branding style guide i visual and content · powerpoint templates letterhead typography/fonts color...

Branding Style Guide I Visual and Content

Introduction and Table of Contents

Visual Standards 1 William Peace University Logo Logo Guidelines Secondary Logo University Seal PowerPoint Templates Letterhead Typography/Fonts Color Palette Athletic Logos Affirmative Action Statement Photography

General Rules for Written Content 12 WPU as a Brand Acronyms Date and Time Numbers Titles and Names Tips for Effective Writing

Guidelines for Punctuation 15

We are entering an exciting time at William Peace Univer-sity. Over the past several years, WPU has created innovative programs and majors, expanded the School of Professional Studies, renovated facilities, and transitioned to a full coedu-cational institution.

As WPU evolves as an institution, it is important for its com-munications and marketing to grow with it. Each envelope and brochure sent to prospective students is an opportunity to showcase William Peace University and to help build the University’s brand. With this in mind, the Office of Commu-nications and Marketing has created this style guide to help faculty and staff communicate in a way that best represents the institution.

Our goal isn’t perfection, but consistency. You won’t be inundated with rules or restrictions. Instead, you’ll find help-ful guidelines and standards which will put everyone on the same page.

For ease of use, the style guide is split up into five sections: Vi-sual Standards; General Rules for Written Content; Guidelines for Punctuation; Digital, Web, Online Communications and Social Media; and Glossary of Usage. The Visual Standards section covers the use of logos, colors and fonts; templates for stationery; and rules for marketing

content.

General Rules for Written Content focuses on key concepts and guidelines for communications. Here you’ll find entries for acceptable names for William Peace University, rules for using numbers and more.

Guidelines for Punctuation offers a simplified refresher on punctuation, providing specific rules for gray areas of punc-tuation, emphaszing Associated Press (AP) style.

Digital, Web, Online Communications and Social Media covers writing content for the web, guidelines for both voicemail and email, as well as all of our social media links and online visuals.

Finally, the Glossary of Usage is a quick-reference for proper spellings, definitions and phrasings of commonly used terms in higher education. If it’s a word or phrase used on the Wil-liam Peace University campus, it’s included in this glossary.

With more eyes on our campus than ever before, it’s impor-tant for us to represent William Peace University in an appeal-ing way. That process starts with providing our audience a clean, clear and consistent message. We encourage faculty and staff to review this style guide and we appreciate your cooperation.

Note to Faculty and Staff:

Apostrophes Colons Commas Exclamation Points Hyphens Periods Quotation Marks

Digital, Web, Online Communications and Social Media 18 Phone Scripts Email Guidelines/Signature Online Communications & Social Media Sponsored links Online color palette/Fonts Online visuals MyPacerNet

Glossary of Usage 24 A-Z

Branding Style Guide I Table of Contents

Branding Style Guide I Part 1: Visual Standards 1

The Primary William Peace University Logo

Refreshed in the summer of 2016, the William Peace University logo is an important part of the school’s identity.

Logo Guidelines

The William Peace University logo is often the first contact the Uni-versity has with prospective students. From stationery to brochures and t-shirts, the logo appears on almost every University communi-cation and as a result, must be used responsibly.

Faculty and staff may resize the WPU logo, maintaining its current dimensions, but cannot change it in any other way. No part of the logo may be added to or deleted without approval by the Office of Communications and Marketing.

Transparent versions of the logo were created to use when and if necessary. This logo exists in black and/or white. The transparent lo-gos should only be used when a reverse is necessary, the background is a solid color or gradient and the text is legible. This version should not be placed on top of an image with a “busy” background.

All logos can be found on the shared drive, in the Communications and Marketing folder.

Part 1 I Visual Standards

1

Incorrect Usage

X

X X

X


Correct Usage

Primary Logo (No Location) For situations in which rules for the primary logo cannot be followed or when text becomes too scrunched, we’ve altered the primary logo to be used in its place.

This logo has three variations — green and 90% black; black; white. All of these are transparent, and can typically be placed on a white or green background. This version of the primary logo is ideal for communications like apparel, or internal flyers.

The same rules concerning stretching or skewing of the primary logos apply. Please reference the logo guidelines on page one.


Primary Logo (No Text) For situations in which rules for the primary logo cannot be followed or when text becomes too scrunched, we’ve altered the primary logo in another form.

This logo also has three variations — green and 90% black; black; white. All of these are transparent, and can typically be placed on a white or green background. This version of the primary logo is ideal for communications like apparel, or internal flyers.


FILE DESTINATIONP:\Ofc_Comm_Market\Logos\William Peace University Logo\2016 NEW\WPU Name No Raleigh

FILE DESTINATIONP:\Ofc_Comm_Market\Logos\William Peace University Logo\2016 NEW\WPU Logo Without Text

University Seal The William Peace University seal was designed to represent the rich history of the school and can be represented in one of three colors — white, black or green — but never a combination of more than one.

Unlike the primary and secondary logos, which can be used for many communciations, the University Seal has just a few appropri-ate applications including diplomas, official university certificates, transcripts and the Commencement program.

The same rules concerning stretching or skewing of the primary logos apply to the seal as well. Please reference the logo guidelines on page one.


PowerPoint Templates Consistency, even within the University, is important in official com-munications. When preparing a PowerPoint presentation, please use one of the following two templates (4:3 or 16:9), found on the shared drive in the Communications and Marketing folder.

Secondary Logo What used to be considered the primary logo of WPU, became the seconday logo in summer of 2016.

This logo has three variations — green and 90% black; black; white. All of these are transparent, and can typically be placed on a white or green background. This logo should only be used as letterhead in formal communications.


FILE DESTINATIONP:\Ofc_Comm_Market\Logos\William Peace University Secondary Logo

FILE DESTINATIONP:\Ofc_Comm_Market\Logos\Seal

FILE DESTINATIONP:\Ofc_Comm_Market\PowerPoint Templates

William Peace University15 East Peace Street, Raleigh, NC 27604

P: 919.508.2000 • F: 919.508.2326www.peace.edu

15 East Peace Street, Raleigh, NC 27604

The letterhead and envelope templates shown below should be used by all departments except for The School of Professional Studies and Department of Athletics and the Office of the President, which have their own letterhead templates.


Letterhead

Typography To reflect a more modern approach to our communications, William Peace University has chosen a number of simple yet identifiable font families to complement the logo.

Source Sans Pro Bold font should be used primarily in headers and large text for print and digital pieces. Source Sans Pro Semi-bold should be used as sub headline text in print and digital pieces. Source Sans Pro Regular should be used in the body of print and digital pieces. Myriad Pro should only be used in email footers for your signature. Tahoma is the appropriate font for MyPacerNet and email marketing. The regular and italic versions of all fonts are available for use.

FILE DESTINATIONP:\Ofc_Comm_Market\Letterhead

5 Branding Style Guide I Part 1: Visual Standards 6

Fonts

Source Sans Pro (Print/Digi-tal Flyers + Publications)

Semi-bold

Bold

Myriad/Myriad Pro (WPU Email Footer/Signature)

Semi-bold

Bold

Tahoma (Email Marketing + MyPacerNet)

Bold

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz1234567890.,:;?!@#$%^&*()

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstvwxyz1234567890.,:;?!@#$%^&*()

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstvwxyz1234567890.,:;?!@#$%^&*()

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz1234567890.,:;?!@#$%^&*()[]{}





Fonts for Apparel

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ1234567890.,:;?!

Colleged

Along with Myriad, Colleged is also an acceptable font for William Peace University apparel.


Design Examples

Color Palette

Primary Colors

Accent Colors

The primary color for the University is a darker forest green. This shade is the official shade of green for WPU and should be used in all William Peace University communications.

In addition to selecting a new shade of green, we’ve also selected acceptable shades of black, white, gray and 12 new accent colors.

90% black is the color used in the William Peace University logo text, with 60% black being used in the tagline. 90% black should be used on all body type when possible.

The accent colors, listed on the bottom left and continuing onto page nine, are best suited to enhance the primary colors and should be used sparingly.

Please contact the Office of Communications and Marketing for clarification when using colors that do not include our primary William Peace University green.

