Style & Inclusive Language Guide

• Capitalize formal abbreviated degrees: B.A., B.S., M.Ed., Ph.D.
• Capitalize formal names of degrees: Bachelor of Science
• Lowercase spelled-out degrees: bachelor’s degree, associate degree, master’s degree, doctorate/doctoral degree
• Include periods in abbreviated undergraduate degrees such as B.A. and B.S. For graduate degrees, periods are omitted in accordance with accepted industry standards, such as DPT and MPH.

Several commonly referenced academic degrees and their abbreviations are:

• B.A., Bachelor of Arts
• B.M., Bachelor of Music
• B.S., Bachelor of Science
• DPT, Doctor of Physical Therapy
• MAT, Master of Arts in Teaching
• MEd, Master of Education
• MPH, Master of Public Health
• MS, Master of Science
• MSOT, Master of Science of Occupational Therapy

To include an individual’s academic credentials with their name, use the abbreviation after the last name. Spell out and lowercase the degree when used in a sentence.

• Pam Smith, B.A.
• Pam Smith received a bachelor’s degree in history.

Not adviser

Use an ampersand "&" in place of the word "and" in official names, titles, and headlines:

• Environmental Policy & Decision Making
• Office of Student Accessibility & Accommodation

Use the word "and" in running text:

• They took classes in art history, physics, and English.

When using an ampersand, omit the serial comma in a list of three or more:

• Greek, Latin & Ancient Mediterranean Studies

• Capitalize when the formal name is used: Collins Memorial Library, Wheelock Student Center
• Lowercase casual references: the library, the student center
• Building nicknames are great for conversation, but not for promotional or external publications. Feel free to refer to Wheelock Student Center as “the SUB” in casual usage, but refrain from using nicknames elsewhere. 

See Puget Sound Specifics for how to format building names in invitations and other correspondence.

Capitalize:

• Proper nouns: English
• Formal names of people, places, and things: Isiaah Crawford, University of Puget Sound, MacBook
• Titles of books, movies, plays, poems, etc.: Ulysses*, Star Wars*, “The Road Not Taken,” “Bohemian Rhapsody”
  • *Do not italicize composition titles when the whole phrase or sentence in which they appear is italicized. 
• Formal or professional titles when they immediately precede a person’s name: President Joe Biden, Queen Elizabeth II, Copywriter Jonny Eberle, Professor of History Nancy Bristow (see titles, academic degrees)

Do not capitalize:

• For emphasis or importance: “Counselor Troi earned her Education degree at Puget Sound” is incorrect. 
• Casual references to Puget Sound as “the University.”
• Professional titles after the name: Isiaah Crawford, President

Commas are meant to make language clearer. Common usages include: 

• Dates: Set off the year with commas: Dec. 10, 2022, is the last day of the semester. 
• Quotation marks: Commas are placed within quotation marks: “Engage,” said Captain Picard.
• Series, serial comma, Oxford comma: A comma is used before the final item in a series of three or more: The student was bright, articulate, and athletic. You can order coffee, a latte, a cappuccino, or other beverages at Diversions Cafe. Puget Sound is a serial comma campus; this is a university deviation from AP style.

• Always use figures.
• Spell out days of the week when paired with a date: Wednesday, Sept. 8
• Use an en dash (–) to show a date range: Oct. 13–Nov. 1; Nov. 1–4; Thursday, Oct. 13–Saturday, Nov. 4; October 1977–November 2033; 1997–2003; 2021–22
• Month and year: January 2023, March 1948
• Month, day, and year: Jan. 14, 2023; March 17, 1948 (Always spell out March, April, May, June, and July.)
• Do not use ordinals (i.e., numbers ending in th, nd, rd, st): Dec. 12th, Aug. 18

Faculty may refer to an individual or a group, and should take the corresponding verb.

• Puget Sound faculty are highly respected in various fields.
• Puget Sound faculty members are highly respected in various fields.
• The faculty includes scientists, artists, entrepreneurs, and scholars.

See also Staff

When possible, use the correct symbols, characters, and diacritical marks in university communications. 

To create the grave accent (`) used in words such as Hawai`i and lū`au in place of an `okina, use the key to the left of the numeral 1 on a standard keyboard. 

