STYLE GUIDE BETA THETA PI / 2013
STYLE GUIDE Beta Theta Pi Fraternity’s writing style follows the Associated Press Stylebook. The Beta Style Guide is dynamic and meant to be built upon in future years, adapting as a resource for official Beta correspondence.
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STYLEGUIDE GUIDE/ REVISED \ REVISED2013 2012 2013 STYLE
TABLE OF CONTENTS 04
FRATERNITY LANGUAGE Language specific to Beta and the fraternity world
I. Awards II. Ceremonies
2013 MAJOR UPDATES • No longer required to italicize program names, funds, campaigns, clubs/societies, initiatives, etc. (The only instances where italicization is required: publication titles, in the presentation of college/university short names following a Beta’s name, and in the phrase: ‘Yours in ___kai___’)
III. Convention IV. Magazine V. Forms, Reporting and Standards VI. Foundation
• Added section for Social Media Platform standards
VII. Social Media Platforms
• Added official taglines for all Fraternity programs and Foundation donor recognition societies/clubs
VIII. Programs
• Changed the official Short Names of the following schools:
IX. Other Fraternity Language
New Old
TCU
Texas Christian
UNIVERSITY NAMES
UC Berkeley
California, Berkeley
Short names, Greek names and campus locations
UC Irvine
California, Irvine
24
UCLA
California, Los Angeles
UC Riverside
California, Riverside
17
GRAMMAR AND PUNCTUATION
UC San Diego
California, San Diego
Proper use of dashes, hyphens, ellipses and italics
UC Santa Barbara
California, Santa Barbara
32
UNLV
Nevada, Las Vegas
COMMONLY MISUSED WORDS
WPI
Worcester
Affect vs. effect, who vs. whom and other tricky use cases
BETA THETA PI
STYLE GUIDE / REVISED 2013
FRATERNITY LANGUAGE I. AWARDS
II. CEREMONIES
Capitalize the word award when referring to a specific or formal award: the Shepardson Award, the John Reily Knox Award. Lowercase in general reference: Which award are you applying for?
The following ceremonies of the Fraternity are always capitalized:
Chapter Awards (Outstanding) Alumni Relations Award (John Holt) Duncan (Community) Service Award (John Reily) Knox (Chapter Excellence) Award Campus Involvement Award (Charles Henry) Hardin Leadership Development Award Most Improved Chapter Award New Song Competition North Dakota Award for (Excellence in) Chapter Publications (Outstanding) Recruitment Award (Outstanding) Pledge Education Award (Excellence in) Risk Management Award Shelby L. Molter Song Competition (Francis H.) Sisson Award H.H. Stephenson Jr. Award for Excellence in Historical Preservation and Research Virginia Tech Award for Excellence in Academics Website Excellence Award Whitman Choral Cup
Individual Awards District Chief of the Year Award Dr. Edward B. Taylor Advisor of the Year Award Greek Advisor of the Year Award Housemother of the Year Award Interfraternalism Recognition Award Jerry M. Blesch General Secretary’s Leadership Award Oxford Cup Oxford Cup Award Rookie District Chief of the Year Award Francis W. Shepardson Award
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Beta Theta Pi Burial Service Big Brother Ceremony Closing Exercises [Convention] Dragon Ceremony Eye of Wooglin Founders Commemoration Ceremony Fraternal Fifty Ceremony Fraternal Milestones Ceremony Fraternal Twenty-Five Ceremony Induction Ceremony Initiation (of Members) Installation of General Fraternity Officers Loving Cup Ceremony Opening Exercises [Convention] Oxford Cup Ceremony Pledge Ceremony Presentation of the Ritual Senior Ceremony Service for the Dead Francis W. Shepardson Award Ceremony Wooglin Ceremony
III. CONVENTION Capitalize when referring to a particular convention: The 2011 General Convention. Lowercase when referring to convention in general: We hold our convention every year. Always capitalize when written out completely: General Convention. He wants to attend a General Convention once in his lifetime, but does not care which convention it is. The General Convention’s standing traditions and annual events listed below are always capitalized. Advisory Council Breakfast/Luncheon Awards Luncheon Beta Jeopardy Celebration Banquet Chapter Panels
Convention Chorus (Convention) Legislation (Committee Meetings/ Orientation /Session #X) (Convention) Registration Foundation Directors Meeting General Secretary’s Cup Here’s the Scoop (Ice Cream Social) John Reily Knox Club (Recognition) Dinner Loving Cup (Ceremony/Luncheon) Marching Line Model Initiation Nominations & Charters Shelby L. Molter Song Competition (Note: formerly the Wichita State Song Competition) Welcoming Banquet
IV. MAGAZINE Capitalize and italicize the title of the Fraternity’s magazine, The Beta Theta Pi; lowercase and do not use italics for the word magazine. All sections of The Beta Theta Pi magazine are to be capitalized and listed in quotation marks. “A Lasting Moment” “Alumni News” “Chapter Reports” “Convention Recap” “Editor’s Message” “From the Archives” “Interactive Fun” “Letters to the Editor” “Marching Along” “Mystic Shrine” “News and Notes” “Parent Spotlight” “The Beta House” “The Darkening of the Hall” “The Opening of the Door” “Volunteer Spotlight”
FRATERNITY LANGUAGE V. FORMS, REPORTING AND STANDARDS All forms should be capitalized and not italicized: Please submit a Grade Report by tomorrow. End of Term Report Grade Report Housing Report Pledge Report Risk Management Policy
See Forms, Reporting and Standards section on page 6.
VI. FOUNDATION Beta Foundation 20XX Annual Report: Always capitalize and italicize Annual Report, do not italicize the year. For the year, always use fiscal year (not FY13). FYI, fiscal year 2013 went from June 1, 2012, to May 31, 2013.
Lifetime Giving Societies Beta Society Campanile Society Chautauqua Society Diamond Society Founders’ Society Loving Cup Society Old Main Society President’s Society Rose Society
Method-Oriented Giving Clubs and Societies
VII. SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS Fraternity’s naming standards as it applies to Facebook and Twitter:
The Beta Foundation has annual giving clubs and lifetime giving societies. There are also methodoriented giving clubs.
Beta Theta Pi space – space
1839 Club ($250) Beta Dragon Club ($500) Beta Grip Club ($1,000) Grecian Shield Club ($2,500) John Reily Knox Club ($1,500) Laurel Wreath Club ($50,000+) Mystic Circle Club ($100) Pink & Blue Club ($5,000) Sons of the Dragon Club ($18.39) The ___kai___ Club ($10,000) Wooglin Club ($25,000)
BetaThetaPi-Auburn BetaThetaPi-Toronto
See Foundation Names/Programs section on page 6.
Facebook name:
• • • • • • • • • • •
When naming the page, use “Beta Theta Pi” followed by the same designation used in the chapter’s Twitter handle. If the chapter name does not fit in the allotted space, take out the spaces between “Beta Theta Pi.” For example:
Bridge Builder Society Kai-Tech Club
Giving Clubs and Societies
Annual Giving Clubs
For the rest of the chapter’s Twitter homepage, this is the suggested format:
Or, for example… Beta Theta Pi – Miami University Beta Theta Pi – Iowa State University Twitter handle: @Beta_
Or, for example... @Beta_StLawU @Beta_UCLA
Include where the chapter is located and the chapter’s website (if applicable). For the description of the page, chapters should use something similar to above. Since 160 characters are allotted, chapters may add founding information, etc.
VIII. PROGRAMS Capitalize program names: Wooden Institute, Keystone. As of 2013, do not italicize program names. See Fraternity Names/Programs section on page 6.
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FRATERNITY LANGUAGE Program / Policy Naming Standards Forms, Reporting, & Standards
Short Title
Acronym
Nickname
Chapter Accounting Standards
Accounting Standards
CAS
Focus Recruitment Support
FRS
My.BetaThetaPi.org
MyBeta
Positive Pledge Education Assessment
PPEA
Risk Management Incident Report
Incident Report
Standard Chapter Operating Expectations
SCOE
Foundation Names / Programs
Short Title
Acronym
Nickname
Beta Theta Pi Foundation
Beta Foundation
FDN
Foundation
Beta Leadership Fund
BLF
Bridge Builder Society
Bridge Builder Society
BBS
Designated Educational Area Grant Program
DEA Grant Program
DEA
DEA Grant
John Reily Knox Club
John Reily Knox Club
JRKC
JRK Club
Men of Principle Grant Program
Grant Program
MPGP
MP Grants
Men of Principle Scholarship
Men of Principle Scholarship
MPS
MP Scholarship
Merit Scholarship Program
Merit Scholarships
MSP
Merit Scholarships
Sons of the Dragon Club
Sons of the Dragon Club
SOTDC
Fraternity Names / Programs
Short Title
Acronym
Nickname
Beta Theta Pi Fraternity
Beta Theta Pi
BTP
Beta
Beta Theta Pi 17X General Convention
17X General Convention
CNV
Convention
Convention Symposium
Convention Symposium
CS
Symposium
Cornerstone Housing Program
Cornerstone Housing Program
CHP
Cornerstone
Cornerstone Housing Summit
Housing Summit
CHS
Housing Summit
Hugh E. Stephenson, Jr. Leadership Summit
Leadership Summit
LS
Leadership Summit
John and Nellie Wooden Institute for Men of Principle
Wooden Institute
WI
Wooden
Keystone Regional Leadership Conference
Keystone Conference
KC
Keystone
Miller Nichols Chapter Presidents Leadership Academy
Presidents Academy
PA
Presidents Academy
Peter F. Greiner Leadership College
Leadership College
LC
Leadership College
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FRATERNITY LANGUAGE Program Taglines Convention Symposium Loyal Beta Alumni. Caring Friends of Beta. Developing Friendships Through Lifelong Learning, Exploration and Engagement Keystone Regional Leadership Conference Executive Chapter Officers. Eager Chapter Advisors. Fanning the Flame of Principled Leadership Peter F. Greiner Leadership College Beta’s Leadership “Superbowl.” A Beta Family Reunion. Connecting the Beta Spirit with our Principled Future Hugh E. Stephenson, Jr. Leadership Summit A Unified Volunteer Corps. Evolving to Meet 21st Century Needs. Championing Beta’s Principles for a Better Future Miller Nichols Chapter President Leadership Academy All Chapter and Colony Presidents. Three Days of Intense Personal Development. Answering the Call of Principled Leadership John and Nellie Wooden Institute for Men of Principle A Pilgrimage Home. The Challenge of Integrity. Discovering Beta Theta Pi’s True Principles Cornerstone Housing Program House Corporation Volunteers. Professional Resources and Student Housing Experts. Fostering Safe Living Environments that Develop Men of Principle for a Principled Life
Convention Legislation All Chapter and Colony Delegates. The Business of the Fraternity. Deliberating Legislation to Advance A Great and Good Fraternity Beta Leadership Fund Developing Men of Principle for a Principled Life John Reily Knox Club The Premier Annual Giving Club of the Beta Leadership Fund Sons of the Dragon Club Leave your mark…for the ___kai___ Bridge Builder Society Leaving a legacy for those who follow Men of Principle Scholarship Grant Program Affirming Beta’s Commitment to the Host Institution Mission. Rewarding Young Leaders for Meritorious Achievement. Recruiting Men of Principle to Build Beta Theta Pi Merit Scholarship Program Generous Beta Foundation Donors. Financial Resources to Support Academic Pursuits. Exemplifying Beta’s Devotion to the Cultivation of the Intellect Designated Educational Area Grant Program A Program of the Beta Foundation. Earmarking Charitable Gifts for Educational Facilities. Enhancing the Academic Culture of Beta’s Living Environments Housing Summit See Cornerstone Housing Program.
