period, Victorian era, Bronze Age, Enlightenment, Middle Ages, Reformation, Renaissance.

cum laude
“With distinction.” 3.50–3.669 GPA. See also magna cum laude and summa cum laude.

curriculum (singular), curricula (plural)
Not curriculums.

D

dash
See dash in the Punctuation and Grammar Guidelines section.

data
“Data” is the plural form of “datum.” Data is frequently used as either the singular or plural, but that is incorrect. For academic or professional writing, distinguish between data and datum. The data are graphed in six tables.

dates
For readability and consistency, express dates in the following order: time, day, date, place. The lecture will be held at 10 a.m., Thursday, March 3, in Metals Hall.

When listing month, day and year in a sentence, use commas between day and year, and after year: December 18, 1994, was a special day. No comma is necessary when using only month and year:  January 2008 was a productive month. Never use st, nd, rd or th.

Use an en dash in date range constructions: April 2–12, 2008. Do not use an en dash if the word “from” has been used: He served as head of the department from 1995 to 1997. See range in Punctuation and Grammar Guidelines section.

dean
Capitalize only when it precedes a name. Do not combine dean, or any administrative title, with an academic title before a name (for example, do not use Dean Dr. John Doe). See titles and names.

dean’s list
Do not capitalize. A student who earns a 3.5–4.0 GPA receives the designation.

degrees
When appropriate to list the degree(s) an individual has earned, abbreviations are acceptable. In such cases, BS, MS or PhD is preferred (no periods), and specify the nature of the degree: PhD Environmental Science, MS Metallurgical Engineering, BS Physics.

In general, academic titles are preferred (“Professor”), but “Dr.” is acceptable for anyone with a PhD, MD or DVM degree.

Use apostrophes when writing bachelor’s and master’s degrees; do not use when naming the full degree (a bachelor of arts degree is a bachelor’s degree). Doctorate is a noun; doctoral is the adjective: one may have a doctorate, or a doctoral degree, but not a doctorate degree.

When listing degrees by their initials, it is preferable to omit the periods (BS Chemical Engineering ’87.) Use a single open quote to form the apostrophe preceding the year (Class of ’70). To key an open single quote, hold down the control key and press the apostrophe key twice. See also apostrophe.

When using degree information in text, there is no need to boldface. Do not use commas or periods. Also, unless referring to the 1800s, use only the last two digits of the year: Robert Jones ’59.

Name, degree and year should be on one line. If the alumnus has two degrees, separate them with a comma: Robert Jones ’59, MS ’62.

See Appendix F for a list of the degrees offered at Mines and their abbreviations.

Department of Public Safety

department/division names
On first reference, use the official department name, and for subsequent references an acronym is acceptable.

Mines has four academic categories: college, department, division and program. Typically, colleges house multiple departments and programs; departments house one discipline: the Department of Chemical Engineering; divisions house multiple disciplines: Liberal Arts and International Studies Division; and programs draw from several departments and divisions: Nuclear Science and Engineering Program.

Colleges have a Dean, Divisions have a Division Director, departments have a Department Head and programs have Program Coordinators. (See Appendix A for a list of academic programs.)

’DiggerDial(er)
An intensive fundraising campaign in which student callers solicit donations by telephone.

’DigNITARIES
Student leaders who support the Foundation in cultivating relationships and building a culture of philanthropy on campus. ’DigNITARIES assist with events, give campus tours and share the student experience with prospects and donors.

Distinguished Achievement Medal
Awarded by Mines to alumni or former students whom the Mines Board of Trustees recognizes for significant career achievements that enhance the reputation and mission of Colorado School of Mines.

directions
Lowercase compass directions, but capitalize regions: He drove west into the mountains. Mines is the best engineering school in the Rocky Mountain West.

doctoral (adj.), doctorate (n.)
See degrees.

dorm/dormitory
The preferred usage is residence hall.

Dr.
In general, academic titles are preferable (“Professor”), but “Dr.” is acceptable for anyone with a PhD, MD or DVM degree. See also degrees.

E

E-Days
Engineers’ Days festival held each spring.

E-Days ’Round the World
An international alumni association annual event centered around E-Days in different cities around the globe.

Earth/earth
“Earth” is the planet earth (proper name), and “earth” is soil. Avoid using a possessive with the proper name, for example, “our Earth.” Mines’ four focus areas, as identified in the Strategic Plan, are earth, energy, materials and environment. The school now uses three key focus areas to brand itself: earth, energy and environment.

EIT
Second reference for Engineer in Training; someone who has passed the Fundamentals of Engineering exam, but not yet passed (or taken) the Professional Engineers exam.

ellipses
See ellipses in the Punctuation and Grammar Guidelines section.

Elm Hall

email
No dash necessary. Never allow an email address to break over two lines with a hyphen; break if necessary following a slash or other mark of punctuation that is part of the address.

emeritus, emerita, emeriti
The title of “emeritus” is not synonymous with “retired”; it is an honor bestowed on some retired faculty and should be included in the title. Feminine “emerita”; plural for both “emeriti.” The word should follow “professor” or “president”: John Doe is a professor emeritus of chemistry. Jane Doe, president emerita at Mines.

endowed professorships and named faculty positions
Capitalize the full name of the chair or professorship. Example: Robert J. Kee holds the George R. Brown Distinguished Chair in Engineering. The Brown Chair is a great honor.

See Appendix G for a list of named chairs and professorships at Mines.

Engineer in Training (EIT)

Engineering Hall

EPICS
Engineering Practices Introductory Course Sequence.

equations
Equations should be punctuated like sentences, with periods at the end. There should be spaces between the operators and the rest of the equation, and superscripts and subscripts should be used (see also subscript).

et al.
Means “and others.” Note there is no punctuation following the “et.”

ethnic groups
See African-American, American Indian/Native American, Asian-American, Caucasian, Hispanic, Mexican-American.

Evening of Excellence
 

everybody
“Everybody” is a singular pronoun, taking a singular predicate and traditionally the singular pronoun “his.” The effort to avoid gender bias has led to the use of “his or her,” an accurate but often awkward construction. It is acceptable to use “their” as the pronoun following “everybody.” Everybody has their opinion about this issue.

everyday (adj.)/every day (adv.)
“Everyday” means commonplace, while “every day” refers to “daily.” I wear my everyday clothes to the gym every day.

exclamation points
Use sparingly, if at all. Appropriate for warnings, but unnecessary to indicate emphasis.

extracurricular
No hyphen.

F

faculty and staff
Usage depends on whether individuals or units are being referenced (see collective nouns). When indicating a unit, they take singular verbs and pronouns, but if the noun refers to individual members, it takes a plural verb. The entire faculty is meeting today (unit). Many staff are working on their projects this weekend (individual members).

faculty ranks and titles
tenure and tenure-track:
Assistant Professor
Associate Professor
Professor

non-tenure-track:
Adjunct
Instructor
Lecturer
Senior Lecturer

research:
Visiting Scholar
Postdoctoral Fellow
Research Associate
Research Professor
Research Associate Professor
Research Assistant Professor

named appointments:
Distinguished Endowed Chair
Endowed Chair
Endowed Professorship
Developmental Professorship
Teacher-Scholar
Trustees Professor

Faculty and Staff Philanthropy Award
Part of Philanthropy Awards Program, the Faculty and Staff Philanthropy Award honors those who make both professional and philanthropic contributions to the school. Recipients demonstrate deep commitment to Mines' mission and are among the university's strongest advocates. 

Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

farther, further
Farther refers to physical distance, while further indicates an extension in time or degree.

FE Exam
Second reference for Fundamentals of Engineering exam.

Fellow
For clarity, capitalize this honorary designation denoting outstanding achievement or service: He is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association.

fellowship
Use uppercase for a named fellowship and lowercase for generic use: She received a fellowship from the institution. He was awarded the Founders Fellowship in 1999.

FERPA
Second reference for Family Education Rights and Privacy Act.

fewer/less
Use “fewer” when referring to an amount that could be expressed as a specific number. Use “less” when making comparisons that do not lend themselves to numeric amounts. Fewer than nine students participated in the picnic. He has less empathy for the freshmen than does she.

fieldwork
One word.

field session

financial aid

financial aid office
Second reference for the Office of Student Financial Aid.

firsthand
One word.

first-year student(s)
Synonym that can be used interchangeably for freshman. Hyphenate the adjective: He is in his first year; he is a first-year student. Capitalize freshman if it refers to the class: Freshman Class.

fiscal year
The Mines fiscal year runs from July 1 to June 30. When referring to the fiscal year, the name is taken from the year in which the fiscal year ends, rather than when it begins. FY09 begins on July 1, 2008 and ends on June 30, 2009. See also years.

fourth-year student(s)
Synonym that can be used interchangeably for senior. Hyphenate the adjective: He is in his fourth year; he is a fourth-year (or fifth-year, or sixth-year) student.

fractions
Spell out amounts of less than one: three-fourths, nine-sixteenths, etc.

fraternities, sororities
The Mines campus hosts seven fraternities and three sororities. The full, formal name should be used on first reference: Kappa Sigma. Abbreviations are acceptable on second reference, but avoid nicknames such as “TriDelts.” A mem­ber is a member, never a brother or sister. In reference to a fraternity’s or sorority’s building, the word “house” should be capitalized when it follows the name of the organiza­tion: Tau Kappa Epsilon House; fraternity house.

freshman
Can be used interchangeably with the phrase first-year student (with 29.9 or fewer credit hours).