See also Hawaiian, Asian American, Pacific Islander Terminology

In recognition of the fact that there may be confusion around holiday names and terminology, following is a list of the days/seasons about which we receive the most questions:

• New Year’s Eve/New Year’s Day
• Martin Luther King Jr. Day
• Chinese New Year vs. Lunar New Year
  • If you’re not referring specifically to the Chinese New Year, use the more inclusive term Lunar New Year, which is celebrated by many cultures.
• Presidents Day 
• Juneteenth
• Independence Day
• Indigenous Peoples Day
• Veterans Day 
• Thanksgiving

For one through nine:

• Spell out whole numbers below 10: one, two, three, etc.
• Spell out first through ninth: first base, the First Amendment, he was first in line 
• Use 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc., when part of proper names: 6th Ave., 1st National Bank
• Fractions: Spell out amounts less than one, using hyphens between the words. Use figures for precise amounts larger than one, converting to decimals whenever practical. One-fifth, three-quarters, 2.5

For 10 and above:

• Use figures for 10 and above, including instances that require ordinals: 10, 11, 12, etc.; 11th Annual Logger 5K

Exceptions:

• Ages: Always use figures: The child is 3 years old. The 23-year-old graduated in 1994.
• Dimensions
  • Use figures: The new building will offer 35,000 square feet of usable space. The 125-foot-tall tree next to Wheelock Student Center is one of several giant sequoias on campus.
  • Spell out inches, feet, yards, etc.: The storm left 5 inches of snow.
• Dollars
  • Use figures and the dollar sign ($) in all except casual references or amounts without a figure: The book cost $4. Dad, please give me a dollar. I could really use a million dollars!
  • Do not use the word dollars and the dollar sign ($) in the same reference.
  • The word dollars is implied and takes a singular verb for specified amounts: He said $500,000 is what they want. 
  • For amounts over $1 million, use the dollar sign ($) and numerals up to two decimal places. Do not link the numerals and million (or billion, etc.) with a hyphen: They are worth $4.35 million. He proposed a $300 billion budget.
• Dates
  • See Dates
• Hyphenation
  • When large numbers must be spelled out (such as at the beginning of a sentence), use a hyphen to connect a word ending in y to another word: Twenty-one ducks were in the pond. 
  • Do not use commas or hyphens between other separate words that are part of one number: One hundred sixteen toothpicks were in the box.
• Percentages
  • Use figures and decimals, not fractions: 1%, 2.5%, 10%
  • For amounts less than 1%, use a zero preceding the decimal point: The cost of living rose 0.6%. 
  • Repeat percent with each figure: 10%–30%; He said 10% to 30% of the electorate might not vote.
• Range of numbers
  • Use a hyphen (-) when large numbers need to be spelled out: Twenty-one
  • Use an en dash (–) to show a range: 300–800
  • Use an em dash (—)... Just kidding. Em dashes are for dramatic effect and asides in text. 
• Times
  • See Times

When possible, use the correct symbols, characters, and diacritical marks in university communications. Some commonly used examples include:

• Hawai`i
• Lū`au
• piñata

Staff may refer to an individual or a group, and should take the corresponding verb.

• Puget Sound staff are hardworking and dedicated.
• The Puget Sound staff members are active contributors to the life of the university. 
• The staff represents the best of Puget Sound. 

See also Faculty

• Abbreviate or not when following a city name in running text, just be consistent within your publication:
• Never use postal abbreviations (WA, CA, FL, etc.) to refer to state names in running text.
• Always spell out the following state names: Alaska, Hawai`i, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Ohio, Texas, and Utah.
  • Riverside, Iowa, is the future birthplace of Captain James T. Kirk.

Capitalize when part of the official name, such as The Evergreen State College, The Washington Post, The Princeton Review

See University of Puget Sound vs. the University of Puget Sound

Use “theatre” when referencing the university’s theatre arts program or the proper name Norton Clapp Theatre:

• Department of Theatre Arts
• He earned a bachelor’s degree in theatre arts.
• Professor of Theatre Arts Wind Woods taught a screenwriting workshop over the summer.
• Each semester, students perform in a mainstage production in Norton Clapp Theatre. 

Use “theater” in all other references:

• She studied theater at Puget Sound.
• Meet me at the theater to see Spring Awakening.
• Eli’s repertoire is mostly musical theater.