CMYK-100/0/78/42 RGB-0/112/74hex- #00704A

PMS 3425

CMYK-0/0/0/90 RGB-65/64/66 hex- #414042

Process Black 90%

CMYK-0/0/0/0 RGB-255/255/255 hex- #FFFFFF

White

CMYK-0/0/0/60 RGB-128/130/133 hex- #FFFFFF

Process Black 60%

CMYK-31/0/20/0 RGB-175/221/210 hex- #AFDDD2

PMS 337

CMYK-20/0/44/0 RGB-208/228/166 hex- #D0E4A6

PMS 366

CMYK-11/1/0/64 RGB-106/115/123 hex- #6A737B

PMS 431

CMYK-33/28/58/0 RGB-178/169/126 hex- #B2A97E

PMS 451

CMYK-0/0/0/100 RGB-0/0/0 hex- #000000

Black


FILE DESTINATIONP:\Ofc_Comm_Market\Color Palette

CMYK-0/0/1241 RGB-166/166/153 hex- #A6A699

PMS 415

Accent Colors Continued

CMYK-5/0/7/10 RGB-217/225/217 hex- #D9E1D9

PMS 5665

CMYK-17/6/0/100 RGB-207/224/243 hex- #CFE0F3

PMS 2707

CMYK-100/25/0/50 RGB-0/85/129 hex- #005581

PMS 302

CMYK-65/86/49/0 RGB-121/73/106 hex- #79496A

PMS 5125

CMYK-10/14/0/00 RGB-224/215/235 hex- #E0D7EB

PMS 263

CMYK-0/28/0/0 RGB-249/197/220 hex- #F9C5DC

PMS 203

CMYK-0/56/90/0 RGB-246/138/51 hex- #F68A33

PMS 1585

CMYK-0/2/15/0 RGB-255/246/220 hex- #FFF6DC

PMS 7499


Department/Initiative Logos

In 2018, William Peace University streamlined department and department initiative logo designs with a unified, branded template.

To request a logo for your department or initiative, please submit a project request form to Communications and Marketing. That form can be found on the Communications and Marketing page on MyPacerNet under “Campus Links.”

Examples

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Athletic Logos

Primary Logo

William Peace University currently fields athletic teams competing in the NCAA Division III and is a member of the USA South Athletic Conference.

This logo is to be used following the same rules as the primary William Peace University logo. The primary athletic logo may be resized, but it should not be added to, edited or otherwise changed in any way. If the logo needs to be smaller than 3/4 inch to fit design dimensions, or if preferred to use the logo without text (with or without the Pacer head), please contact the Office of Communications and Marketing.

The primary athletics logo has two variations — green, black and white.

The same rules concerning stretching or skewing of the primary logos apply to the athletics logo as well. Any addition to or deletion from the primary logo is also prohibited, and it must remain large enough for all words on the logo to be legible.

Secondary Logo (No Text) In addition to the primary athletic logo, there are secondary and third logos available for use on marketing materials, apparel and more.

The same rules concerning stretching or skewing of the primary athletics logos apply to the secondary athletics logos as well. Any addition to or deletion from the secondary logos is also prohibited. The logo must remain large enough for all words to be legible.


Third Logo

FILE DESTINATIONP:\Ofc_Comm_Market\Logos\Athletics\Primary

FILE DESTINATIONP:\Ofc_Comm_Market\Logos\Athletics\Secondary

FILE DESTINATIONP:\Ofc_Comm_Market\Logos\Athletics\Third

Affirmative Action Statement

Photography

The Office of Communications and Marketing encourages faculty and staff to take advantage of our writing and design services for all advertising.

However, if you choose to work directly with an outside agency, the affirmative action statement must be displayed on all advertisements in order to comply with federal laws.

The affirmative action statement for the day school and evening program are as follows

William Peace University:

“William Peace University does not discriminate in its recruitment and admission of students, regardless of gender, race, creed, color, religion, age, national and ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, or veteran status. “

Any photos of WPU campus, students or events can be provided by the Office of Communications and Marketing upon request. Archived and stock photos are also available for use and are located on the shared drive in the Communications and Marketing folder.

If you take a photo on your own and would like to use it, make sure it meets William Peace University image standards. Dark, washed out, grainy, stretched, out-of-focus or pixelated photos are not acceptable.

A signed release form must be obtained from students before their likeness can be used to market the university. These sheets are signed during orientation and documents are held in the Office of the Registrar. Please check for a completed form before using any photo of a student.


Athletics Font This font was chosen to give a sleek and fast style to the athletics program. Based off the font Pirulen, it has been altered in size as well as letter adjustments for a more aesthetic look. Anytime this font is to be used, it will be acquired in graphic format, from the Office of Communication and Marketing to ensure proper measurement and style changes have been made.

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Part 2 I General Rules for Written ContentWilliam Peace University as a brand

In its history, William Peace University has existed under the names: Peace Institute; Peace, a Junior College for Women; Peace Junior College; Peace College; Peace Col-lege of Raleigh Inc.; William Peace University.

These six variations can lead to some confusion when talking about the school in a historical sense. If an event happened in the early 1990s, did it happen at Peace Col-lege or William Peace University? It’s a legitimate ques-tion.

To simplify this process, the school should be referred to as William Peace University when speaking in general his-torical terms. For example, “William Peace University is in its 154th year” and “This is the third straight time William Peace University beat Mererdith in basketball,” are both correct.

While the name William Peace University is relatively new and Peace College may have beat Meredith the previous two times, William Peace University is still the proper name because WPU is a continuation of the earlier schools.

For more specific references to events that were particu-lar to Peace Institute or Peace College (i.e., founding and transition dates, presidents, celebrations or organizations) the original names of the schools may be used. However, it is preferred to say an event happened at William Peace University and then later clarify that it occurred when the school was named Peace Institute; Peace, a Junior College

for Women; Peace Junior College; Peace College; Peace College of Raleigh Inc; or William Peace University.

What are acceptable pronouns for William Peace Uni-versity?On first reference, the school should always be called William Peace University. From there, writers have other acceptable options: WPU, Peace, the University, and the In-stitution. “University” and “Institution” are capitalized when directly referring to WPU.

The use of Peace as a first reference or all-encompassing term for the University should be avoided for clarity pur-poses.

Acronyms

If an entity (school, program, club, organization, etc.) is best known by its acronym, then the acronym should be used on every reference. If the entity is known by both, or isn’t well known to the target audience, spell out the name on first reference and revert to the acronym upon later references.

Never create an acronym for an entity that doesn’t al-ready use it. For example, do not call the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences the NCMNS unless they ap-prove to that acronym prior. Instead, use other words like “the museum” to abbreviate the entity.

Associated Press (AP) Stlye

Branding Style Guide I Part 2: General Rules for Written Content 12

All photography intended to be posted on the main University social media accounts should be hi-resolution and captured on a professional DSLR camera. Only under certain, approved circumstances will cell phone pictures be permitted for use of marketing on social media accounts, the website, or other digital marketing platforms.

In addition, if you wish to hire an external freelancer for photography and use your own departmental funds, you may use preferred University contractors. A list of those contractors can be found on the Office of Communications and Marketing MyPacerNet page. All finished and edited videos and photos must be first approved by the Office of Communications and Marketing before public distribution.

The University, as well as Athletics, observes AP style in regards to its writing/grammer standards and guidelines. Please refer to www.apstylebook.com/online for the latest guidelines and rules.

Date and Time

To write a full date, commas should be used to separate the day of the week from the month and the day of the month from the year. For example, 1/21/11 would be written as Friday, Jan. 21, 2011 or 1.21.11.

When accompanied by the day of the month, months should always be abbreviated. Listed below are the proper abbreviations for months.

Jan. July Feb. Aug. March Sept. April Oct. May Nov. June Dec.

Days of the week are not abbreviated except when describing a range of dates (Mon.-Thurs.). Appropriate abbreviations for days of the week are Mon., Tues., Wed., Thurs., Fri., Sat. and Sun.

The time of day is indicated by writing a numeral fol-lowed by a.m. or p.m. The letters are always lowercase and separated by periods. The only two exceptions to this rule are exactly 12 a.m. (midnight) or 12 p.m. (noon). The phrase o’clock should never be used.

Correct: 1 p.m. Incorrect: 1 PM 1:30 p.m. 1:00 PM

If the time appears at the end of the sentence, the period following “m” functions as the period for the sentence.

Numbers

When writing for the press: Numbers zero through nine should always be spelled out. Numbers 10 and above are represented with numerals. If a number is the first word of a sentence, it should be spelled out regardless of its value. However, it’s preferable to reword the sentence to avoid awkward phrasing.

Ordinal numbers use the same zero through nine rule and are spelled out first through ninth. After ninth, nu-merals are used (10th, 11th, etc.).

When writing a formal document, spell out all numerals and ordinal numbers. When writing socially, its accept-able to use numerals in all uses.

Titles and names

Titles and first names should be dropped after the first reference. Exceptions can be made for feature stories and children, but dropping is still preferred. In instances when there are two people with the same last name, first and last name should be used on first reference and then just first moving forward.