As an adjective, use freshman, not freshmen (which is always a noun). Mines is hosting a party for the freshman class. All freshmen are invited.

Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam

fundraising (n.; adj.)
One word.

fundraiser
One word.

FY
Avoid this abbreviation for fiscal year, except when used with numerals (FY16). See fiscal year reference under years.

G

GECO
Golden Energy Computing Organization.

genus, species
In scientific or biological names, capitalize the first, or generic, Latin name for the class of plant or animal and lowercase the species that follows: Homo sapiens, Tyrannosaurus rex.

In second references, use the abbreviated form: P. borealis, T. rex.

Golden Energy Computing Organization (GECO)

good, well
“Good” is an adjective that means something is better than average, and should not be used as an adverb. “Well” (as an adj.) means suitable or healthy. “Well” as an adverb indicates an action that was performed skillfully. She does calculus really well. It’s a good habit to eat a well-balanced diet.

Google
A trademark for a web search engine.

GPA
An acceptable acronym for all references.

grade point average
GPA (no periods) is acceptable for all references. Federal law (FERPA) prohibits the publicizing of a student’s grade point average, except with the explicit written permission of the student (not the student’s parents).

graduate, graduation
At Mines, students who graduate do so at Spring Commencement or Winter Convocation, not at graduation. Note that the verb “graduate” applies only to bachelor’s (undergraduate) degrees. A successful graduate student earns or receives a degree, but does not graduate.

“Graduate” is correctly used in the active voice: She graduated from the university. It is correct, but unnecessary, to use the passive voice: He was graduated from the university. Do not, however, drop, from: John Adams graduated from Harvard. Not: John Adams graduated Harvard. And not: Harvard graduated John Adams.

graduate studies, graduate school
Second, informal reference for Office of Graduate Studies.

Graduate Student Association (GSA)

Greeks
See fraternities and sororities.

Green Center

groundbreaking
No hyphen. Capitalize if part of formal event name: Please attend the Student Recreation Center Groundbreaking Ceremony next week.

GSA
Second reference for Graduate Student Association.

Guggenheim Hall

Guggenheim Member
A donor who gives $25,000 or more in a given year; part of the President’s Council. See also President’s Council.

H

hanged, hung
Hanged refers to executions, and hung is used in all other cases.

Harry D. Campbell Field
Campbell Field on second reference.

Harvey Scholars Program
A prestigious scholarship program established in 2009 that recognizes and rewards merit in academic performance, outstanding character and leadership, and fosters excellence in academic and life pursuits.

Heritage Society
A donor recognition society for those who have included Mines in their estate plans through bequests and other deferred gift arrangements.

High Grade
The student-run, campus literary and visual arts magazine; published annually. Do not italicize.

Hill Hall

Hispanic/Latino
Hispanic is the preferred term for those whose ethnic origin is in a Spanish-speaking country. Use Latino (the feminine form is Latina) for people whose ethnic origin is in a Latin American country. When possible, use a more specific identification such as Cuban, Puerto Rican or Mexican-American. Refer to people of Brazilian and Portuguese origin as such, not as Hispanic. See Latino/a.

homecoming
Capitalize when referring to Mines’ fall event. Lowercase referring to other institutions’ events.

honor roll
A student will be placed on the honor roll if s/he completes a minimum of 14 semester hours and has a GPA of 3.0-3.499.

honor societies
Lowercase in general usage, but capitalize in formal titles. Mines has four honor societies:

Blue Key International Honor Society
The Order of Omega
Phi Beta Delta
Tau Beta Pi

honors program
Lowercase. (See also McBride Honors Program.)

honorary degree/honorary doctorate
Lowercase unless using full, formal name. He received an Honorary Doctorate of Engineering from Mines.  Or He received an honorary doctorate from the school (not, He received an honorary doctorate degree from the school.) Or He received an honorary doctor of engineering degree from Mines. Honorary degrees are awarded by Mines to those persons, whether or not alumni or members of the Mines community, who have rendered unusual or distinguished national or international service, or who have made unusual or distinguished personal or career contributions deserving of the highest recognition.

Honorary Member of CSMAA
This award recognizes someone who has rendered distinguished service to the alumni association and/or Colorado School of Mines.

http
The abbreviation for “hypertext transfer protocol.” When writing web addresses, if http:// is not followed by a www., retain the http (www.mines.edu; http://giving.mines.edu). Mines style is to omit “www.”

hydraulic fracturing
After using the term in full, "fracturing" may be used to describe the process. The term "fracking," considered pejorative by some in the industry, should be avoided. The industry's preferred abbreviation "frac'ing" should also be avoided due to the potential for confusion among non-specialists.

hyphen
See hyphen in Punctuation and Grammar Guidelines section.

I

I/me
“I” is used before a verb, and “me” is used after the verb: I am heading to the store. Do you want to come with me?

imply, infer
To imply is to suggest indirectly, and to infer is to make an educated guess.

irregardless
A double-negative, and not correct. Use “regardless.”

institutes
Uppercase on first and formal references. See capital­ization. Note that some institutes are in fact academic departments within a school or college, while most are multidisciplinary or independent of departmental affiliation. Be wary of acronyms that are regularly used within a given unit but may be unfamiliar to wider audiences.

See Appendix C for a list of institutes and centers.

interdisciplinary/multidisciplinary
“Interdisciplinary” indicates that two or more disciplines are working in conjunction with each other. “Multidisciplinary” indicates that two or more disciplines are involved, but may be working separately.

internet
Do not capitalize.

intramural fields

it’s/its
“It’s” means “it is,” while “its” is the possessive of “it.” It’s cold out today. The cat licked its tail.

IT
Abbreviation for “information technology”; IT is acceptable on second reference.

J

junior
Acceptable adjective and noun that can be used interchangeably for a third-year student (with 60-89.9 credit hours). Only capitalized when referring to the class: the Junior Class.

Jr., Sr.
Abbreviate as Jr. or Sr. only with full names of persons. Do not use a comma between the last name and the abbreviation: Mr. John C. Doe Jr. ’57.

K

Kafadar Commons

kickoff (noun) or kick off (verb, no hyphen)
Examples: Fall Kickoff is an event for incoming students. The event will kick off with lunch in the ballroom.

L

LAIS
Liberal Arts and International Studies, Division of

Latino/a
Hispanic is the preferred term for those whose ethnic origin is in a Spanish-speaking country. Latino is acceptable for Hispanics who prefer that term (feminine form is Latina). See Hispanic.

lay, lie
“Lay” is an action word and needs a direct object. Other forms of “lay” are “laid” and “laying.” She laid the pencil on the window sill. I will lay the book on the table. The prosecutor tried to lay the blame on him.

“Lie” indicates a reclining position along a horizontal plane or telling an untruth. Other forms of “lie” are “lain” and “lying.” She was lying on the couch, contemplating the ceiling. He is lying down. He lay on the beach all day.

lectures
Put the full titles of lectures in quotation marks: The subject of his lecture is “The World of Ambrose Bierce.” Topics need no quotation marks: She will speak about the fiction of Ambrose Bierce. Capitalize lecture titles and lecture series titles, but not any preceding modifiers: She delivered the fourth annual Hennebach Lecture Series.

library
Second reference for Arthur Lakes Library.

M

M Climb
No hyphen. Annual freshman climb up Mount Zion to whitewash the M and ring in the fall semester.

Mabel M. Coulter Student Health Center

MacArthur Fellow

MAC
Second reference for the Mines Activity Council. The part of student government that sponsors Homecoming and other special events.

magazine names
Capitalize the initial letters of the name but do not place it in quotes. Italicize Mines magazine only.. Do not capitalize “magazine” unless it’s part of the journal’s name: Harper’s Magazine, Mines magazine.

magna cum laude
“With great distinction.” 3.70–3.899 GPA. See also cum laude and summa cum laude.

man, mankind
Widely perceived as sexist constructions, so best to avoid them. Substitute “people,” “human” or “humankind."

Maple Hall

Marquez (Mar-cus) Hall
 

matching gift program
A grant or contributions program in which corporations and other employers match their employees’ charitable donations to qualifying organizations.

McBride Honors Program
The Guy T. McBride Jr. Honors Program in Public Affairs for Engineers.

Melville F. Coolbaugh Award
Awarded by CSMAA to recognize an individual who has made an outstanding contribution toward improving the image and enhancing the reputation of the Colorado School of Mines.

MEP
See Multicultural Engineering Program entry.
Second reference for the Multicultural Engineering Program.

Meyer Hall

Mexican-American
See Hispanic.

mid-
Use a hyphen only when a capitalized word follows: mid-American, midterm, midcentury.

millions, billions
Use numerals with “million” or “billion.” I need $6 million to buy that house. Do not go beyond two decimal places in standard prose: 7.26 billion people.