• Use figures except for noon and midnight. 
• Use a colon to separate hours from minutes and a space to separate the figure from a.m. or p.m.: 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 3:30 p.m. 
• Do not add zeros to a time that falls on the hour: 8 a.m. instead of 8:00 a.m.
• Avoid redundancies such as 10 a.m. this morning, 12 noon, or 12 midnight.
• Lowercase a.m. and p.m., and use periods. 
• Time zone abbreviations such as EST, CDT, PST are acceptable on first reference. Do not use periods and do not use commas between time and time zone: noon EST, 9 a.m. PST

• courtesy titles
  Do not use courtesy titles, including Dr., Mr., Miss, Ms., or Mrs., except in direct quotations, or where needed to distinguish among people of the same last name.
• composition titles
  The rule of thumb is that complete works are italicized, and elements of complete works are placed in quotation marks: The Hobbit versus “An Unexpected Party” (chapter one of The Hobbit) or the Beatles’ White album versus “Blackbird” (a song on the White album).
  • Capitalize the principle words, including prepositions and conjunctions of four or more letters, in the names of books, movies, plays, poems, operas, songs, radio and television programs, works of art, etc. 
  • Capitalize an article—a, an, the—or words of fewer than four letters if it is the first or last word in a title. 
  • Do not italicize books that are primarily catalogs of reference material, such as almanacs, directories, dictionaries, encyclopedias, etc. Examples include the Quran and the Bulletin (Puget Sound’s course catalog).
  • Capitalize Bible when referring to the religious text. Do not capitalize it in a casual reference, such as “The style guide is my bible.”
• lecture or speech titles
  Capitalize the principal words, including prepositions and conjunctions of four or more letters. Capitalize an article—a, an, the—or words of fewer than four letters if it is the first or last word in a title. Use in quotation marks for their formal titles: The Swope Lecture titled “Women in Islam” was held in Schneebeck Concert Hall.
• occupational titles
  Only capitalize when preceding a name: Attendees at the meeting included President Crawford. Isiaah Crawford, president, was at the meeting. The president will be at the meeting.
• religious titles
  • On first reference, include the capitalized title before the individual’s name: Reverend Dave Wright ’96, Imam Abdullah Antepli
  • Religious titles may be abbreviated on first reference: Rev. Dave Wright ’96
  • In many cases, “the” may be used before the title: the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 
  • Dr. should only be included if the individual has an earned doctoral degree (doctor of divinity degrees frequently are honorary) and reference to the degree is relevant.
• orchestral/choral song titles
  Capitalize, but do not use quotation marks on descriptive titles for orchestral works: Bach’s Suite No. 1 for Orchestra; Beethoven’s Serenade for Flute, Violin, and Viola.
  • If the instrumentation is not part of the title but is added for explanatory purposes, the names of the instruments are lowercased: Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante in E flat major (the common title) for violin and viola. If in doubt, lowercase the names of the instruments.
  • Use quotation marks for nonmusical terms in a title: Beethoven’s “Eroica” Symphony. If the work has a special full title, all of it is quoted: “Symphonie Fantastique,” “Rhapsody in Blue.”
  • In subsequent references, lowercase symphony, concerto, etc.

Ageism includes stereotypes and discrimination based on age, and it can be experienced by people of any age.

• Use care and precision when writing about disabilities and people with disabilities, considering the impact of specific words and the preferences of the people you are writing about.
• Avoid writing that implies ableism: the belief that typical abilities—those of people who aren’t disabled—are superior.
• Follow an individual's preference if known, and be specific when possible and relevant.
• Do not describe an individual as having a disability unless it is appropriate and relevant.

For more guidance, contact the Office of Student Accessibility and Accommodation

• Never publish an individual’s immigration or citizenship status without prior consent, and only if relevant.
• Avoid the term illegal, illegal alien, or in the country illegally to refer to an individual.
• Use the term undocumented citizen to describe the citizenship status of an individual who is not an American citizen, who does not have a permanent resident alien card (the “green card”), and who is not temporarily in the United States on an approved visa.
• Follow an individual's preference if known, and be specific when possible and relevant.

Students who are, or are among, the first members of their families to attend college or university may be described as being first-generation students or first-in-family students.