When writing for the press, professional titles appear directly after a name and should be capitalized. For ex-ample, “said Josh Williams, Director of Communications.”

Following the initial quote reference, “said” should be placed directly after the last name of the individual. For example, “Williams said” - not “said Williams.”

Additionally, it is not appropriate to reference individuals by first name in formal University communications. First name reference (“Josh said”) should only be used in less formal communications, such as feature style writing. Tips for Effective Writing

There is no right or wrong way to effectively convey a message. Each writer has his or her own style and that shouldn’t be changed.

But even the most seasoned writers can benefit from a tune up and that’s what this section provides. Listed be-low are tips to help you create the clearest, most effective copy possible while maintaining your own style.

Use the active voice Writers should use the active voice in most, if not all sentences. Writing in the active voice results in more clear and concise copy.

Say: “Why did the chicken cross the road?” Don’t say: “Why was the road crossed by the chicken?”

Number ErrorThis is one of the most common mistakes in the English language.

Don’t Say: “The WPU Men’s Basketball Team won their


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first game of the season on Tuesday.”

Say: “The WPU Men’s Basketball Team won its first game of the season on Tuesday.”

The sentence is referring to a “team” or group of players, which is a singular object and is often confused with the players or people. While a “team” is comprised of a lot of players or people, a “team” is one thing and is singular.

Consider sentence lengthIf you’re having trouble with a particularly long sentence, try splitting it in two. That should help make your mes-sage clearer. If you’re still having trouble, search for un-necessary words or sentences and eliminate them, such as “that.”

Remember, any word or sentence that doesn’t help ex-plain your message is unnecessary and only makes your writing more difficult to read.

Use strong verbs and languageUsing active verbs and language not only results in crisper, more powerful sentences but also more accu-rate messages. Choosing an active verb forces the writer to find a more appropriate verb rather than relying on weaker, more vague verbs.

Say: “Daniels previously served as Director of Communi-cations.” Don’t say: “Daniels was Director of Communications before he came to WPU.”

Say: “John is searching for cookies.”

Don’t Say: “John is on a search for cookies.”

Keep it simpleToo often writers get caught up in their own prose and forget why they’re writing — to convey a message. If you find yourself struggling with a sentence, take a step back and focus on what you’re actually trying to say. The simpler you keep the message, the more likely the reader is to understand it.

And try to limit the fluff as much as possible. It’s impor-tant to present your message in a way that’s appealing to your reader. But if you find a sentence has more style than substance, scrap it and try again. Overly literary sentences are difficult to read and make your reader think you don’t know what you’re talking about.

Use the inverted pyramidFor any article or press release, stick to the inverted pyra-mid format.

Put the most important news first — who, what, when, where, why — and continue in order of most relevant to least relevant. Keep in mind most readers will likely read only the first few paragraphs of any message so get the important information out of the way.

Treat adjectives and adverbs like currencyOr in other words, use them sparingly. Adjectives are of-ten helpful in setting tone or perspective but more than one can be counterproductive.

Say: “Williams walked into his plush office.”

Don’t Say: “The exhausted Williams gingerly strolled into his new, plush office.”

Also be sure to avoid inaccurate adjectives. Say what you mean. If the piece of toast was only good and not deli-cious, don’t say it was delicious.

One space or two?Depending on your background or discipline, everyone has a different take on exactly how many spaces should appear after a period. For simplicity’s sake, and to keep with more current standards, William Peace University suggests you use one space following a period.

When to say whenTo improve the flow of your writing, always put the day an event occurred at the very beginning or very end of a sentence. It might seem like a minor point, but awkward time attribution can trip up a reader and detract from your message.

For example, say “William Peace University students started exams Thursday” or “On Thursday, William Peace University students started exams.”

Do not use the word “on” when indicating time unless it comes at the beginning of the sentence or is grouped with another proper noun. For example, you would say “Students from William Peace University visited the Smithsonian museum in Washington, DC on Monday.” In this instance, omitting “on” would make Washington, DC and Monday appear as one official title.


Part 3 I Guidelines for Punctuation

If you’re having a hard time punctuating a sentence, read it aloud and punctuate the way you speak. Remember, it is more important to be functional than correct. Your third-grade teacher might not like it but he/she will understand what you’re trying to say.

For more specific answers we’ve detailed some of the more common punctuation questions that arise during the writ-ing process.

Apostrophes

When using apostrophes, it is important to remember their two appropriate uses — showing possession and replacing missing information. If there is no possession or missing information, then no apostrophe is needed.

That means an apostrophe should never be used to plu-ralize unconventional words and phrases. For example, if you want to reference the time period from 1970 to 1979, it’s the 1970s, not the 1970’s. Or, if you want to abbreviate frequently asked questions, it’s FAQs, not FAQ’s. However, there are two exceptions to the possessive/con-traction rule.

The first is for letter grades. If someone made an A in all of their classes, they made straight A’s — not straight As. Second, the word “its” is a possessive but does not take an apostrophe. This is done to differentiate from “it’s” which is a contraction of the words “it is” (i.e., “WPU is in its 154th year.” and “Do you think it’s going to snow on Christmas?”).

PossessivesTo make a singular noun possessive, simply add an apos-trophe and an s to the end of a word (i.e.,“The President’s speech was powerful.”). If the word already ends in an s, add an apostrophe following the s (i.e., “Will Jones’ car was brand new.”).

For plural nouns ending in s, the rule stays the same and an apostrophe is added to the end of the word (i.e., “The dogs’ bowls were empty.”). If the plural noun doesn’t end in s, revert to the rule for singular nouns (i.e., “It is the media’s responsibility to find out.”).

The proper angleWhen using contractions, be sure to angle all apostro-phes in the direction of the missing information. For example, if you want to abbreviate the 1920s as the ’20s, the apostrophe curves like this: ’20s, instead of this: ‘20s.

In some William Peace University-approved fonts, like Myriad, apostrophes naturally curve in one universal direction. When using these fonts, the angle of the apos-trophe can be ignored. However, if the direction of the apostrophe can be changed, this rule must be followed.

Graduation yearWhen possible, William Peace University alumni should be identified as such in all communications. To do this, put an apostrophe followed by the last two digits of their graduating class (i.e., Deborah White ’87).

Similar to standard contractions, graduation years feature

Branding Style Guide I Part 3: Guidelines for Punctuation 15

15

apostrophes angled toward the missing information as font type allows. There is not a comma placed to seperate the name from graduation year.

Colons

In general, colons are used to emphasize a word or intro-duce a list of ideas or items. For example, “Michael Jordan had one responsibilty for the Bulls: scoring.” and “The com-mittee proposed three initiatives during the meeting: to cut spending, to develop new businesses and to repair the potholes on Main Street.”

Note: Colons should never be used when the final word before the colon is a verb. Instead, try using an em dash to set off the idea or list.

Note: There is one space following a colon.

Commas

Few punctuation marks cause more headaches than com-mas. In general, it’s best to ignore the dozens of rules you’ve learned over the years and instead use common sense. Would a comma make this sentence easier to read? If so, leave it in. If not, take it out.

Remember, sentences should be read quickly, crisply and clearly. Too few commas can affect clarity while too many can slow down the pace. Try to find the right balance. If you have to reread a sentence several times to avoid trip-ping over it, consider adding or removing a comma.

The Oxford CommaIn a list of nouns or phrases, the comma appearing after the second to last item and before the “and” is called the Oxford Comma. For example: “Sally went to the grocery store and bought apples, grapes, lettuce, and beans.”

It is acceptable to use a comma before “and” or you can leave it out.

Names Use commas before or surrounding the name or title of a person directly addressed. For example: “Will you, Olivia, do that assignment for me?” Locations

Commas should be used to separate city and state: “Mary lives in Chapel Hill, N.C., but commutes to William Peace University.”

Exclamation Points

Exclamation points should be avoided. The tone of a sentence should be clear enough without needing an ex-clamation point. If your sentence doesn’t have the pop it needs, rewrite it. Tacking on a needless exclamation point — or three — makes your writing look unprofessional and your reader feel like they’re being yelled at!!!

Writing in all caps should also be avoided when trying to emphasize text. If you need to emphasize a word in a sentence, use italics instead.

Hyphens

Compound adjectives/adjectival phrases A compound adjective or adjectival phrase is two words which rely on each other to modify a third word. These words should always be separated by a hyphen.

For example: “William Peace University is a four-year school located in the heart of Raleigh, N.C.”

In this sentence the words four and year modify school, so it requires a hyphen. However, you do not need to hyphenate adverbs. For example, full-time job is hyphenated but concisely written article is not.