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FRATERNITY LANGUAGE IX. OTHER FRATERNITY LANGUAGE
A academic courses and majors Lowercase in all uses except languages: a business major, an English class. See also languages. academic degrees If mention of a degree is necessary to establish someone’s credentials. The preferred use is a phrase instead of an abbreviation: Scott Allen, who has a bachelor’s in math. 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 abbreviated, academic degrees are capitalized, and when used after a full name, they are set off by commas: B.A., Ph.D.; Donny Jackson, Ph.D., attended the meeting. When writing a Beta’s name, the academic degree comes after his school: Judson A. Horras, Iowa State ’97, CAE, is traveling today.
academic departments Use lowercase except for words that are proper nouns or adjectives: the department of history, the history department, the department of English, the English department. See also languages. academic titles Lowercase titles such as professor, chairman, etc. Capitalize and spell out formal titles only when they precede a full name. Lowercase modifiers such as history in history Professor John Jones or department in department Chairman Bud Otto. See also titles of people.
academic years Terms designating academic years are lowercased: freshman, sophomore, junior and senior.
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active This term is best avoided, except as an adjective. All Fraternity members are expected to be active. When referring to initiated members, use the terms members or brothers. Use undergraduates for collegians, alumni for graduate members. See also alumnus, alumni, alumna and alumnae. Administrative Office Always capitalize. Refers to the professional staff of Beta Theta Pi Fraternity, located in Brennan Hall near the campus of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. When shortened to the office, do not capitalize. See also General Fraternity. advisor Not adviser, unless someone’s title explicitly states that it is adviser. Capitalize chapter advisor, alumni advisor, or Greek advisor only when the title directly precedes an individual’s full name: Greek Advisor Sarah Smith worked together. Lowercase when used in general reference. See also Greek Advisor. Advisory Council Always capitalized, much like Foundation Board of Directors. Refers to the group of former trustees and General Fraternity Officers. advisory team Lowercase unless part of a complete name: Alpha Chapter Advisory Team. I hope to meet the advisory team. See executive board. all-campus average Lowercase. all-men’s average Lowercase. alma mater Lowercase and no hyphen.
[ academic ‑ badge ] alumnus, alumni, alumna, alumnae Use alumnus (alumni in the plural) when referring to a man who has attended a school or chapter. Use alumna (alumnae in the plural) for similar references to a woman. Use alumni when referring to a group of men and women. Alumni chapter Do not use – these are not recognized by Beta Theta Pi. See Alumni Association. Alumni Appreciation Dinner Capitalize when referring to the proper name of an event: The Board of Trustees will be hosting an Alumni Appreciation Dinner for all area alumni, undergraduates and Friends of Beta. Alumni Association Capitalize when referring to a specific alumni association. Lowercase when used in general reference. See also Alumni Advisory Board and House Corporation. Annual Fund Always capitalize when used in place of Beta Leadership Fund. Lowercase otherwise. Lowercase annual when preceding Beta Leadership Fund. anti-Greek Hyphenate.
B bachelor’s degree, Bachelor of Arts degree with honors A bachelor’s degree or bachelor’s is acceptable in any reference. See academic degrees for guidelines on acceptable abbreviations. badge Always lowercase when referring to the Fraternity’s membership pin: Earn your badge every day.
[ Betas - The Code (of Beta Theta Pi) ]
FRATERNITY LANGUAGE
Betas The plural form does not take an apostrophe: four Betas, not four Beta’s.
bylaws Not by-laws or bi-laws. Should always be in lowercase.
Beta’s Broad Domain Always capitalized.
C
Beta Four Always capitalized, but not The Beta Four. Beta Greats Always capitalized. Beta Leadership Fund Always capitalized. Acceptable acronym: BLF. Beta Spirit Always capitalized. Beta Stars Always capitalized. Beta Sweetheart Always capitalized. Beta Theta Pi Archives and Museum Capitalize. Also capitalize the Archives and the Museum. The Beta Theta Pi magazine See Section IV of this “Fraternity Language” section.
Canada The 10 provinces of Canada are Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec and Saskatchewan. The three territories are the Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavet. The 10 provinces (states) of Canada are Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec and Saskatchewan. The three territories are the Yukon, Northwest and Nunivit Territories. Names of provinces are set off from community names by commas, just as the names of the U.S. states are set off from city names: They went to Toronto, Ontario, on their vacation. Do not capitalize province: They visited the province of Nova Scotia.
Billhighway Always capitalize.
CDC See colony development coordinator.
Board of Trustees, Board of Directors Always capitalize Board of Trustees when it refers to the General Fraternity Officers or the Foundation’s officers: The Foundation Board of Directors is meeting today. Lowercase when used in general reference. I would like to attend a board of trustees meeting. Capitalize Board when used in reference to the Fraternity’s Board of Trustees, lowercase otherwise: What will the Board think of this?
Centennial Always capitalized.
brother, brothers Refers to only initiated members of the Fraternity. Use lowercase unless appearing directly before an individual’s name: The meeting was chaired by Brother Knox. Brian is a brother from our Miami chapter. It was great to see you, brother. See also titles of people.
chairman, chairwoman Capitalize as a formal title before a name: company Chairman Henry Ford, committee Chairwoman Margaret Chase Smith. Do not capitalize as a casual, temporary position: meeting chairman Robert Jones. Do not use chairperson, chair or co-chair unless it is an organization’s formal title for an office. See titles. chapter Capitalize only when used with the Greek notation of a specific chapter; lower case in all other cases: The chapter sponsored a workshop; The Gamma Gamma Chapter sponsored a workshop; The Idaho chapter sponsored a
workshop. For concise writing use Gamma Gamma alone, Gamma Gamma at the University of Idaho. Never use the Gamma Gamma put on a workshop. Chapter is a single entity: The chapter will be hosting our philanthropy is incorrect. The chapter will be hosting its philanthropy is correct. chapter house Always lowercase: The Lambda chapter house. One may be tempted to write the Lambda Chapter house, but in this case, chapter does not refer to the group of men; it is an adjective for house, which is not capitalized. chapter president Capitalize only when using as a title preceding a name: Chapter President John Bond; the chapter president opened the meeting. chapter room, chapter hall Always lowercase. charter Always lowercase. chartered, charted Chartered means receiving the document defining the formal organization of a corporate body. Charted means put on a chart or map. chief See district chief. class When referring to a specific pledge class, lower case: We initiated the Alpha Epsilon class on Thursday evening. class year Lowercase freshman, sophomore, junior, senior. coat of arms No hyphens between words, lowercase. The Code (of Beta Theta Pi) Capitalize and italicize: Each new member will receive a copy of The Code.
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FRATERNITY LANGUAGE collegian(s), collegiate A collegian is a student in, or graduate of, a college or university. Collegiate is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to college; a collegiate dictionary. The preferred term, however, is undergraduate. colonize The term used for the recruitment of Founding Fathers on a campus that has never hosted a chapter of Beta Theta Pi. colony Always lowercase except if it follows a specific chapter name: The Alpha Colony is a fine colony. See also chapter. colony development coordinator Capitalize only when the title directly precedes a full name: Colony Development Coordinator TJ Hutchings. Ryan Gee, a colony development coordinator, just arrived. CDC is also acceptable. See also titles of people. committee Capitalize only when referring to a specific or formal committee or board: The Lambda Chapter Involvement Committee planned the retreat. I’d be curious to hear what the involvement committee has been doing. Exception: Kai Committee is always capitalized. See executive board. consultant Use leadership consultant in formal writing. LC may be used as an abbreviation in informal writing or after referring to as leadership consultant. Do not capitalize unless used directly before a name. See also titles of people and leadership consultant. convention Lowercase in general use. Capitalize when referring to a specific convention or when using the full term, “General Convention” See General Convention.
core values Lowercase, except when used when formally presenting the mission, vision and core values.
direct mail This relates to the fundraising efforts of the Fraternity and sometimes hard copy mailings sent to constituents of the Fraternity.
crest Lowercase. (Remember: crest refers only to the dragon, not the entire coat of arms.)
District Capitalize when referring to the regions of the Fraternity, lowercase when referring to district in general: District XXII. Always use Roman numerals for districts of the Fraternity.
D dean, dean’s list Capitalize when used as a formal title before a name: Dean John Jones, Deans John Jones and Susan Smith. Lowercase in other uses: John Jones, dean of the college; the dean. Lowercase dean’s list in all uses: He is on the dean’s list. department Capitalize when used in reference to a specific department of the Administrative Office or another governing body (e.g. the U.S. Government: The Department of Justice); lowercase in general use: The Communication Department, the Chapter Operations Department, the Chapter Services Department, the Leadership & Education Department, the Business Operations Department, the Finance Department. Also see academic departments. directions and regions In general, lowercase north, south, northeast, northern, etc., when they indicate compass direction: Beta maintains four chapters in southern California. Head east, my brother. Capitalize these words when they designate regions. The 10 regions the LCs travel are the Northwest, Southwest, North Central, South Central, West Great Lakes, East Great Lakes, South, Northeast, MidAtlantic and Southeast.
Director of ____ See titles of people.
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[ collegian(s) - executive board ]
district chief Lowercase unless preceding a name. District Chief Andy Thomas. Matt Welty, chief of District X. Michael Hay, a district chief. dollars For specific amounts of more than $1 million, use the $ sign and numerals up to two decimal places. Do not link the numerals and the words by a hyphen: He is worth $3.25 million. The project cost $100 million. The form for amounts less than $1 million: $4, $25, $500, $1,000, $650,000.
E emcee Not M.C. or MC. Better to use master of ceremonies. eNewsletter No hyphen. The ‘N’ is capitalized. executive board Lowercase except when used as part of a formal name: The Lambda Chapter Executive Board is meeting today. I served on my chapter’s executive board for two years. The executive board is meeting tonight. A ‘formal name’ is typically indicated by the presence of capitalization, e.g. Alpha Chapter but not my chapter. Note: the term the Board is reserved only for the General Fraternity Board of Trustees. See advisory team, house corporation (board) or board of trustees.
[ Facebook - Greek Advisor ] F Facebook, Facebook account, Facebook page See also friend, follow, like. 501(c)(3) The Educational Foundation under 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Service is a public foundation operating exclusively for charitable and educational purposes. See also nonprofit. flag Lowercase: The flag shall consist of three equal horizontal stripes of blue, white, and blue. flower Lowercase: The flower of the Fraternity is not a carnation! former Always lowercase. But retain capitalization of a formal title used immediately before a name: Introducing former Administrative Secretary Mr. Cottrell. See also titles of people. Foundation Board of Directors Always capitalized. See Board of Trustees. founders Not capitalized, except when it precedes a founder’s name: He called upon Founder Knox, one of the eight founders of the Fraternity. Founders’ Day Not Founder’s Day
or Founders Day. Founding Father, Refounding Father Always capitalized. Not Re-Founding Father: He was a Founding Father of the chapter. frat Never use this term, even as an abbreviation. fraternal Used as an adjective and not capitalized: His chapter offers a good, fraternal experience.
FRATERNITY LANGUAGE Fraternal Fifties, Fraternal Twenty-Fives Always capitalize, no apostrophe. Fraternally Appropriate as an informal complimentary closure in a letter to a member of any fraternity or sorority: Fraternally yours, Jonathan Brant. Fraternity Capitalize when referring to a specific fraternity: Beta Theta Pi Fraternity, Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity. The Fraternity is synonymous with Beta Theta Pi Fraternity. An agency or organization often uses capitalization when referring to itself in print. Capitalize fraternity when referring specifically to Beta Theta Pi: The Fraternity has 120 active chapters and colonies. Lowercase when used in general reference: fraternity education, fraternity programming.
freshman, freshmen Freshman is singular, freshmen is plural. Do not use freshmen as an adjective. It’s freshman Democrats, not freshmen Democrats, just as it’s sophomore biology majors, not sophomores biology majors. friend, follow, like Friend and like are acceptable as both nouns and verbs; follow is acceptable only as a verb (the noun form is follower). Actions by which users connect to other users on social networks. Friend and like (formerly fan) are typically used on Facebook, while Twitter users follow and have followers. Friend(s) of Beta Capitalize. Do not italicize. Friend(s) of Beta refers to a non-member who volunteers for the Fraternity. We are grateful for the Friends of Beta who give their time. Acceptable acronym: FOB, FOBs.
friendship and fidelity Lowercase. fundraising, fundraiser One word in all cases.