Alumnus, Alumna, Alumni, Alumnae, Alumnx, Alum

• Alumnus: singular male graduate
• Alumna: singular female graduate
• Alumni: a group of graduates of any gender and/or mixed genders
• Alumnae: a group of female graduates
• Alumnx: a nongendered alternative to the term “alumni” in reference to a group of graduates
• Alum: a nongendered alternative to the terms “alumnus” and “alumna” in reference to one graduate
• If you can confirm a person’s pronouns, you may use the corresponding term, if needed: Alumnus Jean-Luc Picard served as captain of the starship USS Enterprise.
• If you cannot confirm a person’s pronouns, use an alternate term, if needed, such as graduate, Logger, or alum: Logger Benjamin Sisko was an accomplished chef. As a symbiote, Dax, a Puget Sound graduate, has many stories to tell.

Freshman vs. First-year student
Freshman is a gendered term. A more inclusive alternative is first-year or first-year student.

Gendered Language
Whenever possible, remove gendered language from your writing, presentations, meetings, speeches, etc. Some examples include:

Gender-Neutral Suffix
Make terms with gendered suffixes (e.g., Latino, Chicano, alumnus, etc.) gender neutral by using the suffix -x. Some examples include: 

• Alumnx
• Chicanx
• Latinx

Always confirm a person’s preference, as they may use an alternate term, such as Latine. 

Inclusive Spellings of Gendered Terms

Alternative spellings of historically gendered terms, often including the letter x, are an increasingly common way to create more inclusive terms beyond traditional gender binaries. Some examples include:

• Womxn
• Folx

We always honor our subject's preference and will employ alternative spellings when appropriate.

Names
Always confirm a person’s name. The name that a person uses in a university publication may be different from what is in our records or how they are known around campus.

Pronouns

• A person’s pronouns may be different in different contexts. (The pronouns someone uses in class may be different from what they use among friends, for example.)
• Always ask if a person uses pronouns, and if they do, what pronouns they use. Never assume that you know the answer.
• If you cannot confirm a person’s pronouns, use “they/them” in reference to that person.
• If a person does not use pronouns or doesn’t wish to disclose them, refer to that person by their name only: Riker founded a recycling club at Puget Sound to fulfill Riker’s goal of reducing campus waste.

Sexual Identity and Expression
Language around gender and sexual identity is evolving. Generally speaking, “gender” refers to a person’s social identity, and “sex” refers to a person’s biological characteristics. Neither of these may match how a person identifies their gender and/or sexuality.

• Follow an individual's preference if known, and be specific when possible and relevant.
• Avoid adding "-ed" to terms like "cisgender" and "transgender" turning them into "cisgendered" and "transgendered" which has negative connotations.

If you’re talking about a specific group, talk about that group specifically. In reference to an individual, follow their preference if known, and be specific, if possible and relevant.

American Indians, Native Americans, Native*
These are umbrella terms, acceptable when referring to two or more people of different tribal affiliations. For individuals, use the name of their tribe if known, such as Chief Leschi was Nisqually, rather than using a generic term. Follow an individual's preference if known, and be specific when possible and relevant.
 
In Alaska, the Indigenous groups are collectively known as Alaska Natives.
In Canada, First Nation is the preferred term for native tribes.

*Note that these terms are not always acceptable to different groups. American Indian is sometimes preferred by federally-recognized tribes. There is tension and disagreement around these terms.
 
See Indigenous

Black
Use the capitalized term as an adjective in a racial, ethnic, or cultural sense: Black people, Black culture, Black literature, Black studies, Black colleges. African American or Black American are also acceptable for those in the U.S. The terms are not necessarily interchangeable. Follow an individual's preference if known, and be specific when possible and relevant.

Chicano, Chicana, Chicanx
A term that people of Mexican descent in the American Southwest sometimes use to describe their heritage. Use only if it is a person’s preference.