Mines
Acceptable second reference for Colorado School of Mines. (See Colorado School of Mines.)

The possessive of Mines is Mines’—the apostrophe follows the “s.”
Mines’ expert faculty members are well-known for cutting-edge research initiatives.

Mines Activity Council (MAC)

Mines Awards
Colorado School of Mines awards the following: Distinguished Achievement Medal, Mines Medal, George R. Brown Medal, Honorary Degrees, van Diest Gold Medal and induction into the Athletics Hall of Fame. See each award entry for details.

Mines Century Society
A lifetime giving recognition society for donors who make gifts totaling $100,000 and more throughout their lifetimes. The Mines Century Society has five levels of distinction: Copper ($100,000 - $499,999), Silver ($500,000 - $999,999), Gold ($1,000,000 - $2,999,999), Platinum ($3,000,000 - $4,999,999), Diamond ($5,000,000 - $9,999,999), Emerald ($10,000,000 - $19,999,999) and Sapphire ($20,000,000+). While multiple levels of distinction exist, do not capitalize “level”: We are pleased to welcome you to the Mines Century Society at the Platinum level.

Mines magazine
The title of the publication is Mines. However, to avoid confusion with the school, it often makes sense to refer to it as Mines magazine. The word “magazine” should never be italicized or capitalized.

Mines Medal
Awarded by the Mines Board of Trustees to individuals who have rendered unusual and exemplary service to the university.

Mines Park

Mines Tourmaline Award
Part of the Philanthropy Awards Program, The Tourmaline Award harkens to Mines’ history and expertise in minerals and mining, and as an enduring material, reinforces the university’s deep appreciation for its most dedicated philanthropic supporters. 

minority and ethnic groups
See African-American, American Indian/Native American, Asian-American, Hispanic and ethnic groups.

Mobile Science Show (MSS)

months
Months should not be abbreviated in running text. If only the month and year are used, there is no need for a comma between them. The event will be held in May 2009. Classes begin on August 16, 2009. See also years.

Morgan Hall

MP3
A popular audio compression format on the internet.

Mr., Mrs. and Ms.
Courtesy titles are generally omitted, unless a person refers to him or herself in that way. There is no plural. If several women who prefer Ms., for example, must be listed in a series, repeat Ms. before each name.

MSS
Second reference for Mobile Science Show.

multicultural
No hyphen.

Multicultural Engineering Program (MEP)
Formerly Minority Engineering Program

multidisciplinary/interdisciplinary
“Multidisciplinary” indicates that two or more disciplines are involved, but may be working separately. “Interdisciplinary” indicates that two or more disciplines are working in conjunction with each other.

music house
Also known as the Z.K. House

N

names and titles
See titles and names.

National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR)

National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)

nationwide
One word.

Native American
American Indian orNative American is acceptable for those in the U.S. Follow the person's preference. Where possible, be precise and use the name of the tribe: He is a Navajoc ommissioner. In stories about American Indians, such words as wampum, warpath, powwow,teepee, brave, squaw, etc., can be disparaging and offensive. In Alaska, the indigenous groups includeAleuts, Eskimos and Indians, collectively known as Alaska Natives.

NCAR
Second reference for National Center for Atmospheric Research.

newspapers
Do not italicize newspaper names.

news release format
For guidance regarding news releases, contact the public relations office, which handles distribution of the school’s news.

nicknames
A nickname should be used in place of a person’s given name only when it is the way the individual prefers to be known: Jimmy Carter.

When a nickname is inserted into the identification of an individual, use quotation marks: Sen. Henry “Scoop” Jackson. Also, Jackson is known as “Scoop.”

Nobel Laureate

Nobel Prize, Nobel Prizes
The five prizes established under terms of the will of Alfred Nobel are Nobel Peace Prize, Nobel Prize in chemistry, Nobel Prize in literature, Nobel Prize in physics, Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine.

Capitalize prize in references that do not mention the category: He is a Nobel Prize winner. She is a Nobel Prize-winning scientist.

Lowercase “prize” when not linked with the word Nobel: The peace prize was awarded Monday.

non-
Follow AP style: The rules of prefixes apply, but in general do not use a hyphen when forming a compound that does not have special meaning and can be understood if not used before the base word. Use a hyphen, however, before proper nouns or in awkward combinations, such as “non-nuclear.”

nonprofit (n.; adj.)
One word.

nonresident (n.; adj.)
One word.

NREL
Second reference for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

numbers
Write out numbers less than 10 and numbers beginning sentences, except when referring to ages or calendar years, which always appear as numerals. Use numerals for 10 and above. Also use numerals for percentages, years, credit hours, ratios, scores, ages, interstates and route numbers, and computer storage capacities.

They had 10 dogs, six cats and 97 hamsters.
They had four four-room houses, 10 three-room houses and 12 10-room houses.
Last year 993 freshmen entered college, (not 993 freshmen entered college last year).
1976 was a very good year.

Fractional quantities are expressed in numerals: 8 1/2-by-11-inch piece of paper. Spell out amounts less than 1 in text, using hyphens between the words: two-thirds, four-fifths, seven-sixteenths.

“Percent” is written out, but numbers appearing as percent are expressed as numerals: 97 percent of the group.

Express very large numbers in figures: 2.3 million or billion

Scientific measurements and grouped statistical information are expressed in figures: 45 pounds, 3 cubic feet; 1 win, 7 losses, 3 ties. Scores appear in numbers.

For ordinals, spell out first through ninth when they indicate sequence in time or location: first base, the First Amendment, he was first in line. Starting with 10^th use figures.

Some punctuation and usage examples:
-Act 1, Scene 2
-a 5-year-old girl
-DC-10
-a 5-4 court decision
-2^nd District Court
-the 1980s, the ‘80s
-the House voted 230-205 (fewer than 1,000 votes)
-Carter defeated Ford 40,827,292 to 39,146,157 (more than 1,000 votes)
-5 cents, $1.05, $650,000, $2.45 million
-No. 3 choice, Public School 3
-0.6 percent, 1 percent, 6.5 percent
-a pay increase of 12 percent to 15 percent
-a ratio of 2-to-1, a 2-1 ratio
-a 4-3 score
-minus 10, zero, 60 degrees
See also millions, billions, percentages.

O

offices
Lowercase individual offices (see capitalization). Often the “Office of” in a formal office name can be dropped for internal audiences: The public affairs office updates the style guide each year. If lowercasing the name of the office causes the sentence to be unclear (Faculty records are handled in academic affairs), rewrite the sentence: (Faculty records are handled in the academic affairs office). See Appendix B for a complete list of campus offices and programs.

on-campus, on campus
On-campus is an adjective, but on campus is a prepositional phrase. I live on campus. I live in an on-campus residence hall.

online
One word.

ORC
Second reference for Outdoor Recreation Center.

The Oredigger/Oredigger(s)
The Oredigger is Mines’ student newspaper; Oredigger(s) refers to Mines’ athletes or athletic teams: The Oredigger features student-written articles on campus life. The Orediggers defeated the competition at the last game. The Oredigger wrestling squad earned recognition on the NWCA’s All-Academic Top 15 list.

Outdoor Recreation Center (ORC)

Outstanding Alumnus Award
Awarded by CSMAA, this award recognizes an alumnus/na and member of CSMAA who has contributed meritorious service on behalf of the alumni association.

over/more than
“Over” generally refers to spatial relationships: The plane flew over the city. “More than” is preferred with numerals: Their salaries went up more than $20 a week.

P

Partners in Philanthropy Program
The award issued as part of this program is the Outstanding Philanthropic Partner Award.

PDF
Abbreviation for Portable Document Format. A file format that allows a document to be shared among several types of computers without losing its formatting. Abbreviation is acceptable in all references.

PE exam
Second reference for Professional Engineer’s exam. If using with a name as a formal title, write out rather than abbreviate.

percentage
Spell out the word “percent,” unless there are so many percentages that it becomes unwieldy. Use numerals for the numbers appearing as a percent.

Use a singular verb when “percent” stands alone or when a singular word follows an “of” construction: The teacher said 60 percent was a failing grade. He said 50 percent of the membership was there.

Use a plural verb when a plural word follows an “of” construction: He said 50 percent of the members were there.

Use decimals, not fractions: 2.5 percent. For amounts less than 1 percent, precede the decimal with a zero: The cost of living rose 0.6 percent.

See also numbers.

Petroleum Institute (PI)
Institute of engineering higher education and research in Abu Dhabi, UAE, which was created in 2001. The PI is affiliated with Colorado School of Mines and the University of Maryland–College Park.

Philanthropy Award Program
The CSM Foundation presents a series of awards in recognition of individuals who have made outstanding philanthropic contributions. The awards honor those who have invested financial resources and have given their time to advocate for Mines and the foundation’s fundraising initiatives. The following awards are presented annually at the Mines Evening of Excellence: Corporate Partnership Award, The Mines Tourmaline Award, Young Philanthropist Award , Faculty and Staff Philanthropy Award, Student Philanthropy Award. See individual award listings for details.

phone numbers
Use periods or hyphens between elements: 303.273.3294 or 303-273-3294, and always include an area code (not in parentheses). Extensions may be indicated by an “x”: 800.555.1212 x1234 or 800-555-1212 x1234

physical education
Avoid PE as second reference. At Mines, PE typically refers to petroleum engineering; students take PA courses—physical activity courses.