G General Convention Always capitalized when full name is used. See convention. General Fraternity Always capitalize. This is the only way to refer to the Fraternity at large. As Beta Theta Pi is an international fraternity, never use National Fraternity. General Fraternity President, General Secretary, General Treasurer Always capitalize. See titles of people. GPA Acceptable in all references for grade-point average. No periods. graduate (v.) Graduate is correctly used in the active voice: She graduated from the university. Do not use the passive voice: He was graduated from the university. Instead: John Adams graduated from Harvard. Do not omit from: John Adams graduated Harvard is incorrect. Great and Good Fraternity Always capitalized. Great Seal of Beta Theta Pi Capitalize when referred to as such, lowercase in general reference: Is that the Great Seal of Beta Theta Pi? Yes, that is the seal. Greek Capitalize in all references to Greek life. Greek Advisor Capitalize only if it directly precedes a name. Greek Advisor Lisa Fedler came to the meeting. The Greek advisor visited the chapter house. See also titles of people.
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FRATERNITY LANGUAGE Greek-letter, Greek letter Greek-letter if it precedes a noun, Greek letter if it follows a noun. Beta Theta Pi is a leader in the Greek-letter community. Organizations with Greek letters must work together.
house director Capitalize before a person’s name, lowercase in general use.
Greek life Two words, no hyphen. Do not capitalize life.
I
Greek row Two words. Greek Week Always capitalize. grip Lowercase.
H hall Chapter hall, banquet hall and legislation hall are all lowercase. Hall of Chapters Always capitalize. Not Hall of the Chapter. headquarters Not used in reference to Beta Theta Pi’s Foundation and Administrative Office. Our General Fraternity’s Administrative Office is located in Oxford, Ohio. Heritage Fee, Heritage Fund Always capitalize. homecoming Lowercase, one word. house When referring to the group of men who belong to Beta Theta Pi on a given campus or the chapter itself, instead of the term house, use the word chapter. house corporation (board) Lowercase unless part of a complete name: Alpha House Corporation. I wish to attend a house corporation board meeting. See executive board.
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housemother, housefather One word. Capitalize before a person’s name, lowercase in general use.
Initiation, Initiation Week, I-Week Capitalize when referring to a specific Initiation Ceremony, lowercase in general reference: December’s Initiation, the initiation of 13 brothers, next week is I-Week. See also the Ceremonies section. installation, Installation Banquet Lowercase installation except when used as Installation Banquet or Installation in a formal sense: I heard there is an installation happening in Ohio today. Yes, the Beta Kappa Chapter has their Installation Banquet this evening. Interfraternity Council Always capitalize. Not Inter-fraternity Council. Abbreviated IFC. intramural Always lowercase. Not intermural.
[ Greek-letter - member ] K ___kai___ Three underscores; the italicized kai; three underscores. Betas sign their name Yours in ___kai___, followed by a comma, followed by their name. Kai Committee Both words are capitalized. Not ___kai___ Committee.
L LC May be used as an abbreviated reference to leadership consultant. Plural form: LCs (no apostrophes). See also titles of people, consultant and leadership consultant. leadership consultant Capitalize only when the title directly precedes a full name: Leadership Consultant Phil Erford. Ryan Gee, a leadership consultant, just arrived. See also titles of people, consultant and LC. legacy Always lowercase.
J
Loving Cup Always capitalized. See also Ceremonies section.
junior, senior Abbreviate as Jr. and Sr. only with full names of persons. Precede with a comma: Fred Suggs, Jr. talks like his dad. It is accepted by the AP Stylebook to omit the comma, however.
M
The Roman numerals I, II, III, IV, V may be used if an individual prefers. Do not precede or follow their notation with a comma: John Paul III is a holy man. If necessary to distinguish between father and son in second reference, use the elder Smith or the younger Smith.
manual Capitalize and place in italics when directly following the name of the manual: Beta Theta Pi President’s Manual. Lowercase when appearing alone: Bring your manual to every meeting. See also capitalization, composition titles, italics and titles of publications. member Refers to initiated members of the Fraternity.
[ Men of Principle - National Panhellenic Conference ]
FRATERNITY LANGUAGE
Men of Principle Men of Principle is only capitalized when talking about the educational initiative itself: He appreciates the Men of Principle initiative. Never refer to it as a program, MOP or M of P. Can also be used as a descriptive for Betas: We recruited seven outstanding men of principle this fall. Lowercase when used in reference to Beta men. military titles Capitalize a military rank when used as a formal title before an individual’s name. On first reference, use the appropriate title before the full name; in subsequent references, do not continue using the title before a name – only use the last name. General (Gen.), Lieutenant General (Lt. Gen), First Lieutenant (1st Lt.), Corporal (Cpl.), e.g. For more details, check the AP Stylebook entry for “Military rank.” RETIRED OFFICERS Never use the abbreviation Ret. Instead, use retired just as former would be used before the title of a civilian: They invited retired Navy Capt. Jerry Blesch, Centre ’60.
mission Lowercase, except when used when formally presenting the mission, vision and core values. Mission, Vision and Core Values When presented as such, the capitalization, bold, spacing and other formatting is to follow as: Mission: To develop men of principle for a principled life.
Intellectual Growth – Betas are devoted to continually cultivating their minds, including high standards of academic achievement.
MULTIPLE SCHOOLS When a Beta attended two schools, separate by a slash: Stephen Bectel, Purdue ’46/Colorado ’47.
Trust – Betas develop absolute faith and confidence in one another by being true to themselves and others.
COMMA Treat school and year like the name of a state – comma before, comma after, every time: Cal Black, Wabash ’65, took the stage.
Responsible Conduct – Betas choose to act responsibly, weighing the consequences of their actions on themselves and those around them.
APOSTROPHE To the left (’). To do this, you can write UCLA’09 as one word with no space, then and place a space between A and ’. The keyboard command for the appropriate facing apostrophe is ALT0146.
Integrity – Betas preserve their character by doing what is morallyright and demanding the same from their brothers. Strategic Priorities: Self-Governance Education Recruitment Volunteers
Mystic Shrine Capitalized when referring to it in similar fashion to “Heaven”. When referring to it as an article in the magazine, put in quotes.
N Names of Betas Use regular font for a member’s name, followed by a comma, then italicize his college or university, followed by an apostrophe facing left and his graduation year in normal font: Ralph N. Fey, Miami ’40.
Vision: Every member will live Beta Theta Pi’s values.
FIRST OR MIDDLE INITIAL Use in formal situations, e.g. business cards, printed awards, signatures at the end of a letter, on-screen at convention.
Core Values: To build lasting bonds of friendship and brotherhood, Beta calls for:
PREFERRED NAME Use parentheses to indicate a preferred name: Robert T. (Bob) Grand, Wabash ’78.
Mutual Assistance – Betas believe that men are mutually obligated to help others in the honorable labors and aspirations of life.
NICKNAME Use quotation marks to indicate a nickname that is outside the realm of a recognized name: Sen. Henry M.“Scoop” Jackson. Quotations can be dropped after first reference.
JUNIOR/SENIOR/III Abbreviate junior or senior after an individual’s name. See junior, senior. GRADUATION YEAR All four numerals should be used for years that are more than 100 years from the current latest graduation year. For example, if the current year is 2011, 2016 would likely be the latest graduation year (considering five-year programs). So, 1915 and earlier would be written out with all four numerals, while ’16 would indicate a current freshman: Jim Brown, Wabash 1915, had a great life and will be missed dearly. His great grandson, Eric Brown, Northeastern ’16, is an ambitious young lad. PLEDGES For pledges, write his name like you would an initiated Beta. The fact that he is not yet an initiated member will be apparent by the surrounding story.
national Do not use in reference to Beta Theta Pi. See General Fraternity and Administrative Office. North-American Interfraternity Conference Always capitalize. Abbreviated: NIC. North-American Interfraternity Foundation Always capitalize. Abbreviated: NIF. National Panhellenic Conference Always capitalize. Abbreviated: NPC. See also sorority.
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FRATERNITY LANGUAGE National Pan-Hellenic Council Always capitalize. Abbreviated: NPHC. Refer to its members as historically African-American: Kappa Alpha Psi, a historically African-American fraternity, will be showing a slide show.
O office Capitalize office in an agency’s formal name: Office of Management and Budget. Lowercase all other uses, including phrases such as: the office of the attorney general, the U.S. attorney’s office. Also see Administrative Office. Once a Beta, Always a Beta, Everywhere a Beta Always capitalize, no quotation marks.
P Panhellenic Always capitalize. Parents’ Weekend Capitalize and include an apostrophe after s, like Founders’ Day. Not Parent’s Weekend or Parents Weekend. party Social event is preferred: The chapter is planning a social event with a sorority. pledge A young man who has accepted an invitation to join Beta Theta Pi, but not yet formally initiated. See Names of Betas. A pledge is also a solemn promise or agreement to support something: Matt pledged $100 to the Beta Theta Pi Foundation.
pledge class Lowercase: The fall 2011 pledge class.
pledge pin, pledge button Always lowercase, no hyphens. policy Same as committee. Capitalize in reference to a specific policy, lowercase in general reference: Have you seen our Risk Management Policy? We probably need a policy for that. See also the Forms, Reporting and Standards section. President See General Fraternity President and titles of people. President’s badge President’s is capitalized (see titles of people), badge is lowercase (see badge). professor Never abbreviate. Lowercase before a name, but capitalize Professor Emeritus as a conferred title before a name: Professor Emeritus Susan Johnson. Do not continue in second reference unless part of a quotation. See also titles of people. programs, areas of programming General educational programs of the Fraternity are not capitalized: fraternity education, alumni affairs, risk management. See leadership development programs. The Promises to Keep Campaign Capitalize in all forms of reference to it: The Promises to Keep Campaign; Promises to Keep, PTK, Promises to Keep Campaign (in the event the word “The” is not appropriate based upon sentence structure), The Campaign, The Promises to Keep Campaign – Advancing the Men of Principle Initiative, etc.
[ National Pan-Hellenic Council - regions ] Q R recharter, recolonize, re-establish Not re-colonize or reestablish. Only previously existing chapters or colonies are recolonized and rechartered. Previously existing colonies that were never chartered are not rechartered. re/charters, re/colonizations Used to reference multiple expansion projects including chapters opened at an institution for the first time and chapters which are being recolonized. Two of the re/colonizations for 2011 were Michigan State and TCU. recruitment Always lowercase. The usage of recruitment is preferred rather than rush. Member recruitment, not membership recruitment. re-elect, re-election, re-establish With hyphen. Refounding Father, Re/Founding Father Always capitalize, never hyphenate. Not Re-Founding Father. Use Re/Founding Fathers in reference to multiple expansion projects that include both Refounding Fathers and Founding Fathers. See Founding Father. reinstallation, Reinstallation Banquet Lower case, unless used in Reinstallation Banquet. regional chief Capitalize only when the title directly precedes the full name: Regional Chief Paul Puckett. Tom Bedsole, a regional chief, just arrived. See also titles of people. regions See also directions and regions.
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[ ritual - Style Guide ] ritual Capitalize only in reference to the printed document or the performance of the associated ceremonies; lowercase in all other cases: Our values can be found in our Ritual. We will be performing the Ritual tonight. The ritual books were sent to the colony. Also, capitalize when referring to a particular fraternity’s ritual: Beta’s Ritual, the SAE Ritual. Note: the term the Ritual assumes Beta’s Ritual. RC May be used as an abbreviated reference to regional chief. Plural form: RCs (no apostrophes). See also regional chief. Roll, Roll Number Capitalize. Roll No. is also acceptable. Not Roll #. The Theta Zeta Chapter Roll. rush Always lowercase. Recruitment is preferred to rush.
S seal See Great Seal of Beta Theta Pi. semester Lowercase: The fall 2010 semester. Never use semesterly. Seven Obligations Always capitalize. shingle Lowercase: The shingle of the fraternity shall be a plain white card. Singing Fraternity Capitalize when referring to Beta Theta Pi as the Singing Fraternity. Do not capitalize in reference to a singing fraternity in general. We are the Singing Fraternity. Beta has been a singing fraternity for generations. song titles Capitalize and include quotations for all Beta song titles. They sang,“The Banquet Hall” and “Gemma Nostra.”