See Gender-Neutral Suffix 

Dual Heritage
Do not hyphenate terms referring to a person’s heritage/racial identity/cultural identity, even if used as a compound modifier:

• Asian American
• African American literature
• Turkish German cuisine

Hawaiian, Asian American, Pacific Islander Terminology

• Hawaiian describes people from, or whose ancestors were from, the Hawaiian Islands, and includes those who live there but are not ethnically Hawaiian.
• Native Hawaiian refers specifically to the Indigenous people of the Hawaiian archipelago.
• Pacific Islander broadly describes the Indigenous people of the Pacific Islands, including but not limited to Hawai`i, Guam, and Samoa. Be specific and ask how a person wants to be referred to, such as Samoan, Native Hawaiian, or Filipino American, rather than relying on a generic term.

When possible, use the correct characters and diacritical marks or their equivalents when including words in a language other than English in text, such as the `okina (`) in the word Hawai`i and the kahako (¯) in the word lū`au.

See Special Characters and Diacritical Marks

Hispanic
A term used for a person from, or whose ancestors were from, Spain, Latin America, or a Spanish-speaking land or culture. Follow an individual's preference if known, and be specific when possible and relevant.

Indigenous
Capitalize the term used to refer to original inhabitants of a place: Puget Sound partners with Indigenous communities to study the local salmon habitat. Chinook salmon are indigenous to the Pacific Northwest.

See Puget Sounds Specifics

Latino, Latina, Latinx, Latine
Terms often used by people from, or whose ancestors were from, Latin America, or a Spanish-speaking land or culture, excluding Spain. Follow an individual's preference if known, and be specific when possible and relevant.

See Gender-Neutral Suffix

minority/marginalized 

• Always be specific about a person’s identity when referring to individuals and avoid generalizing or overly broad terms like minority, marginalized, or diverse.
• Minority, marginalized, and minoritized are acceptable when writing about large populations or describing data.
• If it is necessary to use a broad term to describe a group, consider alternative terms such as underrepresented or historically excluded, but be sure to thoroughly research the term and its connotations before using.
• Follow an individual’s preference if known, and be specific when possible and relevant.

People of color, person of color
The term is acceptable when necessary in broad references to multiple races other than white, or when it is a person’s preferred identifier. Be specific whenever possible by referring to, for instance, Black Americans, Chinese Americans, or members of the Puyallup Tribe of Indians.

POC, BIPOC
Do not use acronyms in university communications in reference to people. Always use clear terminology that avoids jargon, such as students of color, if appropriate and relevant.

Methodist Church affiliation
Puget Sound was founded by Methodist clergy in 1888. Today the college is governed by a wholly independent board of trustees, but remains a church-related and affiliated institution.

Learn more
 
holidays
Be respectful. We have a lot of different groups in our community that celebrate many different traditions and special days or events. When referring to a specific holiday, refer to that holiday specifically. Otherwise, be as inclusive in your language as possible, such as referring to winter break rather than Christmas break.

• Use care and precision when writing about socioeconomic issues people may be experiencing, considering the impact of specific words and the preferences of the people you are writing about. 
• Avoid writing that implies classism: the belief that members of a certain class are superior to others, or that essentializes people, reducing them to a single trait.

When instructing someone to mail something to a university address, follow this format:
Name of individual
Title
Department, office, or organization name
1500 N. Warner St. #xxxx (campus mailbox number)
Tacoma, WA 98416-xxxx

Use on first mention in external communications to refer to Puget Sound’s student government. The abbreviation ASUPS is acceptable on subsequent mentions and in casual references.

May be used in email signatures and as part of opening meetings and events as a way acknowledging our presence on Indigenous lands colonized by white settlers. The statement by be used in full or in part:

Full statement
We are located on the traditional homelands of the Puyallup Tribe. The Puyallup people have lived on and stewarded these lands since the beginning of time, and continue to do so today. We recognize that this land acknowledgement is one small step toward true allyship and we commit to uplifting the voices, experiences, and histories of the Indigenous people of this land and beyond.

Shortened statement
We are located on the traditional homelands of the Puyallup Tribe. The Puyallup people have lived on and stewarded these lands since the beginning of time, and continue to do so today.

• Capitalize in all references to members of the Puget Sound community: Puget Sound Loggers; Logger athletics; Once a Logger, always a Logger.
• Lowercase references to the general logging profession.

An annual celebration welcoming students to the first week of the fall semester, put on by ASUPS. 

Our name is University of Puget Sound. Use on first reference in stories, articles, webpage content, announcements, etc. On subsequent references, the university name may be shortened to Puget Sound. Do not shorten it to UPS in official university communications. "UPS" is acceptable in all references to the United Parcel Service.