Em dashThe em dash or double hyphen is an underutilized but valuable punctuation mark used to indicate emphasis, an aside or a change of thought. We recommend incorporat-ing it into your writing.

For example: “I thought about going to the coffee shop — since I had an extra few minutes before class — but I went to the library instead.”

Note, if you choose to use an em dash (—) , be sure to use the actual representation and not just a double hyphen (--).

FractionsSpell out when referring to half numbers (i.e., one and a


half ) and sums under one (two-thirds). Otherwise, use nu-merals and the word “and” to indicate fractional amounts (1 and 7/8).

Periods

When and where to use periods might seem obvious, but it can be tricky when you leave the confines of a standard paragraph.

Never use a period when using bullet points. These are not sentences, but instead listed statements.

• William Peace University has an 15:1 student/faculty ratio

• An 15:1 student/faculty ratio

Periods, or other puncuation marks, are not neccessary at the end of bulleted lists.

For headlines and subheads, periods are never used re-gardless of whether a complete sentence is formed.

Use a single space after a period.

Quotation marks

There are few pieces of punctuation misused more fre-quently than the quotation mark. From quoting unusual words and store names to randomly putting quotes around important phrases, many people have no rhyme or reason to why they use quotes.

While there are certainly standard rules for quotations, it doesn’t need to be that difficult. Just remember the three acceptable uses for quotations:

• To attribute a passage to a speaker • To set off titles of certain works of art • To indicate irony

If the proposed usage doesn’t fall into one of those three categories, quotes shouldn’t be used. If you’re interested in more specific rules, see our guidelines below.

Punctuation and quotesPeriods and commas should always be placed within quotes, not outside of them. Other punctuation marks (exclamation points, question marks, etc.) go within the quote only if it is part of the quoted material. Otherwise, they are placed outside of the quotation.

Single quotation marksOnly use single quotation marks for quotes appearing in a headline or within a quote. Use double quotes in all other instances.

Titles Quotes should be used for titles of articles, poems, short stories, individual chapters in books, albums and songs. Italics are used for titles of books, films, magazines, paint-ings, sculptures, plays and newspapers.

Quotes for emphasisAvoid using quotation marks for emphasis or other non-traditional purposes. If the word or phrase needs to be emphasized, use italics instead. If a sentence is already in italics or if italics would otherwise be confusing, quotes are acceptable.

MeasurementsNumerals and hyphens should be used to indicate dis-tance and measurement (i.e., 6-foot-8) rather than quota-tion marks (i.e., 6’8”), except in the case of sports writing. If the measurement appears outside a body of text or space is limited, quotation marks may be used.

He said, she shoutedWhen attributing a quote to a source, use the word “said” exclusively. Not only does it remove the need for a writer to interpret the speaker’s intent or mood but it also reads more smoothly.


17

Part 4 I Digital, Web, Online Communications & Social Media

Branding Style Guide I Part 4: Digital, Web, Online Communications & Social Media 18

Digital

Phone scripts

Live answer script:Good (morning/afternoon/evening). Thank you for calling William Peace University, this is (name) how may I help you?

Voicemail script for campus:Hello, you have reached [name here], [title here] at Wil-liam Peace University. I am away from my desk at the moment, but please leave your name, telephone number and brief message and I will return your call as soon as possible. Thank you for calling and I hope you have a great day.

Out of office script for campus:Hello, you have reached [name here], [title here] at Wil-liam Peace University. I am out of the office at this time and will return on (insert date here). If you need immedi-ate attention, please dial [name here] at [full telephone number here, with area code]. Otherwise please leave your name, telephone number and brief message and I will return your call as soon as possible. Thank you for calling and I hope you have a great day.

Email guidelines Out-of-office message:We suggest using the example below, but know there will be instances when altering from the script may be neces-sary: day full of meetings, travel, sporatic availability and more.

Thank you for your email.

I am currently out of the office but will return the [morn-ing/afternoon] of [day of week/date] and will reply as soon as possible. If you need immediate attention, please contact [name] at [email address/phone number].


John Smith Vice President for Communications and Social Media

15 East Peace Street, Raleigh, NC 27604 P: 919.508.2206 • F: 919.508.2326 • www.peace.edu

This message, including any attachments, is intended only for the named recipient(s) and may contain information that is privileged, confidential and/or exempt from disclosure under ap-plicable law. If you have received this transmission in error, or are not the named recipient(s), please notify William Peace University immediately by return email and permanently delete this transmission, including any attachments.

Email transmission cannot be guaranteed to be secure or error-free, as information could be intercepted, corrupted, lost, destroyed, arrive late or incomplete, or contain viruses. William Peace University, therefore, does not accept liability for any errors or omissions in the contents of this message which arise as a result of email transmission and accepts no liability for any damage caused by any virus transmitted by this email.

Email signature template:

Online Content & Social Media

Just like academic writing differs from journalistic writing, producing online communications copy has its own tricks and nuances.

For the purposes of this section, social media means any facility for online publication and commentary, including and without limitation to: blogs, wikis, virtual worlds, YouTube, Flickr and social networking sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. Publication and commentary on social media carries similar obligations to any other type of publication or commentary. All uses of social media must follow the same visual content and context standards laid out in this style guide, keeping your audience in mind.

All existing and new online presence (social media) should have written authorization by a supervisor and the Office of Communications and Marketing. In addition, a “Social Media Request Form” should

be submitted. That form can be found on the Commu-nications and Marketing page on MyPacerNet under “Campus Links.”

All Social media vanity URLs need to begin with WPeaceU, or if within Athletics, GoPeace.

Readers normally go to a web page looking for a specific piece of information or to navigate to another page that can provide the information. Always keep this in mind. Keep paragraphs short, sentences shorter and jargon to a minimum. Utilize headlines, subheads and bullet points whenever possible.

Paragraphs should be avoided in social media posts.

The denser a paragraph becomes the harder it is to scan for important information. Avoid large blocks of text, excessive adjectives and flowery prose. Briefly introduce the purpose of the page, highlight information in short paragraphs or bullet points and then get out of the way.

Please use the email signature shown below. Be sure to use the noted fonts, size and color.

An example to copy (including all necessary hyperlinks) can be found in the Communications and Marketing folder on the shared drive.

19 Branding Style Guide I Part 4: Digital, Web, Online Communications & Social Media 20

Sponsored links: The following are institutional-level approved social networking sites. In addition, the university manages individual class year Facebook groups.

William Peace University:Facebook: www.facebook.com/WPeaceUInstagram: www.instagram.com/WPeaceUTwitter: www.twitter.com/WPeaceUYouTube: www.youtube.com/WPeaceUFlickr: www.flickr.com/WPeaceUSnapchat: WPeaceU

Online Visuals

Video Standards The University has made exceptional strides in digital content and video production over the last several years. The Institution proudly produces 4k video content, and even live streams campus events in HD across YouTube.

In an effort to maintain this high quality of work and brand consis-tency, certain specifications must be met in order to publish video content on behalf of the University and its social media channels. If you need video production, you must first submit a project request form to the Office of Communications and Marketing, which can be found on the Communications and Marketing page on MyPacerNet under “Campus Links.”

If you choose to produce your own video, all published and posted video content must be first approved by the Office of Communica-tions and Marketing.

If you wish to hire an external freelancer for videography and use your own departmental funds, you may use preferred University contractors. A list of those contractors can be found on the Office of Communications and Marketing MyPacerNet page. All finished and edited videos and photos must be first approved by the Office of Communications and Marketing before public distribution.

All video must meet the following standards and are subject to editing and screening:

• Filmed and exported in HD (1080p, 4k, or higher)• Contain proper University supers and graphics/fonts (contact

[email protected] for details)• Must be artfully composed (good lighting, steady camera, fo-

cused shots, etc.)• Contain clear, crisp, and clean audio• No cell phone video (unless approved by Communications and

Marketing)


CMS (www.peace.edu) More information coming soon.

Digital Signage The University uses a wide variety of digital displays and platforms to distribute content and messaging to its cam-pus constituents. Digital signage consists of HD monitors throughout campus that display WPU news, announce-ments, events, flyers and much more.

To maintain a consistent look and feel in accordance with WPU branding guidelines, all posted messaging and content must first be approved by the Office of Communications and Marketing. In addition, all flyers must contain and meet all of the following criteria prior to being submitted for approval:

• Full HD 1920x1080 image resolution, or Ultra HD 4k im-age resolution

• JPEG or PNG file; No PDFs will be accepted• WPU logo• Hi-resolution imagery and photography• No stretched, blurry, or pixelated images or logos

If your flyer fails to meet one of the above criteria, the Of-fice of Communications and Marketing will not be able to process your request and your flyer will not be posted to digital signage until the issue is resolved and re-submitted for approval.