FRATERNITY LANGUAGE sorority Less than half of the 26 NPC members use sorority in their official name; most use fraternity. Refer to the Interfraternity Directory or the Fraternity Executives’ Fraternity/ Sorority Directory to properly reference all NPC members. If in doubt, refer to all NPC members as a women’s fraternity. state Lowercase in all state of constructions: the state of Maine. Do not capitalize state when used simply as an adjective to specify a level of jurisdiction: the state Transportation Department, state funds. Four states – Kentucky, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Virginia – are legally commonwealths rather than states. The distinction is necessary only in formal uses: The commonwealth of Kentucky filed a suit. For simple geographic reference: Tobacco is grown in the state of Kentucky. See also state names. state names Follow these guidelines: PUNCTUATION Place one comma between the city and the state name, and another comma after the state name: Oxford, Ohio, is where Beta Theta Pi Fraternity was founded. Steve Becker hails from Toronto, Ont., a fine world city. The obscure ones should be spelled out fully: Trudy visited Prince Edward Island. STANDING ALONE Spell out the names of the 50 U.S. states and Canadian providences when they stand alone. Never use postal abbreviations (e.g. San Francisco, CA, is not warm is wrong) in textual material. See also addresses. EIGHT NOT ABBREVIATED The names of eight states are never abbreviated in text: Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Ohio, Texas and Utah. ABBREVIATIONS REQUIRED Never use postal abbreviations in textual material. Abbreviations should appear as follows:
Ala. Md. N.D. Ariz. Mass. Okla. Ark. Mich. Ore. Calif. Minn. Pa. Colo. Miss. R.I. Conn. Mo. S.C. Del. Mont. S.D. D.C. Neb. Tenn. Fla. Nev. Vt. Ga. N.H. Va. Ill. N.J. Wash. Ind. N.M. W.Va. Kan. N.Y. Wis. Ky. N.C. Wyo. La. The 10 Canadian provinces (states) are abbreviated to fit typographical requirements, they should appear as follows:
Alta. N.B. Ont. Sask. B.C. N.S. P.E.I. Man. Nfld. Que.
Staff Capitalize in reference to Beta Theta Pi only when directly following Administrative, Foundation, Fraternity or Support. Lowercase when used in other forms. See also Administrative Office. strategic plan, strategic priorities Lowercase, except when used when formally presenting the Mission, Vision and Core Values. student body Lowercase. Style Guide Capitalized and italicized when referring to Beta’s Style Guide, lower case when referring to style guides in general. The Style Guide is in part modeled after Sigma Nu’s style guide.
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FRATERNITY LANGUAGE T
primarily as occupational descriptions: astronaut John Glenn, movie star John Wayne, peanut farmer Jimmy Carter.
task force Capitalize only when referring to a specific or formal committee or board: The Lambda Chapter Involvement Task Force planned the retreat. I’d be curious to hear what the task force has been doing. See executive board.
EXCEPTION 1: In formal usage, such as acknowledgments and lists of contributors, titles following a personal name are usually capitalized. Ladies and gentlemen, the President of the United States.
Three Great Principles Always capitalize.
EXCEPTION 2: Titles used in place of names in direct address are capitalized: The ship can’t take it anymore, Captain!
365 recruitment Do not capitalize or hyphenate. titles of people In general, confine capitalization to formal titles used directly before an individual’s full name: House Corporation Treasurer Dick Persinger submitted the budget. Brother Stephenson received top grades last term. Lowercase and spell out titles when they are not used with an individual’s name: The president gave an excellent speech. The administrative secretary has big shoes to fill. Lowercase and spell out titles in constructions that set them off from a name by commas: Steve Becker, administrative secretary, gave the speech. The education consultant, Patrick Carr, painted the new shutters. EXCEPTION General Secretary and General Treasurer are always capitalized. President is always capitalized when referring to the General Fraternity President. Corporate, professional and governmental titles are capitalized only when they immediately precede a person’s full name. President Marty Smith likes race cars. Regional Directors Jim Strilesky and Kirk Little. Other titles serve
EXCEPTION 3: Titles of person and events may be capitalized when in a list or as a heading: Men of Principle Initiative.
Trial by Chapter Always capitalize in this way.
U university Capitalize only when used with the actual school name: DePauw University, the university swim team. When abbreviating university or college names, do not use periods: UCLA, not U.C.L.A. University names are usually abbreviated after they have been spelled out on their first occurrence in a text, unless the abbreviation is expected to be instantly recognizable. University names Be consistent. If you use the short name, continue to use short names. If you use the long name, stick with long names. Not the University of Kentucky and MSU . . . ” The long and short names for each school can be found on the Chapter or University tab of the corresponding records in iMIS. See page 17 for the list of University names.
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[ task force - www.betathetapi.org ] unsullied friendship, unfaltering fidelity Lowercase. Upon These Principles Capitalize in reference to the capital campaign of the early 2000s, “A Campaign For Every Beta.”
V vice president Use two words; no hyphen. See also titles of people. vision Lowercase, except when used when formally presenting the mission, vision and core values.
W www.betathetapi.org Do not precede with http://
XYZ
UNIVERSITY & COLLEGE NAMES University / College Short Name
University / College
Alabama
The University of Alabama
Amherst
Amherst College
Arizona
Greek Name
City
State / Province
Delta Theta
Tuscaloosa
AL
Beta Iota
Amherst
MA
University of Arizona
Delta Beta
Tucson
AZ
Arizona State
Arizona State University
Delta Tau
Tempe
AZ
Arkansas
University of Arkansas
Colony
Fayetteville
AR
Auburn
Auburn University
Delta Zeta
Auburn
AL
Ball State
Ball State University
Delta Iota
Muncie
IN
Baylor
Baylor University
Delta Psi
Waco
TX
Beloit
Beloit College
Chi
Beloit
WI
Bethany
Bethany College
Psi
Bethany
WV
Binghamton
State University of New York at Binghamton
Epsilon Psi
Binghamton
NY
Bishop’s
Bishop’s University
Epsilon Xi
Lennoxville
QC
Boston
Boston University
Upsilon
Boston
MA
Bowdoin
Bowdoin College
Beta Sigma
Brunswick
ME
Bowling Green
Bowling Green State University
Delta Delta
Bowling Green
OH
British Columbia
University of British Columbia
Gamma Omicron
Vancouver
BC
Brown
Brown University
Kappa
Providence
RI
Bryant
Bryant College
Zeta Theta
Smithfield
RI
Butler
Butler University
Alpha Psi
Indianapolis
IN
Cal Poly
California Polytechnic State University
Epsilon Delta
San Luis Obispo
CA
Cal State, Chico
California State University, Chico
Epsilon Iota
Chico
CA
Cal State, Sacramento
California State University, Sacramento
Colony
Carmichael
CA
Carleton
Carleton University
Epsilon Upsilon
Gloucester
ON
Carnegie Mellon
Carnegie Mellon University
Gamma Iota
Pittsburgh
PA
Case
Case Institute of Technology
Lambda Kappa
Cleveland
OH
Case Western Reserve
Case Western Reserve University
Lambda Kappa-Beta
Cleveland
OH
Centenary
Centenary College
Wreath
Jackson
LA
Central Florida
University of Central Florida
Zeta Psi
Orlando
FL
Central Michigan
Central Michigan University
Epsilon Gamma
Mount Pleasant
MI
Centre
Centre College
Epsilon
Danville
KY
Chapman
Chapman University
Colony
Orange
CA
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UNIVERSITY & COLLEGE NAMES University / College Short Name
University / College
Charleston
College of Charleston
Chicago
University of Chicago
Cincinnati
City
State / Province
Colony
Charleston
SC
Lambda Rho
Chicago
IL
University of Cincinnati
Beta Nu
Cincinnati
OH
Clemson
Clemson University
Delta Nu
Clemson
SC
Colgate
Colgate University
Beta Theta
Hamilton
NY
Colorado
University of Colorado
Beta Tau
Boulder
CO
Colorado College
Colorado College
Gamma Delta
Colorado Springs
CO
Colorado Mines
Colorado School of Mines
Beta Phi
Golden
CO
Colorado State
Colorado State University
Epsilon Kappa
Fort Collins
CO
Columbia
Columbia University
Alpha Alpha
New York
NY
Connecticut
University of Connecticut
Zeta Chi
Storrs
CT
Cornell
Cornell University
Beta Delta
Ithaca
NY
Creighton
Creighton University
Colony
Omaha
NE
Cumberland
Cumberland University
Mu
Lebanon
TN
Dartmouth
Dartmouth College
Alpha Omega
Hanover
NH
Davidson
Davidson College
Phi Alpha
Davidson
NC
Dayton
University of Dayton
Eta Delta
Dayton
OH
Denison
Denison University
Alpha Eta
Granville
OH
Denver
University of Denver
Alpha Zeta
Denver
CO
DePauw
DePauw University
Delta
Greencastle
IN
Dickinson
Dickinson College
Alpha Sigma
Carlisle
PA
Drexel
Drexel University
Colony
Philadelphia
PA
Duke
Duke University
Gamma Rho
Durham
NC
East Carolina
East Carolina University
Epsilon Alpha
Greenville
NC
Eastern Illinois
Eastern Illinois University
Colony
Charleston
IL
Eastern Kentucky
Eastern Kentucky University
Delta Xi
Richmond
KY
Eastern Washington
Eastern Washington University
Epsilon Omega
Cheney
WA
Emory
Emory University
Gamma Upsilon
Atlanta
GA
Florida
University of Florida
Gamma Xi
Gainesville
FL
Florida Atlantic
Florida Atlantic University
Zeta Delta
Boca Raton
FL
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Greek Name
UNIVERSITY & COLLEGE NAMES University / College Short Name
University / College
Florida International
Florida International University
Florida State
Florida State University
Furman
Greek Name
City
State / Province
Eta Gamma
Miami
FL
Delta Lambda
Tallahassee
FL
Furman University
Zeta Lambda
Greenville
SC
George Mason
George Mason University
Epsilon Mu
Fairfax
VA
George Washington
George Washington University
Zeta Nu
Washington
DC
Georgia
University of Georgia
Epsilon Epsilon
Athens
GA
Georgia Tech
Georgia Institute of Technology
Gamma Eta
Atlanta
GA
GMI-EMI
GMI-EMI
Delta Eta
Flint
MI
Guelph
University of Guelph
Epsilon Zeta
Guelph
ON
Hampden-Sydney
Hampden-Sydney College
Zeta
Hampden-Sydney
VA
Hanover
Hanover College
Iota
Hanover
IN
Harvard
Harvard University
Eta
Cambridge
MA
Hawai’i
University of Hawai’i
Epsilon Rho
Kaneohe
HI
High Point
High Point University
Colony
High Point
NC
Houston
University of Houston
Delta Upsilon
Houston
TX
Howard
Howard College
Alpha Mu
Marion
AL
Idaho
University of Idaho
Gamma Gamma
Moscow
ID
Illinois
University of Illinois
Sigma Rho
Champaign
IL
Illinois College
Illinois College
Sigma
Jacksonville
IL
Indiana
Indiana University
Pi
Bloomington
IN
Iowa
University of Iowa
Alpha Beta
Iowa City
IA
Iowa State
Iowa State University
Tau Sigma
Ames
IA
Iowa Wesleyan
Iowa Wesleyan University
Alpha Epsilon
Mt. Pleasant
IA
John Carroll
John Carroll University
Eta Epsilon
University Heights
OH
Johns Hopkins
Johns Hopkins University
Alpha Chi
Baltimore
MD
Kansas
University of Kansas
Alpha Nu
Lawrence
KS
Kansas State
Kansas State University
Gamma Epsilon
Manhattan
KS
Kentucky
University of Kentucky
Epsilon Omicron
Lexington
KY
Kenyon
Kenyon College
Beta Alpha
Gambier
OH
Kettering A
Kettering University A
Delta Eta
Flint
MI
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UNIVERSITY & COLLEGE NAMES University / College Short Name
University / College
Kettering B
Kettering University B
Knox
Knox College
Lawrence
City
State / Province
Delta Eta
Flint
MI
Xi
Galesburg
IL
Lawrence University
Gamma Pi
Appleton
WI
Lehigh
Lehigh University
Beta Chi
Bethlehem
PA
Louisville
University of Louisville
Delta Pi
Louisville
KY
Loyola Marymount
Loyola Marymount University
Eta Alpha
Los Angeles
CA
Lynchburg
Lynchburg College
Zeta Alpha
Lynchburg
VA
Maine
University of Maine
Beta Eta
Orono
ME
Maryland
University of Maryland, College Park
Delta Omega
College Park
MD
McGill
McGill University
Epsilon Nu
Montreal
PQ
Miami
Miami University
Alpha
Oxford
OH
Miami (Fla.)