PI
Second reference for principal investigator.

Also commonly used as an abbreviation for the Petroleum Institute, a UAE university affiliated with Mines.

Pikes Peak
No apostrophe.

plurals
For compound words, add the “s” to the noun, rather than the modifier: attorneys general, sons-in-law, lieutenant colonels. Some words aren't made plural by adding an "s" (crisis, crises; criterion, criteria; medium, media; syllabus, syllabi).

For acronyms and numerals, add an “s” with no apostrophe: VIPs, 1980s.

For single letters, however, do add an apostrophe: His report card was all A’s and B’s.

political affiliations
Capitalize political parties and their adherents but not their generic ideologies (unless derived from a proper noun): One can be a democrat without being a Democrat. Similarly: socialist/Socialist/socialism/Socialism, fascist/Fascist, communist/Communist, but always Marxist and capitalist.

possessives
See possessives in the Grammar and Punctuation Guidelines section.

postdoctoral
No hyphen; adjective only. Avoid in print the noun “postdoc,” which is informal, academic jargon for a postdoctoral position or research or funding, or for someone engaged in postdoctoral work.

postgraduate
No hyphen; adjective only. Avoid “postgrad.”

prefixes
See prefixes in Grammar and Punctuation Guidelines section.

PREP
Second reference for Preparation for Engineering Program.

Preparation for Engineering Program (PREP)

president
Uppercase only before the name: President M.W. Scoggins appeared. Josiah Meigs, president of Colgate University, attended. When used without the name, use lowercase: The president will attend the meeting.

President’s Council
An annual giving recognition society for donors who make gifts of $1,000 or more between July 1 and June 30 of a given fiscal year. We are pleased to welcome you to the President’s Council as a Guggenheim Member. The Smiths are Guggenheim Members of the President’s Council. John Smith is a member of the President’s Council.

President’s Council membership levels:
-Member: A donor who gives $1,000 to $2,499 in a given year.
-Supporting Member: A donor who gives $2,500 to $4,999 in a given year.
-Sustaining Member: A donor who gives $5,000 to $9,999 in a given year.
-Investing Member: A donor who gives $10,000 to $24,999 in a given year.
-Guggenheim Member: A donor who gives $25,000 or more in a given year. See also Guggenheim Member.

president’s office
Official name is Office of the President; lowercase when using “president’s office.”

principle/principal
“Principle” is a noun, which refers to a fundamental truth or a primary source: the principle of free speech. “Principal” is both a noun and adjective, and refers to someone or something first in authority or importance: the principal ingredient, the school principal.

principal investigator
Always lowercase; PI is allowed for second reference.

Professional Engineer’s (PE) exam
If using with a name as a formal title, write out rather than abbreviate.

professor, professorship
There are three basic academic ranks: assistant professor, associate professor and professor (sometimes called “full professor”). Promotion from one level to the next depends on the candidate’s record in fulfilling assigned responsibilities of teaching, research and service; the decision is made by the candidate’s department and submitted to higher levels of the administrative structure for approval or rejection. The complex rules and policies governing the process are overseen by academic affairs. See also endowed professorships, named chairs, faculty and staff.

Prospector
The Colorado School of Mines yearbook.

public safety
Second reference for Department of Public Safety.

Pulitzer Prizes
Capitalize “Pulitzer Prize,” but lowercase the categories: Pulitzer Prize for journalism.
Also: She is a Pulitzer Prize winner. He is a Pulitzer Prize-winning author.

Q

quotation marks
Periods and commas always go inside the quotation marks, while semicolons and colons go outside. Other punctuation goes inside the quotation marks if/when it’s part of the quotation. You never saw “The Matrix”? “Out, damned spot!” cries Lady Macbeth. See quotation marks in the Punctuation and Grammar section. See also composition titles.

R

Randall Hall

range
Constructions indicating a range (of time, for example, or other inclusive numbers) use an en dash, not a hyphen, with no spaces between numbers: 7–10 p.m.; 1995–1997; A–F; pages 211–15; April 2–12, 2008. See also time and dates.

reaccreditation
One word—no hyphen.

recreation center/rec center
Second reference for Colorado School of Mines Student Recreation Center. When referring to “the recreation center” or “the rec center,” use lowercase.

registrar
Lowercase except when used as a title before a name. Jane T. Doe has been registrar at Mines for several years.

registrar’s office
Office of the Registrar is the official name; “registrar’s office” should be lowercase.

Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC)

residence hall
The preferred term for on-campus student living accommodations; do not use “dorm” or “dormitory.”

Mines provides seven on-campus residence halls: Elm Hall, Maple Hall, Morgan, Thomas, Bradford, Randall and Weaver Towers. Mines Park is an apartment complex near campus that offers family housing in addition to single student housing.

résumé
Since technology has made it easy to use diacritical marks, there is no need to risk confusion with “resume.”

reunion
Like homecoming or commencement, reunion is capitalized only when referring to a specific event (Reunion 2016). At Mines, Alumni Weekend is the event name.

reunion giving program/reunion class gift
A Colorado School of Mines Foundation giving program oriented around alumni reunion years, wherein each reunion class collectively gives back to Mines with their reunion class gift. The tradition of reunion giving inspires many alumni to make their first gift to Mines, to increase their level of annual support or to make a significant investment in Mines programs or people.

Rhodes Scholar
An international award for study at the University of Oxford, England.

RMAC
Second reference for Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.

room numbers/office numbers
The building is capitalized and precedes the number: Berthoud 205; Marquez 119. See also buildings.

ROTC
Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (plural possessive)

S

SAT
Scholastic Assessment Test. As with GPAs, federal law prohibits releasing individual student scores except with the explicit written permission of the student (not a parent).

scholarship
Lowercase except for named awards: He received a scholarship from the company. She received the Acme Scholarship.

school
Like “Mines,” “school” can be used as a second reference for Colorado School of Mines; “university” is preferable. School is only capitalized when used as part of the formal name. I’m relieved the school isn’t raising tuition this year. I wish school was over for the semester.

SDAS
Second reference for Student Development and Academic Services.

seasons
Lowercase, unless part of a formal name: fall semester, SAE Spring Fling.

second-year student(s)
Synonym that can be used interchangeably for sophomore (31–60 credit hours). Hyphenate the adjective: He is in his second year; he is a second-year student.

semesters
Lowercase fall, spring semesters and summer field session.

semiannual
Twice a year, synonym for biannual.

semicolon
See semicolon in the Punctuation and Grammar Guidelines section.

senior
Acceptable adjective or noun that can be used interchangeably for fourth-year student (with more than 90 credit hours). Students who have been undergraduates for more than four years are still called seniors; when necessary, they may be called fifth-year students or fifth-year seniors (or sixth-year, or whatever is accurate).

Sr., Jr.
Abbreviate as Jr. or Sr. only with full names of persons. Do not use a comma between the last name and the abbreviation: Mr. John C. Doe Jr. ’57.

serial commas
See comma and semicolon in the Punctuation and Grammar Guidelines section.

Shareholders Society
A giving society for corporate and foundation donors.

slash (/)
The slash is acceptable in descriptive phrases such as 24/7 or 9/11. Otherwise, only use in special situations, such as fractions or to denote the ends of a line in quoted poetry. See also Punctuation and Grammar section.

Social Security
Capitalized, but do not uppercase the noun that follows: Social Security number, Social Security tax.

software titles
Capitalize them, but computer game titles require quotation marks: Adobe Acrobat 9; “Mario Kart.”

sophomore
Acceptable adjective and noun that can be used interchangeably for second-year student (with 30–59.9 credit hours). Do not capitalize, unless it’s used as a class designation: the Sophomore Class.

SPACE
Second reference for Office of Special Programs and Continuing Education.

species, genus
In scientific or biological names, capitalize the first, or generic, Latin name for the class of plant or animal and lowercase the species that follows: Homo sapiens, Tyrannosaurus rex.

In second references, use the abbreviated form: P. borealis, T. rex.

spring break
Lowercase.

Starzer Welcome Center
A welcome center, named for alumni Michael R. and Patricia K. Starzer, to be located on campus at 19th and Illinois streets. Anticipated opening: 2015.

state names
Spell out state names when used in the body of a story, whether standing alone or in conjunction with a city, town, village or military base. Use the U.S. Postal Service abbreviation (CO) when conserving space, as in a table or with multiple listings. Use AP Style state abbreviations (Colo.) in communications with the media and other appropriate text.

state of Colorado

Steinhauer Field House

Strategic Plan
Capitalize when referring to Mines’ formal document; lowercase for general usage.

Stratton Hall

street names/addresses
Abbreviating St., Ave. and Blvd. when using a numerical address is best: 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Spell them out and capitalize when part of a formal street name without a number: Pennsylvania Avenue. Lowercase and spell out when used alone or with multiple street names: Massachusetts and Pennsylvania avenues.