In addition, in order to request a flyer to be posted on digital signage, you must first submit a project request form to the Office of Communications and Marketing, which can be found on the Communications and Marketing page on MyPacerNet under “Quick Links.”

21 Branding Style Guide I Part 4: Digital, Web, Online Communications & Social Media 22

MyPacerNet Page The screenshot below is the approved design for all WPU department pages.

This template includes a clear and concise description of your department, a pic-ture, a contact section, a documents section, and a quick links section.

All sections on this template are mandatory; however, each department can cus-tomize its page by adding an additional web part. These can include media, news alerts, etc.



Fonts

Tahoma

Bold

Department Title — Tahoma, 22-point type (Green)Content — Tahoma, 12-point type (Black)Email — Tahoma, 10-point type (Green)Employee Names — Tahoma (Bold), 10-point type (Black)

Branding Style Guide I Part 5: Glossary of Usage 23

MyPacerNet Videos All videos should be in full 1080p or 720p HD, and must be first approved by the Office of Communica-tions and Marketing.

All photos should be in JPEG format and measure 251 x 248. All WPU logos should be 285 x 76 (the CMYK version found on the Share Drive or the image found on the Communications & Marketing page).

MyPacerNet Pictures

Part 5 I Glossary of Usage

23

The following list is a quick reference for frequently used terms and phrases in William Peace University commu-nications. Bolded words are capitalized, punctuated and italicized as they should be used.

A

a vs. an — For words starting with a consonant sound, use “a” as its article. For words starting with a vowel sound, use “an.” Note, “h” is considered a consonant sound, meaning words like “historical” use “a” as its article.

academic affairs, Office of Academic Affairs

academic degrees — Upon first reference, Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Fine Arts and Bachelor of Science should be spelled out. On second reference, they are abbreviated as B.A., B.F.A. and B.S. Master’s degrees are represented by saying the person “has a master’s degree in ...”

Only a doctorate should accompany a name and is indi-cated by writing a comma followed by “Ph.D.”

See Titles and names on page 13 for further explanation.

academic services, Office of Academic Services

Academic Support Center — Includes the Learning Center, the Disability Resource Center, Tutoring Services and Academic Advising.

academic year — Represented with the four-digit year followed by a hyphen and two-digit year (i.e., 2010-11). Avoid repeating century unless century changes (1999–2000). accept/except — Accept means to agree to or receive. Except means to exclude or separate.

achievement tests — Abbreviated as ACT (American College Test) and SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test). A.D. — Not necessary in most instances. If it is relevant to the article, list A.D. before the year: A.D. 1492.

addresses — When writing a numbered address, the words avenue, boulevard, street and road should be capi-talized and abbreviated (i.e., 15 Peace St.). When writing an address without a number, the word should be spelled out (i.e., Peace Street).

Directional information follows the same rules. When appearing without a number, the direction is written out (East Peace Street). When appearing with a number, it is abbreviated (15 E. Peace St.).

admissions office, Office of Admissions

Advanced Placement — Always abbreviated as AP.

advisor — Not adviser

African American (noun) — Hyphenated when used as an adjective (i.e., African-American literature)

age — The age of people and animals is always indicated using numerals. The age of programs, buildings, objects, etc. should be spelled out when under 10.

For example: The boy was 5 years old when he moved to Raleigh. The School of Professional Studies is three years old. William Peace University is 154 years old.

When using ages as a noun or adjectival phrase, use a hyphen: a 5-year-old or a 3-year-old boy.

Alabama — The Postal Code AL can be used in most cases. When writing for the press, the AP Style, Ala., would be used.

Alaska — The Postal Code AK can be used in most cases. When writing for the press, the AP Style, Alaska, would be used.

All-American — Hyphenated when used as noun or adjective. Only capitalized when referring to a specific honor or team (i.e., She was an all-American at WPU. She was named to the AP All-American team.)

all right — Always represented as two words (not alright). Only hyphenate if used as an adjectival phrase (i.e., John had an all-right day).

alma mater — Traditionally used to reference the school song but can also mean the college or university some-one attended. Both are acceptable.


alumna/alumnus/alumnae/alumni/alum — A female graduate is an alumna. A male is an alumnus. Alumnae describes a group of female graduates. Alumni is used for both an all-male group of graduates and a mixed-gen-dered group. Alum is an informal reference to one gradu-ate. Alumnae and alumni are pronounced the same.

Starting with the graduating class of 2011, graduates of William Peace University are referred to as alumni, not alumnae.

Alumni Association Board

a.m., p.m. — Lowercase, with periods

ambassador — Capitalized when appearing before a name but lowercase in all other uses. Term is not gender specific and should be applied to both males and females.

American College Testing (ACT) - Always abbreviated as ACT

among, between — Between refers to the relationship of two items while among refers to the relationship of more than two items.

annual — Do not describe an event as annual unless it has been held for two successive years. Never use first-annual. Instead, use inaugural.

Anthropology Department

anybody/any body, anyone/any one — Anybody and anyone (one word) indicate an indefinite amount of people. Conversely, any body and any one (two words) are used to single out an individual entity.

apiece — One word, not a piece.

Arizona — The Postal Code AZ can be used in most cases. When writing for the press, the AP Style, Ariz., would be used.

Arkansas — The Postal Code AR can be used in most cases. When writing for the press, the AP Style, Ark., would be used.

Asian American — Preferred term for all people of Asian decent living in America. Always in caps.

athletics department, Department of Athletics

autumn — All seasons are lowercase unless referring to a formal title (i.e., Fall Semester). The word fall is preferred over autumn.

B

baccalaureate, Baccalaureate Service

Baccalaureate Scholarship Society — A level of The Presi-dent’s Circle annual fund-giving society indicating dona-tions of $2,500 or more. Always capitalized and in italics.

bachelor’s degree — Always lowercase.

Bachelor of Arts — Always capitalized and can be ab-breviated as B.A.

Bachelor of Fine Arts — Always capitalized and can be abbreviated as B.F.A.

Bachelor of Science — Always capitalized and can be abbreviated as B.S.

backward — Not backwards

B.C. — Follows the year (i.e., 200 B.C.).

Belk Dining Hall

between – See among/between entry.

Bible — Capitalize but do not italicize.

biblical

Bingham Residence Hall

bi-racial — Address ethnicity only when relevant to the subject matter. Use specific ethnicity, rather than bi-racial, when possible.

Biology Department

biweekly — Not hyphenated. Used to refer to events happening every other week. For events happening twice a week, use semiweekly.

black — Lowercase in all instances (color, race, etc.)

board — Capitalized only when used as an official title (i.e., Board of Trustees).


25

boulevard — Abbreviate only when accompanied by a numbered address. Spelled out in all other instances.

boy — Appropriate for males under the age of 15. Use man or young man from ages 15 to 18.

buildings and grounds, Office of Buildings and Grounds

building names — Capitalize all words appearing in of-ficial building name. Avoid abbreviating building names. Instead, use other ways to shorten the name upon sec-ond reference (i.e., the dining hall, the library).

Business Department

business office, Office of Business and Administration

C

California — The Postal Code CA can be used in most cases. When writing for the press, the AP Style, Calif., would be used. campaigns — Official names of fund-raising campaigns are capitalized but generic references are lowercase.

campus chaplain — Official title is William C. Bennett Chaplain but campus chaplain or William Peace University chaplain are acceptable within text.

campus security, Office of Public Safety — Public safety is preferred even in informal references. Office of Public Safety is the official name of the department.

campuswide

Campus Box — Avoid P.O. Box or post office box. Mail ad-dressed with post office information often arrives down-town instead of at William Peace University.

capital/capitol — Capital refers to the city and boule-vard. Capitol refers to the building downtown. Use caps when referring to Capital Boulevard, U.S. Capitol and the Capitol building in Washington, D.C. career services, Office of Career Services

Caucasian

Century Club — A level of the General Loyalty Fund indi-cating donations of $250-$499. Always capitalized and in italics.

chairman, chairwoman — Capitalize only when appear-ing before a name. Avoid the non-gender specific chair-person unless already part of a formal title.

Chemistry Department

Circle — Abbreviate only when accompanied by a num-bered address. Spelled out in all other instances.

city hall — Capitalize if attached to proper noun (i.e., Raleigh City Hall). Otherwise keep lowercase.

class (academic year) — William Peace University recog-nizes four academic classes: first-year, sophomore, junior and senior. For athletics only, first-year is replaced by freshman to stay with national practices.