University of Miami
Eta Beta
Coral Gables
FL
Michigan
University of Michigan
Lambda
Ann Arbor
MI
Michigan State
Michigan State University
Gamma Psi
East Lansing
MI
Middle Tennessee State
Middle Tennessee State University
Epsilon Theta
Murfreesboro
TN
Minnesota
University of Minnesota
Beta Pi
Minneapolis
MN
Mississippi
University of Mississippi
Beta Beta
University
MS
Missouri
University of Missouri
Zeta Phi
Columbia
MO
Missouri-Kansas City
University of Missouri-Kansas City
Epsilon Lambda
Kansas City
MO
MIT
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Beta Upsilon
Boston
MA
Monmouth
Monmouth College
Alpha Alpha
Monmouth
IL
Nebraska
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Alpha Tau
Lincoln
NE
North Carolina
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Eta
Chapel Hill
NC
North Dakota
University of North Dakota
Gamma Kappa
Grand Forks
ND
Northeastern
Northeastern University
Eta Zeta
Boston
MA
Northwestern
Northwestern University
Rho
Evanston
IL
Nova Southeastern
Nova Southeastern University
Zeta Mu
Davie
FL
Oglethorpe
Oglethorpe University
Chi
Atlanta
GA
Ohio
Ohio University
Beta Kappa
Athens
OH
Ohio State
The Ohio State University
Theta Delta
Columbus
OH
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Greek Name
UNIVERSITY & COLLEGE NAMES University / College Short Name
University / College
Ohio Wesleyan
Ohio Wesleyan University
Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma
Oklahoma State
Greek Name
City
State / Province
Theta
Delaware
OH
Gamma Phi
Norman
OK
Oklahoma State University
Gamma Lambda
Stillwater
OK
Oregon
University of Oregon
Beta Rho
Eugene
OR
Oregon State
Oregon State University
Gamma Mu
Corvallis
OR
Pacific
University of the Pacific
Colony
Stockton
CA
Penn State
Pennsylvania State University
Alpha Upsilon
State College
PA
Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
Phi
Philadelphia
PA
Pepperdine
Pepperdine University
Zeta Pi
Malibu
CA
Princeton
Princeton University
Theta Epsilon
Princeton
NJ
Puget Sound
University of Puget Sound
Delta Epsilon
Tacoma
WA
Purdue
Purdue University
Beta Mu
West Lafayette
IN
Quinnipiac
Quinnipiac University
Colony
Hamden
CT
Randolph-Macon
Randolph-Macon College
Alpha Xi
Ashland
VA
Rhode Island
University of Rhode Island
Epsilon Chi
Kingston
RI
Richmond
University of Richmond
Alpha Kappa
Richmond
VA
Rutgers
Rutgers University
Beta Gamma
Scotch Plains
NJ
Saint Louis
Saint Louis University
Zeta Tau
St. Louis
MO
San Diego
University of San Diego
Zeta Omega
San Diego
CA
San Diego State
San Diego State University
Epsilon Beta
San Diego
CA
San Jose State
San Jose State University
Zeta Eta
San Jose
CA
Sewanee
The University of the South
Gamma Chi
Sewanee
TN
SMU
Southern Methodist University
Gamma Omega
Dallas
TX
South Carolina
University of South Carolina
Upsilon
Columbia
SC
South Dakota
The University of South Dakota
Gamma Alpha
Vermillion
SD
South Florida
University of South Florida
Zeta Beta
Tampa
FL
Southeastern Louisiana
Southeastern Louisiana University
Colony
Hammond
LA
Southern California
University of Southern California
Gamma Tau
Los Angeles
CA
Southern Illinois
Southern Illinois University
Zeta Omicron
Carbondale
IL
St. Lawrence
St. Lawrence University
Beta Zeta
Canton
NY
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UNIVERSITY & COLLEGE NAMES University / College Short Name
University / College
Stanford
Stanford University
Stevens
Stevens Institute of Technology
Syracuse
City
State / Province
Lambda Sigma
Stanford
CA
Sigma
Hoboken
NJ
Syracuse University
Beta Epsilon
Syracuse
NY
TCU
Texas Christian University
Colony
Fort Worth
TX
Tennessee
The University of Tennessee
Delta Kappa
Knoxville
TN
Tennessee Tech
Tennessee Technological University
Epsilon Phi
Cookeville
TN
Texas
The University of Texas at Austin
Beta Omicron
Austin
TX
Texas A&M
Texas A&M University
Epsilon Eta
College Station
TX
Texas A&M-CC
Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi
Zeta Rho
Corpus Christi
TX
Texas at Arlington
The University of Texas at Arlington
Delta Rho
Arlington
TX
Texas Tech
Texas Tech University
Delta Mu
Lubbock
TX
Toledo
University of Toledo
Epsilon Tau
Toledo
OH
Toronto
University of Toronto
Theta Zeta
Toronto
ON
Transylvania
Transylvania University
Epsilon
Lexington
KY
Trinity
Trinity University
Alpha Omicron
San Antonio
TX
Truman State
Truman State University
Zeta Xi
Kirksville
MO
Tulane
Tulane University
Beta Xi
New Orleans
LA
UC Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
Omega
Berkeley
CA
UC Irvine
University of California, Irvine
Delta Sigma
Irvine
CA
UCLA
University of California, Los Angeles
Gamma Nu
Los Angeles
CA
UC Riverside
University of California, Riverside
Epsilon Sigma
Riverside
CA
UC San Diego
University of California, San Diego
Zeta Gamma
La Jolla
CA
UC Santa Barbara
University of California, Santa Barbara
Epsilon Pi
Goleta
CA
UMass Dartmouth
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
Colony
North Dartmouth
MA
Union
Union College
Nu
Schenectady
NY
UNLV
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Zeta Kappa
Las Vegas
NV
USNA
United States Naval Academy
Omega
Newport
RI
Utah
University of Utah
Gamma Beta
Salt Lake City
UT
Utah State
Utah State University
Zeta Iota
Logan
UT
Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt University
Beta Lambda
Nashville
TN
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Greek Name
UNIVERSITY & COLLEGE NAMES University / College Short Name
University / College
Villanova
Villanova University
Virginia
University of Virginia
Virginia Tech
Greek Name
City
State / Province
Zeta Epsilon
Villanova
PA
Omicron
Charlottesville
VA
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State Univ.
Alpha Phi
Blacksburg
VA
VMI
Virginia Military Institute
Alpha Theta
Lexington
VA
Wabash
Wabash College
Tau
Crawfordsville
IN
Washington
University of Washington
Beta Omega
Seattle
WA
Washington & Jefferson
Washington & Jefferson College
Gamma
Washington
PA
Washington and Lee
Washington and Lee University
Alpha Rho
Lexington
VA
Washington in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis
Alpha Iota
St. Louis
MO
Washington State
Washington State University
Gamma Theta
Pullman
WA
Weber State
Weber State University
Delta Omicron
Ogden
UT
Wesleyan
Wesleyan University
Mu Epsilon
Middletown
CT
West Chester
West Chester University
Zeta Sigma
West Chester
PA
West Virginia
West Virginia University
Beta Psi
Morgantown
WV
Western Michigan
Western Michigan University
Delta Chi
Kalamazoo
MI
Western Ontario
The University of Western Ontario
Delta Alpha
London
ON
Western Reserve
Western Reserve University
Beta
Cleveland
OH
Westminster
Westminster College
Alpha Delta
Fulton
MO
Whitman
Whitman College
Gamma Zeta
Walla Walla
WA
Wichita State
Wichita State University
Delta Gamma
Wichita
KS
Willamette
Willamette University
Gamma Sigma
Salem
OR
William & Mary
The College of William & Mary
Zeta Upsilon
Williamsburg
VA
Williams
Williams College
Zeta
Williamstown
MA
Wisconsin
University of Wisconsin
Alpha Pi
Madison
WI
Wisconsin-Oshkosh
University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh
Zeta Zeta
Oshkosh
WI
Wittenberg
Wittenberg University
Alpha Gamma
Springfield
OH
Wooster
College of Wooster
Alpha Lambda
Wooster
OH
WPI
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Colony
Worcester
MA
Wright State
Wright State University
Delta Phi
Dayton
OH
Yale
Yale University
Phi Chi
New Haven
CT
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GRAMMAR AND PUNCTUATION There is no alternative to correct punctuation. Incorrect punctuation can change the meaning of a sentence, the results of which could be farreaching. For example … Dear Bill, You have ruined me for other men. I yearn for you. I have no feelings whatsoever when we’re apart. I can be forever happy — will you let me be yours? Marie Dear Bill, You have ruined me. For other men, I yearn. For you, I have no feelings whatsoever. When we’re apart, I can be forever happy. Will you let me be? Yours, Marie
On a second look, you’ll see these two letters are composed of the exact same words, and that correct punctuation makes all the difference. This section of the Style Guide is here to help you make the right decisions about how and when to use certain punctuation marks. For more detail and philosophy behind punctuation consult the AP Stylebook and “The Elements of Style” by William Strunk, Jr. and E.B. White.
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A a, an Use the article a before consonant sounds: a historic event, a one-year term (sounds as if it begins with a w), a united stand (sounds like you). Use the article an before vowel sounds: an energy crisis, an honorable man (the h is silent), an NBA record (sounds like it begins with the letter e), an 1890s celebration.
abbreviations and acronyms In general, avoid alphabet soup. Do not use abbreviations or acronyms that the reader would not quickly recognize. See also LC, DC and university. BEFORE A NAME Abbreviate the following titles when used before a full name: Dr., Gov., Lt. Gov., Mr., Miss, Ms., Mrs., Rep., the Rev., and Sen. See also courtesy titles and military titles. AFTER A NAME Abbreviate junior or senior after an individual’s name. Abbreviate association, company, corporation, incorporated and limited when used after the name of a corporate entity. AVOID AWKWARD CONSTRUCTIONS Do not follow an organization’s full name with an abbreviation or acronym in parentheses or set off by dashes. If an abbreviation or acronym would not be clear on second reference without this arrangement, do not use it.
addresses Use the abbreviations Ave., Blvd. and St. only with a numbered address: 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 more than one street name: Massachusetts and Pennsylvania avenues.
The U.S. Postal Service’s two-letter abbreviations for street addresses and states should only be used on the envelope and the address appearing at the top of a letter. See also state and state names. CAPS PERIODS Use capital letters and periods according to the listings in this guide or its references. If an abbreviation is not listed, use capital letters. Omit periods unless the result would spell an unrelated word.
ages Always use figures. The girl is 8 years old, the 3-year-old law. When the context does not require years or years old, the figure is presumed to be years. Ages expressed as adjectives before a noun or as substitutes for a noun use hyphens: A 19-year-old member. The chapter president is 19 years old. The race is for 3-year-olds. The chapter advisor is in his 30s. See also numerals. a.m., p.m. Lowercase, with periods. Avoid the redundant 10:00 a.m. this morning. Also acceptable is 10:00 o’clock this morning. ampersand (&) Use the ampersand when it is part of a publication or company’s formal name. It should not otherwise be used in place of and: The Association of Fraternal Leadership & Values, but not friendship & fidelity. anniversary The word is to be lowercase when referring to a specific event. The Gamma Pi Chapter held its 75th anniversary celebration. annual An event cannot be described as annual until it has been held in at least two successive years. Do not use the term first annual. Instead, use inaugural. The second year would be the first opportunity to use the phrase. See also bi-, semi- and prefixes.