• Legal name: The University of Puget Sound (for use on legal documents)
• Formal name: University of Puget Sound
• Informal name: Puget Sound
• Nickname: UPS

Puget Sound refers to campus and the university. The Puget Sound refers to the body of water near campus.

• The Puget Sound is an inlet of the Pacific Ocean and part of the Salish Sea.
• Commencement Bay is a bay of the Puget Sound. Tacoma is located on the shores of Commencement Bay.
• The Tacoma Narrows, often shortened to the Narrows, is a strait on the Puget Sound separating Tacoma from the Kitsap Peninsula, spanned by the Tacoma Narrows Bridge.

University of Puget Sound was founded by Methodist clergy and became incorporated in Tacoma in 1888 by what is now The United Methodist Church. Today the college is governed by a wholly independent board of trustees, and maintains its status as a church-related and affiliated institution in accordance with the criteria established by the Church’s University Senate.

Learn more

Always spell out and capitalize the name Mount Rainier, rather than using the abbreviation Mt. Rainier. “The mountain” is acceptable in casual references.

View campus map

Formatting

• Room Names and Numbers 
  • Use figures and capitalize room names when used with a figure: Room 2, Room 211
  • When referring to a specific room within a campus location, list the building first, then the space within the building: Wyatt Hall, Room 109; Wyatt 109
  • Named spaces should be listed first, followed by the building, or may be listed alone: Pierce Atrium, Wyatt Hall; Tahoma Room, Thomas Hall; The Diner, Wheelock Student Center
• Telephone Numbers
  • Use figures and include periods between the area code and prefix: 800.555.1212
  • If extension numbers are given, use a comma to separate the main number from the extension and add lowercase ext., plus extension number: 253.879.2763, ext. 2763 

This term refers to the region bordering the Puget Sound, generally encompassing Pierce County and surrounding communities.

The article “the” is optional when using the full name of the university. If you use it, use it consistently within your publication.

Our boilerplate language is like an elevator pitch for the university—a brief summary of who we are and what we do.

Full Version
A nationally ranked residential liberal arts college in Tacoma, Washington, University of Puget Sound enrolls 1,600 undergraduate students from across the country and around the world, as well as 250 graduate students in education, counseling, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and public health. A low student-faculty ratio provides Puget Sound students with personal attention from faculty members who have a strong commitment to teaching and offer 1,200 courses each year in more than 50 areas of study. Puget Sound graduates include Rhodes and Luce scholars, notables in the arts and culture, scholars and scientists, entrepreneurs and elected officials, and leaders in business and finance locally and throughout the world. A top producer of Fulbright scholars, Puget Sound is the only nationally ranked independent liberal arts college in Western Washington, and one of just five independent colleges in the Northwest granted a charter by Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s most prestigious academic honor society. As part of its commitment to expanding access to higher education, Puget Sound offers the first accredited bachelor’s degree program in a prison in Washington state.

Short Version
Founded in 1888, University of Puget Sound is an independent, residential, predominantly undergraduate liberal arts college in Tacoma, Washington. Puget Sound enrolls 1,600 undergraduate and 250 graduate students in more than 50 traditional and interdisciplinary areas of study. A top producer of Fulbright scholars, Puget Sound is the only nationally ranked independent liberal arts college in Western Washington and the only university in the state to offer a bachelor’s degree program for incarcerated individuals.

University of Puget Sound is an independent predominantly residential undergraduate liberal arts college with selected graduate programs building effectively on a liberal arts foundation. The university, as a community of learning, maintains a strong commitment to teaching excellence, scholarly engagement, and fruitful student-faculty interaction.

The mission of the university is to develop in its students capacities for critical analysis, aesthetic appreciation, sound judgment, and apt expression that will sustain a lifetime of intellectual curiosity, active inquiry, and reasoned independence. A Puget Sound education, both academic and cocurricular, encourages a rich knowledge of self and others; an appreciation of commonality and difference; the full, open, and civil discussion of ideas; thoughtful moral discourse; and the integration of learning, preparing the university’s graduates to meet the highest tests of democratic citizenship. Such an education seeks to liberate each person’s fullest intellectual and human potential to assist in the unfolding of creative and useful lives.