Class of ’[XX] — Only enter the last two digits of year. coed — Only acceptable when describing programs, clubs, teams or institutions open to both males and fe-males. Do not use to refer to female students.collective nouns — Any noun representing a group of people or items should be treated as singular unless the noun itself is pluralized.

For example, the Wake County school board is singular but the WPU Pacers are plural.

Colorado — The Postal Code CO can be used in most cases. When writing for the press, the AP Style, Colo., would be used.

Commencement [insert year]

Commencement Exercises — Capitalized when referring to the specific event at William Peace University. Do not refer to WPU’s ceremony as graduation.

commencement speaker

committee names — Capitalize if referring to a specific committee. Remains lower case if used generically.

communications and marketing office, Office of Com-munications and Marketing

Communication Department

Connecticut — The Postal Code CT can be used in most cases. When writing for the press, the AP Style, Conn.,


would be used.

Cooperating Raleigh Colleges, CRC

county — Capitalize when referring to specific county. Leave lowercase when used generically.

For example: “She was registered to vote in Wake County.” “He didn’t know what county he was in.”

couple — Only use when referring to two specific items or entities. Not to be used to indicate an indefinite amount.

course load, course work

course names and numbers — When abbreviated, capi-talize letters and follow with three-digit course number: BIO 101. Spell out full name of course when possible. Full names should be capitalized and italicized: Intro to Biol-ogy or European History.

cum laude, magna cum laude, summa cum laude — Lowercase and in italics.

D

dangling modifiers — Avoid sentences with modifiers which do not clearly refer to any one word. Incorrect: Having eaten the main course, it was time for dessert. Correct: Having eaten the main course, the family was now ready for dessert.

database — One word

date and time — See Date and time entry in general guidelines for usage on page 12.

Davidson Residence Hall

days of the week — Always capitalized. Avoid abbreviat-ing except when referring to a range of days (i.e., Mon.-Thurs.).

See Date and time entry in general guidelines for usage on page 12. Monday Mon. Tuesday Tues. Wednesday Wed. Thursday Thurs. Friday Fri.

Saturday Sat. Sunday Sun.

dean’s list

Debra M. Townsley, Ph.D. — Official spelling for the President of William Peace University. Note the inclusion of middle initial.

decades — No apostrophe before the “s” when using numerals (i.e., 1930s, ‘30s)

Delaware — The Postal Code DE can be used in most cases. When writing for the press, the AP Style, Del., would be used.

department names — Capitalized when following de-partment. Left in lowercase when appearing before (i.e., Department of Athletics, athletics department).

Department of Athletics

Department of Office Servicesdining services, Aramark Dining Services

Dinwiddie Chapel

disabled — Indicate specific disability when possible. If disability is unknown, using “persons with disability” is preferred. For a mental disability, use “special needs.”

doctorate, doctoral degree, Ph.D., Ed.D., etc. — Check Academic Degrees entry on page 23 for placement.

dollars — Avoid using decimals for whole dollar figures (i.e., $40, not $40.00). Also, abbreviate all dollar figures over $999,999 by using the dollar sign, the number and then amount spelled out (i.e., $4 million, not $4,000,000).

donors — A level of the General Loyalty Fund indicating donations of $1-$99.

dormitory — Avoid unless part of official title. William Peace University students live in residence halls.

E

east — All four cardinal directions are lowercase except when used to identify a region (i.e., the East).

Education Department


27

email — Lowercase in all uses. For specific email address-es use lowercase (i.e., [email protected]).

emeritus — An honorary status given to retired faculty, this title appears after the name of male professors as “emeritus” and female professors as “emerita.”

emigrant/immigrant — An emigrant is a person who leaves a country. An immigrant is a person who enters a country.

endowments — Lowercase when used generically. Always capitalized and put in italics when referenced specifically.

engagement, Office of Engagement

English Department

ensure/insure — Use insure when referring to financial issues. Use ensure in the more general sense of making certain or securing.

except/accept — See accept/except entry on page 23.

F

FAQs — No apostrophe. Spell out when possible.

faculty-student ratio — Use student-faculty ratio, since the larger number is usually listed first (e.g., 11:1).

Family Weekend

Fahrenheit

fall (season) — All seasons are lowercase unless referring to a formal title: (i.e., Fall Semester)

farther/further — Farther means a greater physical dis-tance. Further means a greater extent or degree.

For example: “I walked farther than you”. “I made it further in school than Ian.”

father

faze/phase – Faze means to affect the status of a person or thing (i.e., Lance Armstrong was unfazed by the moun-tains). Phase means a step, portion or aspect of a larger idea (i.e., The plan entered its third phase.)

financial aid, Office of Financial Aid

Finley Residence Hall

fiscal year — Refers to the financial calendar used by businesses. WPU’s fiscal year is July 1 to June 30.

Field House

first-year student - The term used for students in their first academic year, or students with fewer than 30 credits. Florida — The Postal Code FL can be used in most cases. When writing for the press, the AP Style, Fla., would be used.

Flowe Building

floors (in buildings) — Falls under the ordinal numbers rule (on page 19). For floors one through nine, use first floor, second floor, etc. After nine, use numerals (10th floor, 99th floor).

forward – Not forwardsfractions — Spell out when referring to halves (i.e., one and a half ) and digits under one (two-thirds). Otherwise, use numerals and the word “and” to indicate fractional amounts (1 and 7/8).

Frazier Residence Hall

Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) — Use abbreviation in all instances.

French Department

freshman and freshmen — Use first-year student(s) except when referring to sports.

full time, full-time — Hyphenated form used to indicate an adjectival phrase.

For example: She goes to school full time. She has a full-time job.

G

Gaddy Garden — Located outside of Finch Library, Gaddy Garden is capitalized in all uses.

Georgia — The Postal Code GA can be used in most cases. When writing for the press, the AP Style, Ga., would be used.


girl – Applicable until the age of 15. Use woman or young woman from ages 15 to 18.

Gold President’s Circle — A level of The President’s Circle indicating donations of $5,000 or more. Always capital-ized and in italics.

grade point average — Abbreviated as GPA in all in-stances.

granddad, granddaughter, grandmother, grandson

grant-in-aid, grants-in-aid

H

hall of fame, William Peace University Athletics Hall of Fame

handicapped — See listing for disabled on page 27.

Hawaii — The Postal Code HI can be used in most cases. When writing for the press, the AP Style, Hawaii, would be used.

health services, Office of Health Services

Hermann Athletic Center — honors alumni and friends of William Peace University who have made provisions in their will or other estate plans that result in a planned gift to later benefit the University. Many years ago, the Society was known as the Codicil Club. The Society was re-named in the 1990s as a way to recognize those who have made the ultimate expression of their faith in the in-stitution through a lasting contribution made in support of the mission of William Peace University. When referenc-ing The Heritage Society, always capitalize the first letter in all three words, and also italicize the phrase. There is a Heritage society logo, which available online.

Hermann Athletic Center — Houses the William Peace University gymnasium.

highway designations — All highways and interstates are spelled out and in caps on first reference. Upon subse-quent references, interstates can be abbreviated with the first letter, a hyphen and the number (i.e., I-40).

Hispanic — A term used to describe the people and cul-ture of Spanish-speaking countries. Use a more specific identification when possible.

historical — Takes the article a not an.

History Department

homecoming — Capitalize when part of an official title.

home page — The main page of a website featuring links to its other pages. Should always appear as two words, not one.

Honor Code — The phrase “Honor Code” always appears in caps. The William Peace University Honor Code is as follows:

“On my honor as a William Peace University student, I will not lie, cheat or steal; nor will I condone the actions of those who do.”

honorary degree, honorary doctorate — Do not refer-ence unless pertinent to subject matter. If mentioned, the degree should be clearly identified as honorary.

honors, graduation honors — cum laude, magna cum laude, summa cum laude (always italicized and lowercase).

housing, residence life, Office of Residence Life

HTML, HTTP — Both appear in all caps when referenced within text.

human resources, Office of Human Resources

hyphen — See Hyphen entry in Guidelines to Punctuation section on page 16.

I

Idaho — The Postal Code ID can be used in most cases. When writing for the press, the AP Style, Idaho, would be used.

Illinois — The Postal Code IL can be used in most cases. When writing for the press, the AP Style, Ill., would be used.

immigrant/emigrant — Immigrant is a person who en-ters a country. Emigrant is a person who leaves a country.

incorporated — Capitalized and abbreviated as “Inc.” when attached to the name of a business.