GRAMMAR AND PUNCTUATION apostrophe (’) Follow these guidelines: PLURAL NOUNS NOT ENDING IN S Add ’s: the alumni’s contributions, women’s rights. PLURAL NOUNS ENDING IN S Add only an apostrophe: the churches’ needs, the girls’ toys, the horses’ food.
B bold Use bold type only when it aids in indexing and cross-referencing, and when emphasizing a deadline date. The deadline for the Institute registration is April 1, 2014.
book, Ceres’ rites, Descartes’ theories, Michael Roupas’ eNewsletter.
brackets ([ ]) Brackets work like parentheses to set off inserted material, but usually function within quoted material: “Sometimes he [Scott] will do voice impersonations.” Do not use brackets as “parentheses within parentheses.” If a sentence becomes contorted enough to warrant parentheses within parentheses, write it another way.
PRONOUNS Pronouns have separate forms for the possessive. None involves an apostrophe: mine, ours, your, yours, his, hers, its, theirs, whose.
C
Caution: Always double-check to be sure that the meaning calls for a contraction when using an apostrophe with a pronoun: you’re, it’s, there’s, who’s.
capitalization In general, avoid unnecessary capitals. Use a capital letter only if you can justify it by one of the principles listed here.
SINGULAR COMMON NOUNS ENDING IN S Add ’s unless the next word begins with s: the hostess’s invitation, the hostess’ seat. SINGULAR PROPER NAMES ENDING IN S Use only an apostrophe: Achilles’ heel, Agnes’
COMPOUND WORDS Add an apostrophe or ’s to the word closest to the object possessed: the regional leadership director’s decision, the major generals’ backpacks. JOINT POSSESSION Use a possessive form after only the last word if ownership is joint: Tom and Lance’s house. Use a possessive form after both words if the objects are individually owned: Fred’s and Sylvia’s books. OMITTED FIGURES The class of ’72. The roaring ’20s.
Many words and phrases are listed in this guide. If there is no relevant listing is this guide, consult its references that are listed in the “Forward.”
COMPOSITIONS Apply the guidelines listed here to book titles, movie titles, song titles, television program titles and the titles of lectures, speeches and works of art. 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 letters if it is the first or last word in a title.
See also italics, titles of publications and quotation marks. TITLES Capitalize formal titles when used immediately before a name. Lowercase formal titles when used alone or in constructions that set them off from a name by commas. Use lowercase at all times for terms that are job descriptions rather than formal titles. See also titles of people.
captions Italicize entire caption, even if original text is supposed to be italicized (i.e. school names, publications).
PROPER NOUNS Capitalize nouns that constitute the unique identification for a specific person, place or thing. PROPER NAMES Capitalize common nouns such as award, fraternity, party, river, street and west when they are an integral part of the full name for a person, place or thing: The Oxford Cup, Beta Theta Pi Fraternity, Democratic Party, Auglize River, Bonham Road, West Virginia. Lowercase the common noun elements of names in all plural uses: Sisson awards, Beta Theta Pi and Lambda Chi Alpha fraternities, Democratic and Republican parties, lakes Erie and Ontario.
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GRAMMAR AND PUNCTUATION colon (:) The most frequent use of a colon is at the end of a sentence to introduce lists, tabulations, texts, etc. Capitalize the first word after a colon only if it is a proper noun or the start of a complete sentence: He promised this: The company will make good all the losses. But: There were three considerations: expense, time and feasibility. EMPHASIS The colon often can be effective in giving emphasis: He had only one hobby: eating. LISTINGS Use the colon in such listings as time elapsed (1:31:07.2), time of day (8:31 p.m.), biblical and legal citations (2 Kings 2:14; Missouri Code 3:245-260). DIALOGUE Use a colon for dialogue. In coverage of a trial, for example: Bailey: What were you doing the night of the 19th? Mason: I refuse to answer that. Q AND A: The colon is used for question-andanswer interviews: Q: Did you strike him? A: Indeed I did. PLACEMENT WITH QUOTATION MARKS Colons go outside quotation marks unless they are part of the quotation itself.
comma (,) The following guidelines treat some of the most frequent questions. Consult the AP Stylebook or Webster’s New Universal Unabridged Dictionary for complete usage. IN A SERIES Use commas to separate elements in a series, but do not put a comma before the conjunction in a simple series: The flag is red, white and blue. He would nominate Tom, Dick or Harry.
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Put a comma before the concluding conjunction in a series, however, if an integral element of the series requires a conjunction: I had orange juice, toast, and ham and eggs for breakfast.
WITH CHAPTER AND YEAR OF GRADUATION Use a comma to set off an individual’s chapter and year of graduation: Jonathan Brant, Miami ’75, is the Foundation director. See Names of Betas.
Use a comma also before the concluding conjunction in a complex series of phrases: 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.
NAMES OF STATES AND NATIONS USED WITH CITY NAMES His journey will take him from Dublin, Ireland, to Fargo, N.D., and back. The Selma, Ala., group saw the governor. Use parentheses, however, if a state name is inserted within a proper name: The Huntsville (Ala.) Times. See states.
WITH EQUAL ADJECTIVES Use commas to separate a series of adjectives equal in rank. If the commas could be replaced by the word and without changing the sense, the adjectives are equal: a thoughtful, precise manner; a dark, dangerous street.
WITH YES AND NO Yes, I will be there. IN DIRECT ADDRESS Mother, I will be home late. No, sir, I did not take it. SEPARATING SIMILAR WORDS Use a comma to separate duplicated words that otherwise would be confusing: What the problem is, is not clear.
Use no comma when the last adjective before a noun outranks its predecessors because it is an integral element of a noun phrase, which is the equivalent of a single noun: a cheap fur coat (the noun phrase is fur coat); the old oaken bucket; a new, blue spring bonnet.
IN LARGE FIGURES Use a comma for most figures greater than 999. The major exceptions are street addresses (1234 Main St.), broadcast frequencies (1460 kilohertz), room numbers, serial numbers, telephone numbers and years (1876).
WITH CONJUNCTIONS When a conjunction such as and, but or for links two clauses that could stand alone as separate sentences, use a comma before the conjunction in most cases: She was glad she had looked, for a man was approaching the house.
PLACEMENT WITH QUOTES Commas always go inside quotation marks.
INTRODUCING DIRECT QUOTES Use a comma to introduce a complete one-sentence quotation within a paragraph: Murray said,“Does it look like I’m laughing?”
PLACEMENT WITH QUOTES Commas always go inside quotation marks.
Do not use a comma at the start of an indirect or partial quotation: Bob said that he “loves M&Ms and their hard candy shell.” BEFORE ATTRIBUTION Use a comma at the end of a quote that is followed by attribution: “I lost my computer,” confessed Mayberry. Do not use a comma, however, if the quoted statement ends with a question mark or exclamation point: “Why should I?” he asked.
WITH FULL DATES When a phrase refers to a month, day and year, set off the year with a comma: Feb. 14, 1987, is the target date. See dates.
D dash ( — ) Used to mark a sudden break or abrupt change in thought: Kip offered a plan — it was unprecedented — to abolish alcohol abuse. ATTRIBUTION It is also used to precede a credit line or a run-in credit signature: “But the greatest of these is love.” — I Corinthians 13:13.
GRAMMAR AND PUNCTUATION SERIES WITHIN A PHRASE When a phrase that otherwise would be set off by commas contains a series of words that must be separated by commas, use dashes: Andy listed the qualities — intelligence, humor, independence — that he liked in a consultant. WITH SPACES Put a space on both sides of a dash in all uses except the start of a paragraph.
dates Always use Arabic figures without th, st, and nd.: March 22, not March 22nd. No comma between month and year if the day is omitted: November 1999. Include a comma after the year if the full date is given: Nov. 2, 2000, will be the day of the food drive. Abbreviate month when full date is used. dissociate Not diassociate or disassociate. dollars Always lowercase. Use figures and the $ sign in all except casual references or amounts without a figure: The book cost $4. Dad, please give me a dollar.
E ellipsis ( ... ) Treat an ellipsis as a three-letter word, constructed with three periods and two spaces. Use an ellipsis to indicate the deletion of one or more words in condensing quotes, texts and documents. PUNCTUATION GUIDELINES If the words that precede an ellipsis constitute a grammatically complete sentence, either in the original or in the condensation, 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. …
When the grammatical sense calls for a question mark, exclamation point, comma or colon, the sequence is word, punctuation mark, regular space, ellipsis: Will you come? … When material is deleted at the end of one paragraph and at the beginning of the one that follows, place an ellipsis in both locations. QUOTATIONS In writing a story, do not use ellipses at the beginning and end of direct quotes: “It has become evident to me that I no longer have a strong enough political base,” Nixon said. Not “... it has become evident to me that I no longer have a strong enough political base ... ,” Nixon said.
essential clauses, nonessential clauses These terms are used here instead of restrictive clause and nonrestrictive clause to convey the distinction between the two in a more easily remembered manner. Both types of clauses provide additional information about a word or phrase in the sentence. The difference between them is that the essential clause cannot be eliminated without changing the meaning of the sentence — it so restricts the meaning of the word or phrase that its absence would lead to a substantially different interpretation of what the author meant. The nonessential clause, however, can be eliminated without altering the basic meaning of the sentence — it does not restrict the meaning so significantly that its absence would radically alter the author’s thought. PUNCTUATION An essential clause must not be set off from the rest of a sentence by commas. A nonessential clause must be set off by commas. The presence or absence of commas provides the reader with critical information about the writer’s intended meaning. Note the following examples:
Reporters who do not read the Stylebook should not criticize their editors. (The writer is saying that only one class of reporters, those who do not read the Stylebook, should not criticize their editors. If the who ... Stylebook phrase were deleted, the meaning of the sentence would be changed substantially.) Reporters, who do not read the Stylebook, should not criticize their editors. (The writer is saying that all reporters should not criticize their editors. If the who ... Stylebook phrase were deleted, this meaning would not be changed.)
etc. Et cetera (etc.) means “and so forth.” Avoid ending a list with etc. It is more emphatic to end with an example, and in most contexts readers will understand that the list is not exhaustive. exclamation point (!) Use sparingly. With each successive use, you diminish the impact of the exclamation point. Using two exclamation points diminishes the impact four-fold; three exclamation points, nine-fold. EMPHATIC EXPRESSIONS Use the mark to express a high degree of surprise, incredulity or other strong emotion. AVOID OVERUSE Use a comma after mild interjections. End mildly exclamatory sentences with a period. PLACEMENT WITH QUOTES Place the mark inside quotation marks when it is part of the quoted material: “How wonderful!” he exclaimed. “Never!” she shouted. Place the mark outside quotation marks when it is not part of the quoted material: I hated reading Spenser’s “Faerie Queene”! MISCELLANEOUS Do not use a comma or a period after the exclamation mark: Wrong: “Halt!”, the corporal cried. Right: “Halt!” the corporal cried.
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GRAMMAR AND PUNCTUATION H
I
hyphen (-) Hyphens are joiners. Use them to avoid ambiguity or to form a single idea from two or more words.
initials Use periods and no space when an individual uses initials instead of a first name: E.B. Wilson, B. Hume Morris.
Use of the hyphen is far from standardized. It is optional in most cases, a matter of taste, judgment and style sense. But the fewer hyphens the better; use them only when not using them causes confusion. AVOID AMBIGUITY The president will speak to small-business men. (Business men normally is one word. But the president will speak to small businessmen is unclear.) Others: He recovered his health. He re-covered the leaky roof.
italics Titles of books, magazines, movies, newspapers, novellas that are separately published and works of art such at paintings and sculptures are placed in italics. Also italicize all Fraternity publications and programs. See also capitalization, composition titles, titles of publications, quotation marks and separate entries for the Fraternity’s publications.