Always use figures for an address number: 10 Seaside Drive. Spell out and capitalize First through Ninth when used as street names; use figures with two letters for 10^th and above: 7 Fifth Ave., 100 21^st St.

Abbreviate compass points in numbered addresses: 222 E. 42^nd St., 562 W. 43^rd St., 600 K St. N.W. Do not abbreviate if the number is omitted: East 42^nd Street, West 43^rd Street, K Street Northwest.

When referring to a post office box, use the abbreviation PO Box (no periods necessary).

The preferred format for campus addresses:
Name of Person
Name of Department/Division
Building Name, Room Number
Colorado School of Mines
Street Address
Golden, CO 80401

student-athlete
A hyphenated noun.

student center
Second reference for Ben H. Parker Student Center.

Student Development and Academic Services (SDAS)

Student Philanthropy Award
Part of the Philanthropy Awards Program, the Student Philanthropy Award honors a current student who has promoted a culture of philanthropy on campus through involvement in student organizations, clubs and community service, and who has demonstrated leadership in support for serving others, through their own time, treasure and talent.

Student Recreation Center
Lowercase “recreation center” or “rec center” on second reference.

subscript
It is preferred to use the correct notation style for elements and chemicals, for example H₂0. (In MS Word, the superscript and subscript commands are found in the Format Menu under the “Font” key.)

summa cum laude
“With greatest distinction.” 3.90–4.00 GPA. See also cum laude and magna cum laude.

Summer Multicultural Engineering Training Program (SUMMET)

summer session
There are two kinds of courses offered during the summer: field session (there are two each summer) and summer school, where some regular academic courses are offered. None are capitalized.

SUMMET
Second reference for Summer Multicultural Engineering Training Program.

T

team
Do not capitalize baseball team, football team, etc. The Oredigger football team won the game.

Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)

that, which
“That” singles out an item being described, but “which” can be more broadly used. Rule of thumb: if a comma is required, use “which.” If no comma is necessary, use “that”: Houses that are built today are usually more energy efficient. The common flea, which lives all over North America, is impossible to eradicate.

the
Treat “the” as part of a publication’s title or an organization’s name (capitalizing, italicizing, including in quotes, as appropriate) only when so treated by the publication or organization in question; check the masthead or website to be sure. For example, He attended Colorado School of Mines. She requires her students to read “The Lottery” each year. He subscribes to The Christian Science Monitor. He is marketing manager at the Coca-Cola Company.

The Mines Fund
The focus of Mines’ Annual Giving program; provides annual unrestricted financial support for current institutional needs.

The Parents Fund
A component of Mines’ Annual Giving program; raises unrestricted financial support for current institutional needs from parents of current and former students.

third-year student(s)
Synonym that can be used interchangeably for junior, and is a student with 60–89.9 credit hours. Hyphenate the adjective: He is in his third year; he is a third-year student. “Junior” is only capitalized when it is used as the title of a class: the Junior Class.

Thomas Hall

time
Use a consistent form throughout documents: from 3 to 5 p.m., or 3–5 p.m. See also a.m., p.m.

titles and names
Use full names and titles on first reference. In formal contexts, on second and subsequent references, use only last names, without courtesy titles, for both men and women regardless of marital status. When referring to alumni in informal contexts, first names can be used on second reference.

Use lowercase for titles unless they are directly before a name and function as part of the name: Joe Spencer, chief operating officer and chairman of the board, was universally respected for his exemplary leadership of ACME Corporation. However, Chief Operating Officer and Chairman of the Board Joe Spencer was universally respected for his exemplary leadership of ACME Corporation.

If a comma separates the title from the person’s name, the title is written in lowercase: Acme Corporation’s chief operating officer and chairman of the board, Joe Spencer, was universally respected for his exemplary leadership. Since these distinctions are not immediately obvious to casual readers, it is best to construct sentences so that titles are written in lowercase consistently, thus avoiding issues of parity. Named professorships are always capitalized.

If titles are included in lists, they are often uppercase.

Do not capitalize titles in generic usage: The deans met with the president. The vice president attended the meeting.

See also: faculty ranks and titles.

courtesy titles – Generally omitted, unless a person refers to him or herself in that way. There is no plural. In a formal list (of participants or donors, for instance), “Mr.,” “Mrs.,” “Miss” and “Ms.” should be omitted, except when a woman has chosen to use her husband’s name. Jane Doe, but Mrs. Joseph Doe, Mr. and Mrs. John Doe. Mixed: Dr. and Mrs., Mr. and Dr. If several women who prefer Ms., for example, must be listed in a series, repeat Ms. before each name. See also Mr., Mrs. and Ms.

leadership titles -- Use whatever title the group uses for its leader: “chairman,” “chairwoman,” “chairperson” or “chair.” If the information from the group does not make clear the title the group uses, “chair” is preferred. (The Mines Board of Trustees uses “chairman.”)

titles of events – Capitalize, in quotation marks, the full, formal titles of workshops, conferences, seminars, speeches, art exhibitions and similar events: A workshop titled “The Use of the Library” will be held next week. Use lowercase for subject matter: The library will offer a workshop on library use.

See composition titles.

TOEFL
Second reference for Test of English as a Foreign Language.

toward/towards
“Toward” is the standard American usage, while “towards” is British. There should be no “s” at the end of toward, backward, afterward or forward.

trademarks
Trademarks should be capitalized. Some commonly forgotten trademarks: Allen wrench, Band-Aid, Fiberglas, Freon, Frisbee, Heimlich Maneuver, Kleenex, Laundromat, Lucite, Magic Marker, Plexiglas, Scotch Tape, Styrofoam, Xerox.

U

underway
One word.

United States Geological Survey (USGS)

University of Colorado
Also referred to as University of Colorado Boulder. Abbreviated as CU, or CU-Boulder.

University of Colorado Colorado Springs
Abbreviated as UCCS.

University of Colorado Denver
Abbreviated as UC Denver.

University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
Medical campus located in Aurora. The result of the 2004 consolidation of the University of Colorado at Denver and University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. Abbreviated as CU Anschutz Medical Campus.

university-wide
An exception to the general rule of omitting the hyphen in “-wide” constructions. See also -wide.

URL
The term for addresses on the web; the acronym stands for Universal Resource Locator, which need never be used.  Never allow a web address to break over two lines with a hyphen; break if necessary using a required soft return following a slash or other mark of punctuation that is part of the address.

It is not generally necessary to include “http: //www” in web addresses. See also http.

U.S.
Follow AP style in which the abbreviation is acceptable as a noun or adjective for United States.

USG
Second reference for Undergraduate Student Government.

USGS
Second reference for United States Geological Survey.

V

van Diest Gold Medal
The van Diest Gold Medal, established in 1949 by the late Edmond van Diest, E.M. 1886, was awarded to an alumnus/na in his or her fifth to 15th year after graduation with a bachelor of science degree. The award was made for “outstanding contribution” such as an original and significant addition to science or engineering knowledge related to the field of mineral engineering. It may have been an original idea regarding design, technique, process or interpretation of data that led to a definite advance in discovery, recovery, refining or utilization of natural mineral resources.

versus
Best to abbreviate as vs. in all cases.

Volk Gymnasium

vice presidents
vice president, not vice-president
See Appendix H – Administrative Structure for a listing of vice presidents.

W

W. Lloyd Wright Student Wellness Center
A comprehensive student wellness center named for former Mines physician Dr. W. Lloyd Wright.

WAC
Second reference for Writing Across the Curriculum.

Weaver Towers

website/webpage
One word, no capitalization. Also: webcam, webmaster, webcast and the web.

wellness center
Second reference for the W. Lloyd Wright Student Wellness Center.
who, whom
“Who” is the subject of a sentence, never an object, but “whom” is the object of a verb or preposition. Also use “who” when referring to people or animals that have names. To whom is it addressed? Who is there? She’s the person who called.

-wide
Usually not hyphenated (exceptions are listed in this guide). Citywide, countrywide, nationwide, statewide, worldwide.

Wi-Fi

WISEM
Second reference for the Office of Women in Science, Engineering and Mathematics.

worldwide

World Wide Web
It is not necessary to use the full term, and, when shortened, “web” should be lowercase. See URL, http and website/webpage.It is not generally necessary to include “http: //www” in web addresses. See also http.

work-study
“Work-study” is an adjective (not a noun): Our department has 12 work-study students.

Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC)

X

Xerox
A trademark for a brand of photocopy machine. Never a verb. Use a generic term, such as “photocopy.”

X-ray

Y

Yahoo
A trademark for an online computer service.

years
For decades, add an “s” with no apostrophe: The 1980s are known as the “Reagan Years.” ’80s but not ’80’s. (For centuries, the 20^th century is preferred, rather than the 1900s.)

academic years – use all four digits of each year, separated by an en dash (see dashes) with no spaces (2007–2008).

fiscal years – The Mines fiscal year runs from July 1 to June 30. When referring to the fiscal year, the name is taken from the year in which the fiscal year ends, rather than when it begins. FY15 begins on July 1, 2014 and ends on June 30, 2015.

class years – Use the final two digits of the year, preceded by an apostrophe and a single space (Grace Slick ’07). See also apostrophes, class years, dates, decades.

young alumni
Refers to all Mines alumni who have graduated in the past nine years.