29

Indiana — The Postal Code IN can be used in most cases. When writing for the press, the AP Style, Ind., would be used.

information technology, ITT, Office of Information Technology

institutional research, Office of Institutional Research

insure — See ensure/insure entry on page 27.

international students — The term used for students attending college in the United States.

international study, Office of International Study

Internet — Always capitalized.

Internet address — See URL listing on page 35.

intranet

Iowa — The Postal Code IA can be used in most cases. When writing for the press, the AP Style, Iowa, would be used.

its, it’s — To indicate the possessive of a collective noun, use “its.” To contract the phrase “it is,” use “it’s.”

J

Jones Lecture Hall

Joyner House

junior (academic standing) — The term used for a stu-dent in their third academic year or with 61-90 credits.

junior (name) — When referring to names, abbreviate as Jr. Do not precede by a comma: Martin Luther King Jr.

K

Kansas — The Postal Code KS can be used in most cases. When writing for the press, the AP Style, Kan., would be used.

Kenan Theatre and Browne-McPherson Fine Arts Center

Kentucky — The Postal Code KY can be used in most cases. When writing for the press, the AP Style, Ky., would

be used.

L

Louisiana — The Postal Code LA can be used in most cases. When writing for the press, the AP Style, La., would be used.

laptop

Latin American, Latino, Latina — A term used to describe the people and culture of Spanish-speaking countries in Latin America.

lectern, podium, pulpit — A speaker stands behind a lectern, on a podium and in a pulpit.

Leggett Theatre

legislature — Capitalize when preceded by the name of a state. Lowercase legislature when used generically.

Liberal Studies Departmentlibrary, Lucy Cooper Finch Library

likable — Not likeable

log on/log in — Not hyphenated when used as verb (i.e., I need to log in to my email).

log-on/log-in (n or adj) — Hyphenated when used as a noun or adjective (i.e., “What is your log-in ID for the website?”).

The Loyalty Fund — An annual fund of mostly unrestrict-ed money the University receives from donors to supple-ment the operating budget each year. Always capitalized and in italics.

M

magazine and newspaper titles — Should be capital-ized and italicized in all instances. Title should be written in its entirety and as it appears on the cover/first page.

Main Building

Main Lawn — This can also be referred as the University Green.

Maine — The Postal Code ME can be used in most cases. When writing for the press, the AP Style, Maine, would be


used.

majors — When listed by itself as a header or part of a biography, a major should be capitalized. When listed within text, only majors that double as proper nouns should be capitalized

Maryland — The Postal Code MD can be used in most cases. When writing for the press, the AP Style, Md., would be used.

Massachusetts — The Postal Code MA can be used in most cases. When writing for the press, the AP Style, Mass., would be used.

Master of Business Administration — Abbreviated as M.B.A. after first reference.

master’s degree

Math Department

media — The term media is plural. Medium is singular. Michigan — The Postal Code MI can be used in most cas-es. When writing for the press, the AP Style, Mich., would be used.

mid- — Use hyphen when attached to a proper noun or if confusing when left unhyphenated (i.e., School starts in mid-August).

midnight — Not 12 a.m. or 12 midnight.

Minnesota — The Postal Code MN can be used in most cases. When writing for the press, the AP Style, Minn., would be used.

minority — Use specific ethnicity or minority affiliation when possible (Asian American, Mexican American).

mission statement — Capitalized when referring to the specific mission statement of the University, otherwise leave in lower case. The William Peace University Mission Statement is as follows:

“The mission of the University is to prepare students for careers in the organizations of tomorrow. Rooted in the liberal arts tradition, the student develops an apprecia-tion for life-long learning, a focus on meaningful careers, and skills for ethical citizenship.”

Mississippi — The Postal Code MS can be used in most

cases. When writing for the press, the AP Style, Miss., would be used.

Missouri — The Postal Code MO can be used in most cases. When writing for the press, the AP Style, Mo., would be used.

Montana — The Postal Code MT can be used in most cases. When writing for the press, the AP Style, Mont., would be used.

more than/over — “More than” refers to items that can be counted. “Over” is used to describe something physi-cally moving over the top of an object.

mother

Move-In Day

Mr., Mrs. and Miss — Avoid using Mr., Mrs. and Miss in articles, press releases and most University communica-tions. Courtesy titles are acceptable however in the salu-tation of a letter, but not within the text itself.For salutations, use Miss for unmarried women and Mrs. for those who are married. If there is any doubt to the marital status of a female recipient, err on the side of Miss. Ms. may be used in place of Mrs. or Miss.

Musical Theatre Department

MyPacerNet — Student portal and intranet

N

names — In general, use a person’s full name on first reference and only their last name moving forward. If two people have the same last name, use the full name of each on first reference and then only their first in future references.

For people 14 and younger, use first name and last name on first reference and then only their first name on subse-quent references.

nationalities and races — If a race or nationality has a proper noun in it (i.e., African American), the proper nouns are then capitalized. If not, it remains lowercase (black, white, etc.).

Native American — The preferred term for American In-dians. Use specific tribe name in its place when possible. If you are referring to someone born in America, write


31

native in lower case or consider different phrasing.

NCAA Division III — Capitalized with no periods. Ac-ceptable abbreviations for Division III are DIII and Div. III.

Nebraska — The Postal Code NE can be used in most cases. When writing for the press, the AP Style, Neb., would be used.

Nevada — The Postal Code NV can be used in most cases. When writing for the press, the AP Style, Nev., would be used.

New Hampshire — The Postal Code NH can be used in most cases. When writing for the press, the AP Style, N.H., would be used.

New Jersey — The Postal Code NJ can be used in most cases. When writing for the press, the AP Style, N.J., would be used.

New Mexico — The Postal Code NM can be used in most cases. When writing for the press, the AP Style, N.M., would be used.

New York — The Postal Code NY can be used in most cases. When writing for the press, the AP Style, N.Y., would be used.

noon — Not 12 p.m. or 12 noon.

north — All four cardinal directions are lowercase except when used to identify a region (i.e., the South).

North Carolina — The Postal Code NC can be used in most cases. When writing for the press, the AP Style, N.C., would be used.

North Dakota — The Postal Code ND can be used in most cases. When writing for the press, the AP Style, N.D., would be used.

numbers — see Numbers entry on page 13.

O

occupational descriptions — When referencing a generic professional title, use lowercase (i.e., chef Rachel Ray, and news anchor Tom Brokow).

offices — Like departments, offices are only capitalized if used as a formal name (i.e., Office of Admissions, but

admissions office).

Office of Academic Affairs Office of Academic Services Office of Admissions Office of Advising and Learning/Disability Services Office of Buildings and Grounds Office of Business and Administration Office of Career Services Office of Communications and Marketing Office of Engagement Office of Financial Aid Office of Health Services Office of Human Resources Office of Information Technology Office of Institutional Research Office of International Study Office of the President Office of the Provost Office of Public Safety Office of the Registrar Office of Residence Life Office of Student Services Office of Visitor Services Ohio — The Postal Code OH can be used in most cases. When writing for the press, the AP Style, Ohio, would be used.

Oklahoma — The Postal Code OK can be used in most cases. When writing for the press, the AP Style, Okla., would be used.

ongoing

online — Used as one word in all instances. No hyphen necessary.

“On the Road” Regional Alumni & Friend Events

ordinal numbers — For numbers one through nine, spell out: first, second, third, etc. For numbers 10 and above, use numerals: 10th, 11th, 12th, etc.

See Numbers entry on page 13.

Oregon — The Postal Code OR can be used in most cases. When writing for the press, the AP Style, Ore., would be used.

oriental — Rugs are oriental. People are not. If you are re-


ferring to a person or a culture, the correct term is Asian.

P

Pacer Camp — Orientation held for incoming students each summer and is always capitalized.

PacerCard — Student ID card

PacerCash — A flexible spending account connected through the PacerCard.

PacerPoints — Come with each meal plan and work just like dollars; they can be used in the dining hall or at Peace Perk. Points do not carry over from semester to semester.

Pell Grant, Federal Pell Grant Program, Pell award

Pennsylvania — The Postal Code PA can be used in most cases. When writing for the press, the AP Style, Pa., would be used.

Ph.D., Ph.D.s — When saying that a person has a doctoral degree, place a comma and Ph.D. following the name. For example: President Debra M. Townsley, Ph.D.

p.m. — Lowercase, with periods.

podium, lectern, pulpit — A speaker stands behind a lectern, on a podium and in a pulpit.