Many combinations that are hyphenated before a noun are not hyphenated when they occur after a noun: She works full time. His attitude suggested that he knew it all. When large numbers must be spelled out, use a hyphen to connect a word ending in –y to another word: The thirty-six men earned twenty-nine gold medals. Three hundred forty-seven died that day.
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MARRIED WOMEN The preferred form on first reference is to identify a woman by her own first name and her husband’s last name: Phyllis Bowie. On second reference, use the last name unless a woman initially identified by her own first name prefers Ms.: Mrs. Bowie.
Use italics to emphasize a word or achieve a special meaning, but use very sparingly.
COMPOUND MODIFIERS When a compound modifier—two or more words that express a single concept—precedes a noun, use hyphens to link all the words in the compound except the adverb very and all adverbs that end in -ly: a full-time job, a know-it-all attitude, the newly initiated brethren. Hyphenate when used as a compound modifier: The event will be alcohol free. This is an alcohol-free chapter.
Mr., Mrs. Refer to both men and women by first and last name, without ‘courtesy titles,’ on first reference: Susan Smith or Robert Smith. Refer to both men and women by last name, without courtesy titles, in subsequent references. Use the courtesy titles Mr., Miss, Ms. or Mrs. only in direct quotations or after first reference when a woman specifically requests it: for example, where a woman prefers to be known as Mrs. Smith or Ms. Smith.
UNMARRIED WOMEN For women who have never been married, use Miss, Ms. or no title on second reference. For divorced women and widows, the normal practice is to use Mrs. or no title on second reference. If unsure of marital status, use the term Ms.
Use italics to isolate words and phrases in a foreign language, or to separate special terminology. ITALICIZED WORDS IN AN ALREADY-ITALICIZED SECTION Keep them italicized: Kathy Guyette Gosnell is the mother of Refounding Father Duncan King, Kentucky ’14.
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M months Capitalize the names of months in all uses. When a month is used with a specific date, abbreviate only Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov. and Dec. Spell out when using alone, or with a year alone. When a phrase lists only a month and a year, do not separate the year with commas. When a phrase refers to a month, day and year, set off the year with commas: January 1972 was a cold month. Jan. 2 was the coldest day of the month. His birthday is May 8. Feb. 14, 1987, was the target date. She testified that it was Friday, Dec. 3, when the accident occurred. See also dates.
numerals Spell out whole numbers below 10, or when beginning a sentence. Use figures for 10 and above: nine, 10. For numbers higher than 999, use commas; 1,234. Place a hyphen between the numeral and the year when designating the length of membership: 50-year member. Exception 1: Use numerals for dates, addresses, and sports scores. Exception 2: A year is the only number that may begin a sentence as a numeric figure. 1996 was a good year.
GRAMMAR AND PUNCTUATION DIMENSIONS use figures and spell out inches, feet, yards, etc.: He is 5 feet 6 inches tall, the car is 17 feet long, the storm left 5 inches of snow, the dude is 5’6”! AGES always use figures: The law is 8 years old, the 3-week-old war, the three-week war. Plural numbers do not get an apostrophe: The tradition began in the 1920s.
See Names of Betas for how to write a Beta’s graduation year. Write a span of years with an en dash (see hyphens) and no apostrophe: Greg attended college from 1990–94. LARGE NUMBERS When large numbers must be spelled out, use a hyphen to connect a word ending in y to another word: twenty-one; one hundred twenty-two. For very large, round numbers exceeding 999,999, use a figure followed by million, billion or trillion. We collected 1.2 million pounds of food this year. TELEPHONE NUMBERS The preferred format is: 513-523-7591, ext. 228, is Scott Allen’s phone number. The numeral “1” is assumed when actually placing a call and need not be written. The period (.) is used only on Fraternity letterhead, business cards and in The Beta Theta Pi magazine: 513.523.7591.
P parentheses ( ) The temptation to use parentheses is a clue that a sentence is becoming contorted. Try to write it another way. If a sentence must contain incidental material, then commas or two dashes are frequently more effective. There
are occasions, however, when parentheses are the only effective means of inserting necessary background or reference information. When they are necessary, follow these guidelines: PUNCTUATION Place a period outside a closing parenthesis if the material inside is not a sentence (such as this fragment). (An independent parenthetical sentence such as this one takes a period before the closing parenthesis.)
percent One word; do not use % unless it appears in a graph or listing. Percent takes the singular verb standing alone or when singular words follow an of construction: The teacher said 60 percent was a failing grade. He said 50 percent of the membership was there.It takes the plural verb when a plural word follows an of construction: He said 50 percent of the members were there. Use figures for percent and percentages: 1 percent, 2.5 percent (use decimals, not fractions), 10 percent, 4 percentage points.For a range, 12 to 15 percent, or between 12 and 15 percent. For amounts less than 1 percent, precede the decimal with a zero: The cost of living rose 0.6 percent.
periods (.) There will be one space after a period at the end of a sentence, not two. END OF SOME RHETORICAL QUESTIONS A period is preferable if a statement is more a suggestion than a question: Why don’t we go. INITIALS John F. Kennedy, T.S. Eliot (No space between T. and S., to prevent them from being placed on two lines in typesetting.)
prefixes Generally, compounds formed from a prefix and a word are usually styled solid and without a hyphen: interagency precondition misshapen refurnish overhand suborder postwar unhelpful Three rules are constant, although they yield some exceptions to first-listed spellings in Webster’s New Universal Unabridged Dictionary: 1. Except for cooperate and coordinate, use a hyphen if the prefix ends in a vowel and the word that follows begins with the same vowel. anti-inflation
de-emphasize
co-owner 2. Use a hyphen if the word that follows is capitalized. anti-Greek
post-Victorian
3. Use a hyphen to join doubled prefixes. sub-subparagraph 4. For many other words, the sense is the governing factor: recover (regain)
re-cover (cover again)
reform (improve)
re-form (form again)
resign (quit)
re-sign (sign again)
Otherwise, follow Webster’s New Universal Unabridged Dictionary. Use a hyphen for words not listed there unless the hyphen would distort the sense.
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GRAMMAR AND PUNCTUATION Q
PLACEMENT WITH QUOTATION MARKS Inside or outside, depending on the meaning:
question mark (?) Follow these guidelines:
Who wrote “Gone With the Wind”?
END OF A DIRECT QUESTION Who started the riot? Did he ask who started the riot? (The sentence as a whole is a direct question despite the indirect question at the end.) You started the riot? (A question in the form of a declarative statement.) INTERPOLATED QUESTION You told me —Did I hear you correctly? — that you started the riot. MULTIPLE QUESTIONS Use a single question mark at the end of the full sentence: Did you hear him say,“What right have you to ask about the riot?” Did he plan the riot, employ assistants, and give the signal to begin? Or, to cause full stops and throw emphasis on each element, break into separate sentences: Did he plan the riot? Employ assistants? Give the signal to begin? Caution: Do not use question marks to indicate the end of indirect questions: He asked who started the riot. To ask why the riot started is unnecessary. I want to know what the cause of the riot was. How foolish it is to ask what caused the riot. QUESTION-AND-ANSWER FORMAT Do not use quotation marks. Paragraph each speaker’s words: Q: Where did you keep it? A: In a little tin box.
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He asked,“How long will it take?” MISCELLANEOUS The question mark supersedes the comma that normally is used when supplying attribution for a quotation: “Who is there?” she asked.
quotation marks (“ ”) Use open-quote marks (“) and close-quote marks (”). PLACEMENT WITH OTHER PUNCTUATION The period and the comma always go within the quotation marks. The dash, semicolon, question mark and exclamation point go within the quotation marks when they apply to the quoted matter only. They go outside when they apply to the whole sentence: “It’s an excellent fraternity education program. ” Was their float theme “Beat the Wolverines”? The only exception is when that last little item enclosed in quotation marks is just a letter or a number, in which case the period or comma will go outside the closing quotation marks: The only grade that will satisfy her is an “A”. On this scale, the highest ranking is a “1”, not a “10”. RUNNING QUOTATIONS If a full paragraph of quoted material is followed by a paragraph that continues the quotation, do not put close-quote marks at the end of the first paragraph. Do, however, put open-quote marks at the start of the second paragraph. Continue in this fashion for any succeeding paragraphs, using close-quote marks only at the end of the quoted material. If a paragraph does not start with quotation marks but ends with a quotation that is continued in the next paragraph, do not use close-quote marks at
the end of the introductory paragraph if the quoted material constitutes a full sentence. Use close-quote marks, however, if the quoted material does not constitute a full sentence. For example: He said,“I am shocked and horrified by the incident. “I am so horrified, in fact, that I will ask for the death penalty.” But: He said he was “shocked and horrified by the incident.” “I am so horrified, in fact, that I will ask for the death penalty,” he said. COMPOSITION TITLES Use quotation marks to enclose articles in periodicals, captions, chapters of books, dissertations, editorials, essays, headings, headlines, lectures, novellas that are published in a collection, papers, radio and television programs, short poems, short stories and songs. QUOTES WITHIN QUOTES Alternate between double quotation marks (“ or ”) and single marks (‘ or ’). If two quoted elements end at the same time, put the period before the single mark (’) and the double mark (”): Peyser said,“Mason told me it means ‘Naught without labor.’” QUOTING IMPERFECT MATERIAL When you are quoting something that has a spelling or grammar mistake or presents material in a confusing way, insert the term sic in italics and enclose it in brackets. Sic means, “This is the way the original material was.”: She wrote,“I would rather die then [sic] be seen wearing the same outfit as my sister.” INCH AND FOOT MARKS It is preferred to use figures and spell out inches, feet, yards, etc.: He is 5 feet 6 inches tall, the car is 17 feet long, the storm left 5 inches of snow. However, if you are going to use quotation marks: Look out! That dude is 6’8”!
GRAMMAR AND PUNCTUATION S seasons All seasons are lowercase: spring, summer, fall, winter and derivatives such as springtime unless part of a formal name: Summer Olympics. The summer issue of The Beta Theta Pi magazine. semicolon (;) In general, use the semicolon to indicate a greater separation of thought and information than a comma can convey but less than the separation that a period implies.
sports The names of sports are not capitalized. The Bethany football team; Matt Jones was a three-year letterman in football.
T times Use figures except for noon (12:00 p.m.) and midnight (12:00 a.m.). Use a colon to separate hours from minutes: 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 3:30 p.m. Avoid redundancies: 10 a.m. this morning. See also numerals.
The basic guidelines:
U
TO CLARIFY A SERIES Use semicolons to separate elements of a series when the items in the series are long or when individual segments contain material that also must be set off by commas:
underlining Use to indicate italics when an italic font is not available.
He is survived by a son, John Smith, of Chicago; three daughters, Jane Smith, of Wichita, Kan., Mary Smith, of Denver, and Susan, of Boston; and a sister, Martha, of Omaha, Neb. Note that the semicolon is used before the final and in such a series. TO LINK INDEPENDENT CLAUSES Use semicolon when a coordinating conjunction such as and, but or for is not present: The package was due last week; it arrived today. If a coordinating conjunction is present, use a semicolon before it only if extensive punctuation also is required in one or more of the individual clauses: They pulled their boats from the water, sandbagged the retaining walls, and boarded up the windows; but even with these precautions, the island was hard-hit by the hurricane.
Y year-end, yearlong, year-round years Use figures, without commas: 1975. When a phrase refers to a month, day and year, set off the year with a comma: Feb. 14, 1987, is the target date. Use an s without an apostrophe to indicate spans of decades or centuries: the 1890s, the 1800s. Years are the lone exception to the general rule in numerals that a figure is not used to start a sentence: 1976 was a very good year.
See also dates and numerals.
W who, whom (pronouns) Who is the pronoun used for references to human beings and to animals with a name. It is grammatically the subject (never the object) of a sentence, clause or phrase: The woman who rented the room left the window open. Who is there? Whom is used when someone is the object of a verb or preposition: The woman to whom the room was rented left the window open. Whom do you wish to see? See essential clauses and nonessential clauses for guidelines on how to punctuate clauses introduced by who, whom, that and which.