Young Alumnus Award/Young Alumna Award
Awarded by CSMAA, this recognizes a young alumnus/na whose accomplishments have reflected favorably on the school and the association. This award is given to an alumnus/na of Mines age 40 or younger who has received his or her degree no more than 15 years prior.

Young Philanthropist Award
Part of the Philanthropy Awards Program, the Young Philanthropist Award those who serve to inspire other recent graduates to give generously of their time and resources for the benefit of the university. 

Z

Z.K. House
Also known as the music house.

Zip code
Use all-caps ZIP for Zoning Improvement Plan, but always lowercase the word code. Run the five digits together without a comma, and do not put a comma between the state name and the ZIP code: New York, NY 10021.

Zip drive, Zip disks
Uppercase. They are registered trademarks.

Punctuation and Grammar  

This section provides a handful of pointers on issues of common confusion. Consult the AP Style Guide for more detailed guidelines.

apostrophes (‘)
Since the apostrophe usually indicates the possessive, avoid its use when making an acronym plural unless the acronym ends in an “s,” or it is needed to avoid confusion in some other way. You’ll find DMVs in every state.

When listing alumni in school publications, it is desirable to indicate their year of graduation and the level of the degree. No comma is necessary between the last name and class year. For undergraduate degrees, simply use an apostrophe, followed by the two-digit year: Smith ’64. For a master’s or doctoral degree, use MS or PhD (with no periods) to denote the level of their degree: Smith MS ’64. If multiple degrees have been earned, separate them with a comma and space: Smith ’64, MS ’76, PhD ’82.

For current students, do not use this notation, as it implies that they’ve earned a degree. Instead, refer to the class year or expected graduation year: Smith, Class of 2011; Smith, sophomore.

When including specific information about the type of degree an alumni received, do not insert the degree abbreviation between the name and class year, but rather list separately: Joe Smith ’64, Petroleum Engineering. See also class years.

bullets
Use bulleted lists if the order of the items is not important. (See lists, below.) Bullets substitute for alpha-numeric designation of items in a list. In bulleted lists within text passages, there is no need for commas or semicolons at the end of each item. However, if an item in the bulleted list is a complete sentence, then the first word should be capitalized and there should be a period at the end of the sentence.

Example:

·       This is the first bullet point, and it’s a complete sentence.

·       Because these items are complete sentences, periods appear at the end of each item.

·       Each item in this list is capitalized because each is a complete sentence.

but…

·       peas

·       cheese slices

·       bread

·       milk

Avoid mixing sentence and partial sentence items within a bulleted list. If this cannot be avoided, maintain consistency in punctuation between items (i.e. avoid use of periods and either capitalize all items or none).

collective nouns
These nouns can denote a unit or individual items. When indicating a unit, they take singular verbs and pronouns, but if the noun refers to individual members, it takes a plural verb. Typically, faculty, class, committee, crowd, family, group, herd, jury, orchestra and team denote a unit, and take singular verbs.

A thousand bushels is a good yield. 
A thousand bushels were created.  
The entire faculty is meeting today. 
Many faculty are working on their projects this weekend.

colons (:)
A colon is used to introduce a list, quotation or explanatory material. Capitalize the first word after a colon only if it is a proper noun or the start of a complete sentence or quotation.

Example: He promised this: The company will make good on all the losses.

but…

There were three considerations: expense, time and feasibility.

Do not use a colon between the subject of a sentence and its verb, nor between verbs and objects, or between prepositions and their objects.

Incorrect: Those going on the picnic are: Mike, John and Sean.
Correct: The following will be going on the picnic: Mike, John and Sean.

Do not use colons after expressions like “such as,” “namely.”

Use the colon for indicating time elapsed (1:31:07.2), time of day (7:42 p.m.), and biblical and legal citations (2 Kings 2:14; Missouri Code 3:245-260).

Colons go outside quotation marks unless they are part of the quotation itself.

commas (,)
-Commas are used to separate items in a simple series. Contrary to many commonly used academic styles, the final comma before the “and” is omitted in AP style unless it is needed for clarification.

Example: The flag is red, white and blue. He would nominate Sally, Joan or Mark.

In a series that includes multiple phrases of three or more words, the final comma is kept for clarity.

Example: The main points to consider are whether the athletes are skillful enough to compete, whether they have the stamina to endure the training, and whether they have the proper mental attitude. 

Similarly, if one of the items in the series includes a conjunction, the final comma is kept.

Example: I had orange juice, toast, and ham and eggs for breakfast.

(Note that if one of the items in a series includes a comma, then items in a list are separated by a semicolon—see “semicolons” listing below.)

-Commas are used to set off longer introductory clauses or phrases.

Example: After the crowd dispersed and only he and the trapeze artist remained, they looked at each other across the rink in silence. When the fire alarm went off for the third time that night, the motel clerk finally called the fire department.

But a comma is not needed after a brief introductory phrase if its omission would not change the meaning or clarity of a sentence.

Example: For six nights floodwaters threatened the future of Fort Wayne.

-Commas separate independent main clauses joined by conjunctions.

Example: Seven men were arrested this morning on the east side, and 10 more were taken into custody six hours later.

-A comma is used to attribute full quotes.

Example: Clark says, “The Grady College is highly regarded nationally with research and outreach programs that are truly world class.”
But… Williams said that Parks’ legacy “represents the power of the individual.”

-Use a comma to separate adjectives of equal weight modifying a noun.

Example: Meteorologists forecast another hot, humid summer.

-Use commas to separate items in a series, omitting the comma before the last item in a simple series. The new director enjoys sailing, cooking, stamp collecting and gardening. 

-Use commas to set off non-restrictive (non-essential) clauses, phrases and modifiers from the rest of the sentence, a clause that supplies additional information of some sort about the preceding noun, but is not critical to identifying it.

Example: Margaret Amstutz, assistant to President Michael F. Adams, says the fund’s aim is to help projects that could otherwise slip past other university funding sources.

-Commas are used to separate nonessential appositives from the rest of the sentence. (An appositive qualifies a noun.)

Example: A noisy eater at the best of times, Jim slurped his mashed potatoes as the visitor delivered his grave news.
As the visitor delivered his grave news, Jim, a noisy eater at the best of times, slurped his mashed potatoes.

Note that comma placement with appositives can significantly change the meaning of a sentence.

Example: I hate bureaucrats, who think only of the bottom line. (All bureaucrats are money-obsessed.) I hate bureaucrats who think only of the bottom line. (Some bureaucrats are money-obsessed.)

Or… My son, Aaron, is a superb fly-fisherman. (I have only one son. He is quite the angler.)
My son Aaron is a superb fly-fisherman. (I have more than one son. Aaron is the one who catches lots of fish.)

-Commas (and periods) are generally placed inside quotation marks (colons and semicolons go outside the quotation marks).

dashes (—)
The em dash (—) is the true dash, used for parenthetical remarks or abrupt changes of thought, epigraphs and datelines. Because there was no dash character on a typewriter keyboard, dashes were traditionally indicated by two hyphens (--). Computers offer the ability to produce a proper dash. The em dash is named for the amount of letterspace that a capital M occupies in a line of type. MS Word will create an em dash when you hit the space bar after a word or number that is immediately preceded by WORD OR NUMBER/HYPHEN/HYPHEN/WORD OR NUMBER:
It was a blustery day—the first of many to follow—and rain had begun to fall. (In this sentence, the first em dash was created from two hyphens when space was inserted after “the.”)

The en dash (–) is shorter than an em dash (it takes up the amount of letterspace occupied by a capital N) and is longer than a hyphen. It is used for continuing or inclusive numbers or words (range constructions: pages 7–10; Jan. 5–9; E–P; Monday–Friday), but not when the word “from” is used (1968–1972 or from 1968 to 1972, never from 1968–72). MS Word will create an en dash when you hit the space bar after a word or number that is preceded by WORD OR NUMBER /SPACE/HYPHEN/HYPHEN/SPACE/ WORD OR NUMBER:
The Smiths will be away July 14–18 due to unforeseen circumstances. (In this sentence, the en dash was created from two hyphens when the space was inserted after “18.”)

An en dash is also used in place of a hyphen in a compound adjective when one of the elements is an open compound (post–Civil War period; Peabody Award–winning program, Athens–Clarke County government), when referring to one campus of a multi‑campus university (University of Wisconsin–Madison), when combining two equal elements (Paris–Rome train) or when combining two hyphenated compounds (quasi-public–quasi-judicial body).

ellipses ( … )
In general, treat an ellipsis as a three-letter word, constructed with three periods and a space on either side. Use in direct quotes and other texts to indicate omitted words. (The punctuation from the original stays, however.) Avoid using ellipses at both the beginning and end of a direct quote. When an ellipsis is used just before other punctuation, omit the space that precedes the three dots: “Four score and seven years ago… ,” is one of the most famous phrases in American history. If the words that precede an ellipsis constitute a complete sentence, place a period at the end of the last word before the ellipsis. Follow it with a regular space and an ellipsis: I no longer have a strong enough political base…

exclamation points (!)
Use sparingly, if at all. Appropriate for warnings, but unnecessary to indicate emphasis. Place the mark inside quotation marks when it is part of the quoted material: “Watch out!” she shouted. Place the mark outside the quotation marks when it is not part of the quoted material: I absolutely hated attending the weeklong conference, “Best Practices 2008”!

hyphens (-)
-Hyphens can be used to avoid ambiguity when using two or more adjectives before a noun or to form a single idea from two or more words. Favor minimalism in applying the hyphen. When in doubt, insert a hyphen only where the lack of one impedes readability.