Political Science Department

pop-up window

possessives — See Possessives entry in Guidelines for Punctuation on page 15.

postseason

postgame

Pre-Law Department

president, Office of the President

The President’s Circle Society— honors donors to William Peace University who give $1,000 or more annually to The Loyalty Fund, in support of scholarships, capital needs, endowments, operations, programs and more. President’s

Circle Society level giving may also be attained through cumulative giving to multiple programs. (Ex: $500 to the Pacer Club and $500 to the Center Stage Club.) There are several levels within the President’s Circle Society, which are referred to as Circles of Excellence. Diamond Circle of Excellence..........................................$25,000Platinum Circle of Excellence...........................................$10,000Gold Circle of Excellence...................................................$5,000Silver Circle of Excellence..................................................$2,500The 1857 Society .................................................................$1,857Bronze Circle of Excellence ..............................................$1,000Young Alumni Circle of Excellence* .............................$100+

* Graduates of the last decade become members of the President’s Circle Society through graduated levels of giving: Year 1, $100; Year 2, $200; Year 3, $300 and so on. When referencing the President’s Circle Society, always italicize it. The same applies to references of The Loyalty Fund. Note: The “THE” in The Loyalty Fund is also capital-ized and italicized, but the “THE” in the President’s Circle Society is not capitalized or italicized. There is a Loyalty Fund logo available online that accompanies Loyalty Fund advertising and solicitations. For more information on Circles of Excellence and giving levels, contact the Office of Engagement.

Pressly Arts and Sciences Building

professorships — Names of professorships should be capitalized and italicized. Professorships should only be indicated when listing a professor’s specific position on a biography or if relevant to the subject matter.

provost, Office of the Provost

Psychology Department

public safety, Office of Public Safety

Q

quotation marks — See Quotations entry in Guidelines for Punctuation on page 17.

R

Ragland Tennis Courts

“re”- words — Use hyphen only when modified word already starts with e or if not using a hyphen would lead


33

to confusion. For example: re-enter and retake, re-sign (to sign again) and resign (to relinquish a position).

registrar, Office of the Registrar

Religion Department

representative — Capitalized and abbreviated (i.e., Rep.) when before a name. Otherwise left lowercase.

residence halls — Preferred over dormitories.

residential life, Office of Residence Life

résumé — Accent marks placed over both e’s.

reverend – Capitalized and abbreviated (Rev.) when placed before a name. Spelled out and lowercase in all other instances.

Rhode Island — The Postal Code RI can be used in most cases. When writing for the press, the AP Style, R.I., would be used.road — Abbreviate only when accompanied by a num-bered address. Spelled out in all other instances.

rooms — Official room names are always capitalized. If the title has a room number, place it after the building name. Informal names (conference room, dining hall, library) should not be capitalized.

Ross Residence Hall

S

Saturdays@Peace — Used to describe the Saturday Pro-gram in the School of Professional Studies

seasons — All seasons are left in lowercase unless part of a formal title (i.e., Fall Semester, Spring Break).

scholarships — Specific scholarship names are always capitalized and in italics. Generic scholarships are lower-case.

Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) — Always abbreviated as SAT.

School of Professional Studies — Founded in the fall of 2009, the School of Professional Studies is always capital-ized and can be referenced as the School of Professional Studies or SPS.

semiweekly — Used to describe events happening twice a week.

senior (academic standing) — The term used for a student in their final academic year, or with greater than 90 credits.

senior (name) — When referring to names, abbreviate as Sr. Do not precede by a comma: Ken Griffey Sr.

service-learning — Hyphenated in all uses.

society names — Always capitalized and in italics.

sophomore — The term used for a student in their sec-ond academic year or with 31-60 credits.

south — All four cardinal directions are lowercase except when used to identify a region (i.e., the South).

South Carolina — The Postal Code SC can be used in most cases. When writing for the press, the AP Style, S.C., would be used.

South Dakota — The Postal Code SD can be used in most cases. When writing for the press, the AP Style, S.D., would be used.

Spanish Department

spring —All seasons are lowercase unless referring to a formal title: (i.e., Spring Break).

Spring Break — Capitalized when used as an official title.

state names — All state names are spelled out when standing alone in textual material. Use Post Office stan-dard abbreviations when accompanied by a city or town:

AL LA OH AK ME OK AZ MD OR AR MA PA CA MI RI CO MN SC CT MS SD DE MO TN FL MT TX GA NE UT HI NV VT


ID NH VA IL NJ WA IN NM WV IA NY WI KS NC WY KY ND

street — Abbreviate only when accompanied by a num-bered address. Spelled out in all other instances.

student-athlete — Hyphenated when used as noun or adjective. NCAA D-III Students participating in athletics are referred to as student-athletes.

student services, Office of Student Services

student teacher (noun), student-teaching (adjective)

summer — All seasons are lowercase unless referring to a formal title (i.e., Summer Semester).

T

Telephone numbers — Use periods or hyphens to separate numerals. Do not use parenthesis to set off area code Correct: 919-508-2206 or 919.508.2206 Incorrect: (919) 508-2206

Tennessee — The Postal Code TN can be used in most cases. When writing for the press, the AP Style, Tenn., would be used.

Texas — The Postal Code TX canbe used in most cases. When writing for the press, the AP Style, Texas, would be used.

that — The word “that” is often unnecessary. Consider replacing with which/who or removing all together to clean up sentences.

theatre — William Peace University always uses “the-atre” in all university references speaking generally. Use theatre when referring to (i.e., Leggett Theatre or the William Peace University Theatre Department).

Theatre Department

their, there, they’re – Their shows possession. There indicates physical location or proximity. They’re is a con-traction of they are.

Third World — Should be avoided. Preferred term is developing nations.

time frame

timeline

time of day — See Date and Time entry on page 12.

titles — Titles should be used on first reference but dropped moving forward.

Titles of publications — See Titles section under Guide-lines for Punctuation on page 17.

toward — Not towards

Trustee(s) — Capitalized when specifically referring to William Peace University Board of Trustees.

U

upperclassmen — Replace with gender-neutral terms (junior and senior) when possible. Only acceptable if alternative affects the clarity of the message.

URL (Uniform Resource Locator) — The William Peace University URL is written as www.peace.edu in all com-munications. If the “www” format affects the clarity of a sentence, brackets may be placed around it (i.e., [www.peace.edu]) to avoid confusion.

USA South Athletic Conference — This is the NCAA D-III Conference that WPU participates in.

username

Utah — The Postal Code UT can be used in most cases. When writing for the press, the AP Style, Utah, would be used.

V

Vermont — The Postal Code VT can be used in most cases. When writing for the press, the AP Style, Vt., would be used.


35

Virginia — The Postal Code VA can be used in most cases. When writing for the press, the AP Style, Va., would be used.

vice president — Capitalized only when placed before a name.

visitor services, Office of Visitor Services

W

The Wachovia Athletic Park

Washington — The Postal Code WA can be used in most cases. When writing for the press, the AP Style, Wash., would be used. Be sure to distinguish from the nation’s capital by saying the “The state of Washington.”

Washington, D.C. — Set D.C. off with commas when used in a sentence.

Web — Capitalized when referring to the World Wide Web.

west — All four cardinal directions are lowercase except when used to identify a region (i.e., the West).

West Virginia — The Postal Code WV can be used in most cases. When writing for the press, the AP Style, W.Va., would be used.]

who vs. whom — Who is a subject and indirect object. Whom is a direct object.

For example: Who: Who will be there? Whom: Do you know whom I should ask?

William C. Bennett Chaplain — Official title of William Peace University chaplain. Title is capitalized and itali-cized but can be shortened to chaplain in articles, press releases or other communications to avoid confusion.

William Peace Society — honors First Presbyterian Church of Raleigh Elder, William Peace, for whom the University was named in 1857 at its founding. The William Peace Society recognizes alumni and friends who have generously given $100,000 or more during their lifetime. It is the most prestigious society at the University. When

referencing the William Peace Society, always italicize it.

William Peace University — William Peace University is always be spelled out on first reference. School name can be abbreviated as the University, the school, Peace or WPU upon subsequent references.

winter —All seasons are lowercase unless referring to a formal title (i.e., Winter Break).

Wisconsin — The Postal Code WI can be used in most cases. When writing for the press, the AP Style, Wis., would be used.

Wyoming — The Postal Code WY can be used in most cases. When writing for the press, the AP Style, Wyo., would be used.

X

Y

years — When abbreviating numerical years or decades, place an apostrophe angled toward the missing informa-tion. For example, 1958 would be abbreviated as ’58. Note, there is no apostrophe placed between the numer-al and “s” unless using number as a possessive (i.e., 1960’s era).

Z

zip code

1-9 and symbols

& — Avoid unless part of a formal title (i.e., William & Mary). Instead, use “and.”


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