Unless a particular literary effect is desired, however, the better approach in these circumstances is to break the independent clauses into separate sentences. PLACEMENT WITH QUOTES Place semicolons outside quotation marks.
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COMMONLY MISUSED WORDS A advice, advise Advice is a noun meaning suggestion, advise a verb meaning to suggest: I advise you to follow Andy’s advice. accept, except Accept is a verb meaning to receive: Jason will accept the award. Except is usually a preposition meaning to omit or exclude. Kevin ate everything except the pickles. affect, effect Affect, as a verb, means to influence: The game will affect the standings. Affect, as a noun, is best avoided. It occasionally is used in psychology to describe an emotion, but there is no need for it in everyday language. Effect, as a verb, means to cause: He will effect many changes in the company. Effect, as a noun, means result: The effect was overwhelming. He miscalculated the effect of his actions. It was a law of little effect. affective, effective Affective means emotional, effective means impressive or operative: Matt’s affective speech reviewed many effective leadership styles. all ready, already All ready means completely prepared. Already means previously. Mike was all ready for the concert, but his friends had already left. all right Never alright. Always written as two words unless used a modifier: He is an all-right guy. a lot, allot As a noun, always written as two words. As a verb: We allot two out of three.
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anyone, any one Anyone, pronoun: Is anyone there? Any one, adjective: I’d like any one of those desserts. assume, presume Assume means to take as true without evidence. Presume means to take as true for a specific reason. He assumed nobody was home because the lights were off. He presumed nobody was home because he knocked and nobody answered. attainable, obtainable Synonyms. Attain means to reach, achieve or accomplish. Obtain means to come into possession of, get or acquire. Let your ear be the judge.
B backward Not backwards. because, since, as Use because to denote a specific cause-effect relationship: He went because he was told. Since is acceptable in a casual sense when the first event in a sequence led logically to the second but was not its direct cause: They went to the game, since they had been given the tickets. As can be substituted in the place of because, but it is best to use because.
bona fide Not bonified. It means in good faith, without fraud: The house corporation demonstrated its good faiths by making a down payment. The chapter put forth a bona fide effort to recruit more men, but to no avail.
C can, may Can implies ability: I can (I am able to) swim. May denotes permission: May I please borrow your dictionary? cannot Not can not. capital, Capitol Capital refers to the city where a seat of government is located. Do not capitalize. Oxford is the fraternity capital of Ohio. When used in a financial sense, capital describes money, equipment or property used in a business by a person or corporation. Capitalize U.S. Capitol and the Capitol when referring to the building in Washington, D.C. Follow the same practice when referring to state capitols: The Virginia Capitol is in Richmond.
cents Spell out the word cents and lowercase, using numerals for less than a dollar: 5 cents, 12 cents. Use the $ sign and decimal system for larger amounts: $1.01, $2.50. collected, raised Collect means to gather or accumulate. Raise means to elevate, increase, or grow. Our chapter collected 10,000 pounds of food. continual, continuous Continual means to happen in steady succession. Continuous means uninterrupted. The alarm’s continual beeping was driving me crazy. The chapter danced for 26 continuous hours. council, councilor A council is a deliberative body. A councilor is one who is a member of a deliberative body.
COMMONLY MISUSED WORDS counsel, counselor To counsel is to advise. A counselor is one who advises. criteria Criteria is the plural of criterion, which means a standard, rule or test on which a judgment or decision can be based. The only criterion for the job is a willingness to work overtime.
F
I
fewer, less In general, use fewer for individual items, less for bulk or quantity.
infer, imply To infer is to deduce or conclude from the evidence at hand. To imply is to hint or suggest.
Wrong: The trend is toward more machines and less people. (People in this sense refers to individuals.) She was fewer than 60 years old. (Years in this sense refers to a period of time, not individual years.)
D data, datum Data is the plural of datum. each other, one another Two people look at each other. More than two look at one another. Either phrase may be used when the number is indefinite: We help each other. We help one another.
E
Right: Fewer than 10 applicants called. (Individuals.) I had less than $50 in my pocket. (An amount.) I had fewer than 50 $1 bills in my pocket. (Individual items.)
G
Internet Alway capitalize. Avoid using the Net or Internet Super Highway in formal writing. See also email, online, website and World Wide Web. in, into In indicates location or condition; into indicates movement or a change in condition. They found the lost letters in a box after moving into the house. it’s, its It’s is a contraction for it is or it has: It’s up to you. It’s been a long time. Its is the possessive form of a the pronoun: The Fraternity won its first award.
get-together Hyphenate when used as a noun.
e.g. and i.e. Words and phrases derived from Latin are commonly abbreviated in contexts where readers can reasonably be expected to recognize them. They are punctuated, not capitalized, and usually not italicized. Exempli gratia (e.g.) means “for example” and id est (i.e.) means “that is.”
email Acceptable for electronic mail. Lowercase and with no hyphen. Email address should always be written lowercase. See also Internet, online, website and World Wide Web. enclose Not inclose. ensure, insure Use ensure to mean guarantee: Steps were taken to ensure accuracy. Use insure for references to insurance: The policy insures Pete’s life.
girl Do not use. Undergraduate females are considered women or young women.
L
good, well Good is an adjective, well is an adverb. Tom has felt good about his golf game since he played well last Saturday.
lay, lie The action word is lay. It takes a direct object. Laid is the form for its past tense and its past participle. Its present participle is laying.
H historic, historical A historic event is an important occurrence, one that stands out in history. Any occurrence in the past is a historical event. Using the article a or an is a choice of personal style. hometown One word. Use a comma to set off an individual’s hometown when it is placed in apposition to a name, whether of is used or not: Tim Johnson, of Vermillion, S.D.; Mary Richards, Minneapolis.
Lie indicates a state of reclining along a horizontal plane. It does not take a direct object. Its past participle is lain. Its present participle is lying. When lie means to make an untrue statement, the verb forms are lie, lied and lying. Some examples: PRESENT OR FUTURE TENSES: Right: I will lay the report on your desk. The senior tried to lay the blame on the freshman. Wrong: He lays on the beach all day. I will lay down.
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COMMONLY MISUSED WORDS Right: He lies on the beach all day. I will lie down. IN THE PAST TENSE Right: I laid the report on your desk. The senior has laid the blame on the freshman. Wrong: He lay on the beach all day. He has lain on the beach all day. I lay down. I have lain down. WITH THE PRESENT PARTICIPLE Right: I am laying the report on your desk. The senior is laying the blame on the freshman. Wrong: He is lying on the beach. I am lying down.
lead, led Lead, as a present tense verb, means to be a leader, to go first: He leads his chapter with the highest grade point average. Lead, as a noun, is a heavy metal.Led, as a past tense verb, means went first: John led the chapter to victory in the relay race.
lifelong, lifestyle, lifetime, life-size, life span like, as Use like as a preposition to compare nouns and pronouns. It requires an object: Donavan plays soccer like a pro. The conjunction as is the correct word to introduce clauses: Mike guards the goal as he should.
long term, long-term Hyphenate when used as a compound modifier: We will win in the long term. He has a long-term assignment. See also hyphen. long time, longtime They have known each other a long time. They are longtime partners. See also hyphen.
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login, logon, logoff All one word in noun form. Use as two words in verb form: I log in to my computer.
M
over, more than Over generally refers to spatial relationships: The plane flew over the city. It can, at times, be used with numerals: He is over 50. But more than is usually better with quantity amounts: The chapter collected more than 2,000 pounds of food.
marathons Most marathon-type events are spelled without hyphens: bikeathon, walkathon, telethon.
P
maybe, may be Maybe is an adverb meaning possibly. May be is a verb phrase. Maybe the sun will shine tomorrow. Tomorrow may be a brighter day.
people, person Use person when speaking of an individual: One person got out of line. The word people is preferred to persons in all plural uses: Hundreds of people attended the Convention. There were 17 people at the workshop.
media, medium Media is the plural of medium: Of all the media that cover the Olympics, television is the medium that best captures the spectacle of the events.
N
principal, principle Principal is a noun and adjective meaning someone or something first in rank, authority, importance or degree: He is the school principal. He was the principal player in the trade. Principle is a noun that means a fundamental truth, law, doctrine or motivating force: The rules exist to protect the principles and integrity of the Fraternity.
nonprofit One word, no hyphen. See also 501(c)(3).
O OK, OK’d, OK’ing, OKs All spellings are acceptable, but avoid in formal writing. Not okay. online, offline Do not hyphenate the adjective form for the computer connection term. Two words in all other cases. See also email, Internet, website and World Wide Web.
R raised, reared Animals and plants are raised, people are reared. recur, recurred, recurring Not reoccur. resume, résumé Resume is a verb meaning to continue, résumé is a noun. roommate One word, no hyphen.
COMMONLY MISUSED WORDS S semiannual, semimonthly, semiweekly Twice a year, month and week, respectively. Semiannual is a synonym for semiyearly and biannual. Do not confuse that with biennial, which means every two years. See also prefixes. shall, will Use shall to express determination: We shall win Greek Week. Either shall or will may be used in first-person constructions that do not emphasize determination: We shall hold a meeting. We will hold a meeting. For second- and thirdperson constructions, use will unless determination is stressed: You will like it. He will not be pleased. syllabus, syllabuses Not syllabi.
T
that, which (pronouns) Use that and which in referring to inanimate objects and to animals without a name. Use that for essential clauses, important to the meaning of a sentence, and without commas: I remember the day that we met. Use which for nonessential clauses, where the pronoun is less necessary, and use commas: The team, which finished last a year ago, is in first place. See also essential clauses, nonessential clauses. their, there, they’re Their is a possessive pronoun: They went to their house. There is an adverb indicating direction: We went there for dinner. There also is used with the force of a pronoun for impersonal constructions in which the real subject follows the verb: There is no food on the table. They’re is a contraction for they are. to, too, two To is a preposition; too is an adverb meaning also or a lot; two is a number.
teammate, teamwork One word, no hyphen. than, then Than is a conjunction used in comparisons; then is an adverb denoting time. That pizza is more than I can eat. Paul laughed, and then we recognized him. that (conjunction) Use the conjunction that to introduce a dependent clause if the sentence sounds or looks awkward without it. That may be omitted when a dependent clause immediately follows a form of the verb to say: The president said he had signed the bill. That should be used when a time element intervenes between the verb and the dependent clause: The president said Monday that he had signed the bill. When in doubt, include that. Omission can hurt. Inclusion never does.
toward Not towards. T-shirt Capitalize the t.
U United States Spell out when used as a noun. Use periods in the abbreviation, U.S. within texts. In headlines, it’s US (no periods).
V
W weather, whether Weather means the physical elements such as snow and rain. Whether is used to introduce the first of two or more alternatives. website A location on the World Wide Web that maintains one or more pages at a specific address. Also, webcam, webcast and webmaster. But for terms with separate words, Web is uppercase: Web page and Web feed. See also email, internet, online and World Wide Web. who’s, whose Who’s is a contraction for who is, not a possessive: Who’s there? Whose is the possessive: I do not know whose coat it is. within Avoid within as a substitute for in: There is good morale in the Fraternity. World Wide Web Always capitalize. It is preferred to use the Internet. See also email, internet, online and website. worldwide No hyphen.
Y your, you’re Your is the possessive case of you: Your fraternity education program is improving. You’re is the contraction for you are: You’re right on time for the officer meeting.
VIP, VIPs Acceptable in all references for very important person(s). voicemail One word.
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BETA THETA PI
STYLE GUIDE / REVISED 2013
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BETA THETA PI
STYLE GUIDE / REVISED 2013
PROOFREADER’S MARKS
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BETA THETA PI
STYLE GUIDE / REVISED 2013
PROOFREADER’S MARKS
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BETA THETA PI
STYLE GUIDE / REVISED 2013
Beta Theta Pi Foundation & Administrative Office | 5134 Bonham Road | PO Box 6277 | Oxford, Ohio 45056 | 800.800.2382 | www.betathetapi.org