Examples: I became part of a coalition of refugee-rights organizations. (Addition of hyphen clarifies meaning.)
I promote a single-payer health insurance system. (Addition of hyphen clarifies meaning.)
Sting is a well known rock star. (Hyphen not necessary as confusion is unlikely.)

No hyphen is necessary when adjectives fall after the noun.
Examples: The health insurance system I favor is one single payer.
I joined an organization concerned with refugee rights.

-No hyphens needed after adverbs ending in “ly”: The happily married couple took an extended vacation.

-In general, no hyphens are needed with the following prefixes:
ante, anti, bi, bio, counter, extra, infra, inter, intra, macro, meta, micro, mid, mini, over, post, pre, pro, pseudo, re, semi, sub, super, supra, trans, ultra, un, under. See also prefixes.

italics
Avoid using italics for emphasis. See also composition titles.

lists
Use bulleted lists if the order of the items is not important, and use a numerical list if the items are to be considered in a particular order. It’s best to introduce a list with a grammatically complete sentence, followed by a colon. If possible, the items in a list should be similarly constructed. For example, start each with a verb ending in -ing. See also bullets.

parentheses ( )
Parentheses are used to set off nonessential material (or to set off letters or numbers in a list). If the parenthetical is part of a larger sentence (and it itself not a complete sentence), punctuation goes outside of the closing parenthesis or wherever the sentence ends. If, however, the parenthetical is a complete sentence, the punctuation all remains inside the parentheses:
The purebred red setter has the reputation (justified or not) of lacking intelligence.
The purebred red setter has the reputation of lacking intelligence. (Whether or not this stereotype is justified is not our concern.)

possessives
While users of English disagree on how to form the possessive of singular nouns ending in “s,” AP adds only an apostrophe to singular proper nouns. For example: Charles’ book, Dickens’ house.

For joint possessives, use the “’s” only with the last name in the series: Tim, Colleen and Alex’s house. For individual possession, each name takes the possessive: Tim’s and Colleen’s cars.

prefixes
Generally do not use hyphens with words starting with a consonant; do hyphenate when the word that follows begins with the same vowel that the prefix ends with (pre-election). There are numerous exceptions to this rule; consult a dictionary for the correct spelling of a particular word.

Do use a hyphen if the word is capitalized (the pre-Thatcher era) and to join doubled prefixes (sub-subparagraph). See also hyphens above.

quotation marks
Use to indicate quoted speech or writing.

Periods and commas go inside quotation marks, while semicolons and colons go outside. Other punctuation goes inside the quotation mark if it is part of the direct quote.
You never saw “The Matrix”?; “Out, damned spot!” cries Lady Macbeth.

Single quotes are used inside double quotation marks. “She said that she liked to hear the poem ‘Redemption’ recited.”

See also composition titles.

ranges
Constructions indicating a range (of time, or other inclusive numbers) use an en dash (not a hyphen) and do not include spaces on either side of the dash: 7–10 p.m.; 1995–1997; A–F; pages 211–15, April 2–12, 2008. See also dash, times and dates.

semicolons
Use a semicolon to connect two independent clauses that are not related, thus avoiding comma splices or run-on sentences: Mines’ colors are silver and blue; black and Colorado red may be used as accent colors.

Semicolons may also be used to separate the elements of a series when the elements themselves include commas. Do not use semicolons in a series if commas will work. Note that using semicolons in this way does not dictate the use of a colon to introduce the series (and the converse: using a colon does not require the use of semicolons). When semicolons are used, include one before the conjunction at the end of the series: Newly appointed members of the task force are April Spring, vice president for university advancement; August Winter, director of instructional services; June Person, professor of education; and Julius Caesar, head of the Western world.

Semicolons should be placed outside quotation marks. Semicolons should not be used to introduce lists or quotations.

slashes (/)
The slash is acceptable in descriptive phrases such as 24/7 or 9/11. Otherwise, only use in special situations—fractions or to denote the ends of a line in quoted poetry.

spacing
Commas and periods should be followed by a single blank space.

that, which
“That” singles out an item being described, but “which” can be more broadly used. Rule of thumb: if a comma is required, use “which.” If no comma is necessary, use “that”: Houses that are built today are usually more energy efficient. The common flea, which lives all over North America, is impossible to eradicate.

who, whom
“Who” is the subject of a sentence, never an object, but “whom” is the object of a verb or preposition. Also use “who” when referring to people or animals that have names. To whom is it addressed? Who is there? She’s the person who called.

Appendix A – Academic College, Departments, Divisions and Programs

Applied Physics Program
Chemical Engineering Department
Chemistry and Geochemistry Department

College of Applied Science and Engineering (CASE)
-Chemical and Biological Engineering
-Chemistry and Geochemistry
-Metallurgical and Materials Engineering
-Physics
-Materials Science Program
-Nuclear Science and Engineering Program

College of Earth Resource Sciences and Engineering (CERSE)
- Colorado Geological Survey
-Economics and Business
-Geology and Geological Engineering
-Geophysics
-Liberal Arts and International Studies
-Mining Engineering
-Petroleum Engineering

College of Engineering and Computational Sciences (CECS)
-Applied Math and Statistics
-Civil and Environmental Engineering
-Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
-Mechanical Engineering

Economics and Business Division
Engineering and Technology Management Program
Engineering Systems Program
Environmental Geochemistry Program
Geochemistry Program
Geology and Geological Engineering Department
Geophysics Department
George S. Ansell Metallurgical and Materials Engineering Department/Metallurgical and Materials Engineering Department
Guy T. McBride Jr. Honors Program in Public Affairs for Engineers/McBride Honors Program
Hydrological Science and Engineering Program
Interdisciplinary Degrees
International Political Economy of Resources Program
Liberal Arts and International Studies Division
Materials Science Program
Multicultural Engineering Program
Military Science: Air Force and Army ROTC
Mineral Economics Program
Mineral Exploration and Mining Geosciences Program
Mining Engineering Department
Nuclear Science and Engineering Program
Petroleum Economics and Management Program
Petroleum Engineering Department
Petroleum Reservoir Systems Program
Physics Department
Writing Across the Curriculum

Appendix B – Administrative and Campus Offices and Programs

Academic Computing and Networking
Admissions Office
Alumni Association or Office of Alumni Relations
Career Center
Colorado School of Mines Foundation, Inc.
Controller’s Office
Cooperative Education Program
Department of Public Safety
Distribution and Mail Services
Division of Finance and Administration
Environmental Health and Safety
Facilities Management
Financial Aid Office
Graduate School
Legal Services
Maple Hall
Office of Academic Affairs
Office of Budget and Fiscal Planning
Office of Human Resources
Office of Innovation in Learning and Teaching (housed in the Trefny Institute for Educational Innovation)
Office of Internal Audit
Office of International Programs
Office of Planning and Policy Analysis
Office of Research Administration
Office of Research and Technology Transfer
Office of Special Programs and Continuing Education
Office of Student Financial Aid
Office of the President
Office of University Advancement (housed in CSM Foundation)
Office of Women in Science, Engineering and Materials
Payroll (housed in the Controller’s Office)
Planning and Construction
Procurement Services (Purchasing, Materials Management and Copy Center)
Public Relations
Registrar’s Office
Research Administration
Special Programs and Continuing Education
Student Activities
Student Affairs
Student Development and Academic Services
Student Health Center
Student Life – Housing
Student Publications
Telecommunications

Appendix C – Institutes and Centers

Advanced Coating and Surface Engineering Laboratory
Advanced Control of Energy and Power Systems
Advanced Materials and Polymer Laboratory
Advanced Steel Processing and Products Research Center
Advanced Water Technology Center
Center for Assessment of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
(part of the John and Sharon Trefny Center for Educational Innovation)
Center for Automation, Robotics and Distributed Intelligence
Center for Combustion and Environmental Research
Center for Engineering Education
(part of the John and Sharon Trefny Center for Educational Innovation)
Center for Environmental Risk Assessment
Center for Experimental Study of Subsurface Environmental Processes
Center for Intelligent Biomedical Devices and Musculoskeletal Systems
Center for Mine Mechanization
Center for Petrophysics
Center for Research on Hydrates and Other Solids in Hydrocarbon and Other Aqueous Fluids
Center for Revolutionary Solar Photoconversion
Center for Rock Abuse
(Rock Physics Lab)
Center for Solar and Electronic Materials
Center for Space Resources
Center for Wave Phenomena
Center for Welding, Joining and Coatings Research
Chevron Center of Research Excellence (CoRE)
Colorado Advanced Materials Institute
Colorado Alliance for Bioengineering
Colorado Alliance for Underground Science and Engineering
Colorado Center for Advanced Ceramics
Colorado Energy Research Institute
Colorado Institute for Fuels and High Altitude Engine Research
Colorado Institute for Macromolecular Science and Engineering
Colorado Research in Education and Wind
ConocoPhillips Center for a Sustainable WE²ST at Colorado School of Mines
Earth Mechanics Institute
Energy and Mineral Field Institute
Excavation Engineering and Earth Mechanics Institute
Forging Research and Software
Institute for Global Resources Policy and Management
International Ground Water Modeling Center
John and Sharon Trefny Institute for Educational Innovation
Laboratory for Intelligent Automated Systems
M.K. Hubbert Center for Petroleum Studies
Petroleum Exploration and Production Center
Petroleum Institute
Physical Acoustics Laboratory
Reservoir Characterization Project
Simulation and Theory of Atomic-Scale Material Phenomena
W.J. Kroll Institute for Extractive Metallurgy
See also http://research.mines.edu/RES-Centers-Institutes

Appendix D – Campus Buildings

Alderson Hall
Arthur Lakes Library
Ben H. Parker Student Center
Berthoud Hall
Bradford Residence Hall
Brooks Field
Brown Building
Chauvenet Hall
Clear Creek Athletics Complex (CCAC)
Marshall and Jane Crouch Field Events Complex
Frank and Dot Stermole Track and Field Complex; Stermole Complex
Stermole Soccer Stadium; Stermole Stadium
Coolbaugh Hall
Coolbaugh House
CoorsTek Center for Applied Science and Engineering
CSM Annex
CSM Softball Field
CTLM Building
Elm Hall
EMI Drilling Lab
Engineering Hall
General Research Lab
Green Center
Guggenheim Hall
Hall of Justice
Harry D. Campbell Field; Campbell Field
Harold and Patricia Korell Athletics Center; Korell Athletics Center
Hill Hall
Jim Darden Field; Darden Field
Mabel M. Coulter Student Health Center
Maple Hall
Marquez Hall
Marv Kay Stadium; Kay Stadium
Meyer Hall
Mines Park
Morgan Residence Hall
Outdoor Recreation Center
Plant Facilities
Public Safety
Randall Residence Hall

Starzer Welcome Center
Steinhauer Field House
Stratton Hall
Student Recreation Center
Thomas Residence Hall
W. Lloyd Wright Wellness Center
Weaver Towers
Z.K. House
Appendix E – Common Acronyms

See also Appendix I – Professional Associations and their Acronyms.

Appendix F – Degrees

Bachelor’s Degrees
Bachelor of Science
Basic Engineering—BE
Chemical/Petroleum/Refining—BS CPR
Chemical Engineering—BS Chem Eng
Chemistry—BS Chem
Economics and Business—BS Econ
Engineering –BS Eng
Geological Engineering—BS Geol
Geophysical Engineering – BS Geop
Mathematics – BS Math
Mathematical and Computer Science – BS Math & Comp Sci
Metallurgical Engineering— BS Met
Metallurgical & Materials Engineering – BS Met & Mat Eng
Mineral Engineering —BS Min Eng
Mining Engineering – BS Min
Petroleum Engineering – BS Pet
Physics —BS Phy

Master’s Degrees
Master of Science
Applied Mechanics – MS Appl Mech
Chemical/Petroleum/ Refining – MS CPR
Engineering & Technology Management –MS Eng & Tech Mgmt
Engineering Systems – MS Engr Sys
Environmental Sciences – MS Env Sc
Geochemistry – MS Geochem
Geological Engineering – MS Geol
Geophysical Engineering – MS Geop
International Political Economy of Resources – MIPER
Mathematics – MS Math
Mathematical & Computer Science – MS Math & Comp Sci
Materials Science – MS Mat Sc
Metallurgical & Materials Engineering – MS Met & Mat Engr
Metallurgical Engineering – MS Met
Mine Health and Safety – MS MH & S
Mineral Economics – MS Min Ec
Mineral Engineering Chemistry – MS Chem
Mining Engineering – MS Min
Petroleum Engineering – MS PRE
Physics – MS Phy

Master of Engineering
Applied Mechanics – MEng Appl Mech
Chemical/Petroleum/Refining – MEng CPR
Engineering Systems – MEng Engr Sys
Geological Engineering – MEng Geol
Geophysical Engineering – MEng Geop
Metallurgical Engineering – MEng Met
Mining Engineering – MEng Min
Petroleum Engineering – MEng Pet

Professional Master
Petroleum Reservoir Systems – Pro Ms Pet Res Sys
Doctoral Degrees
Doctor of Philosophy
Applied Chemistry – PhD Appl Chem
Applied Physics – PhD Appl Phy
Chemical/Petroleum/Refining – PhD CPR
Chemistry – PhD Chem
Engineering Systems – PhD Engr Sys
Environmental Science – PhD Env Sci
Geochemistry – PhD Geochem
Geological Engineering – PhD Geol E
Geology – PhD Geol
Geophysical Engineering – PhD Geop E
Geophysics – PhD Geop
Materials Sciences – PhD Mat Sci
Mathematical and Computer Science – PhD Math & Comp Sci
Mathematics – PhD Math
Metallurgical and Materials Engineering – PhD Met and Mat Sci
Mineral Economics – PhD Min Ec
Mineral Engineering – PhD Min E
Mining Engineering – PhD Min
Petroleum – PhD Pet
Petroleum Engineering – PhD Pet E
Petroleum Refining Engineering – PhD PRE
Physics – PhD Phy

Doctor of Science
Chemical/Petroleum/Refining – DSc CPR
Chemistry – DSc Chem
Geochemistry – DSc Geochem
Geological Engineering – DSc Geol E
Geophysical Engineering – DSc Geop
Metallurgical Engineering – DSc Met
Mineral Engineering – DSc  Min Eng
Mining Engineering – DSc Min
Petroleum Engineering – DSc Pet
Petroleum Refining Engineering – DSc PRE
Physics – DSc Phy

Honorary Degrees
Doctor of Engineering – H’YR (e.g. H’09)
Honorary Member, CSMAA –H’YR (e.g. H’09)
 

Appendix G – Named Chairs and Professorships

American Bureau of Shipping Endowed Chair in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering

Amax Distinguished Chair in Environmental Science and Engineering

Bruce Grewcock Professorship in Mining

The Baker Hughes Distinguished Chair in Borehole Geophysics/Petrophysics

The Ben L. Fryrear Assistant Professor of Applied Math and Statistics

The Ben L. Fryrear Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

The Ben L. Fryrear Endowed Professorship Fund

Bruce E. Grewcock University Chair in Underground Construction and Tunneling

Charles Boettcher Chair in Petroleum Geology

Charles F. Fogarty Professorship in Metallurgical Engineering

Charles Franklin Fogarty Professorship in Economic Geology

Charles Henry Green Professor of Exploration Geophysics

Chesbro’ Distinguished Chair in Petroleum Engineering

Clare Booth Luce Professorship in Engineering

CMG/CSM Reservoir Modeling Research Chair in Petroleum Engineering

Cyprus Amax Minerals Development Professorship

Domingo Moreno Developmental Professorship in Mineral Economics

F.H. "Mick" Merelli/Cimarex Energy Distinguished Department Head Chair in Petroleum Engineering Endowed Fund

Forging Industry Educational and Research Foundation (FIERF) Professorship

Gaylord and Phyllis Weaver Distinguished Professorship in Chemical Engineering and Petroleum Refining

Gerard August Dobelman Distinguished Chair in Engineering

George R. Brown Distinguished Chair in Engineering

George S. Ansell Distinguished Chair in Metallurgy

Harrison Western Professor in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering

Harry D. Campbell Endowed Chair in Petroleum Engineering

Hennebach Visiting Professorship and Program in the Humanities

Herman F. Coors Professorial Chair in Ceramics

James R. Paden Distinguished Chair in Engineering
Jerry and Tina Grandey University Chair in Nuclear Science and Engineering

John Henry Moore Distinguished Professor in Metallurgy

Robert J. Weimer Distinguished Endowed Chair in Sedimentary and Petroleum Geology

Timothy J. Haddon/Alacer Gold Endowed Chair in Mining Engineering

Trustees Professor of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering

William J. Coulter Professor of Mineral Economics in the Economics and Business Division

William K. Coors Distinguished Chair in Chemical Engineering

W.M. Keck Foundation Distinguished Chair in Exploration Science

Appendix H – Administrative Structure

Colorado School of Mines Executive Committee
http://mines.edu/LeadershipExecutivecommitteeandBOT

Colorado School of Mines Board of Trustees
http://inside.mines.edu/Board_of_Trustees

CSM Foundation Board
http://giving.mines.edu/s/840/giveindex.aspx?sid=840&gid=1&pgid=592

CSMAA Board
http://minesalumni.com/s/840/index.aspx?sid=840&gid=1&pgid=522
 

Appendix I – Professional Associations and their Acronyms