Optimist Style

course titles Capitalize names of specific courses. Do not use quotation marks: e.g., Communi­cation Law.

courtesy titles In general, do not use courtesy titles of Mr., Mrs. and Miss. Only in an obituary are these used.

Crutcher Scott Field May use the Crutch in heads and on second reference.

CTE use on second reference and in headlines for the Adams Center for Teaching Excellence.

Cullen Research Grants Faculty research grants funded by an endowment from the Cullen Founda­tion of Houston.

curfew

 

D

dates Use day of the week if the event being referenced is within seven days of the publication date. Use the date if beyond one week of the publication date. Do not use the day and the date. Do not use “today,” “tomorrow” or “yesterday” except in direct quotes.

dead day

dean a title for administrators in charge of a faculty or a body of students.

Dean Adams Achievement Award

Dean’s Honor Roll

Delta Theta a sorority. Its pledges are known as Biddies.

denomination Do note use the word “denomination” to refer to the Church of Christ or to Churches of Christ. In comparing Churches of Christ to other churches, it is inaccurate to use the phrases “like other denominations” or “unlike other denominations.”

departments Use proper title and capitalize department names and the word department. But when you use departments in a series, lowercase the word department: departments of Eng­lish, Communication and History. Note contrast with normal ID of faculty members: Dr. Jan Weller, professor of history (note: lowercase h). This means the faculty member is a professor of a field of study — history.

devo Use this slang for the word “devotional” only in direct quotes or in headlines. 

Dinner Theatre

disc jockey Spell out on first reference; D.J. is per­missible on second reference. Announcers at KACU-FM are not disc jockeys; they are announcers.

Distinguished Alumni Citation

doctoral, doctorate “Doctoral” is the adjective; “doctorate” is the noun. Check to determine if faculty member has an earned doctorate before using title of “Dr.” before name.

Don H. Morris Center Do not use “Morris Center” on any reference.

dormitory, dorm The preferred term is residence hall, but “dorm” will often occur in quotations and may be used if needed in the context of a story. When used, it should not be capitalized. For the pro­per title, use Sikes Hall.

Dr. an appropriate and necessary title in front of names of those holding earned doctorates, medical doctor and holders of doctor of jur­ispru­dence degrees. Do not use as title if person does not have an earned doctorate.

 

E

Edwards Hall co-ed residence hall.

Elmer Gray Stadium Preferred usage for ACU’s track stadium. Gray Stadium is acceptable on second reference.

email 

email interviews Reporters may use email to gain information from sources. When using this information, the proper attribution would be: Smith said in an e-mail. However, interviewing sources only by e-mail creates a number of problems. Face-to-face interviews help you determine intensity of expressions and judge the relative importance of statements. In-person interviews allow you to ask good follow-up questions to clarify statements and go into depth. Good quotations are nearly impossible to obtain via email. Therefore, you should use e-mail to get a response from a source who is difficult to reach — but don’t become overly dependent upon email. Using email and in-person interviews overcomes the limitations and weaknesses of email. 

emeriti, emerita, emeritus The plural word to refer to retired faculty and administrators is “emeriti.” The masculine singular is “emeritus,” and the feminine singular is “emerita.”

endowment a fund that is invested in perpetuity. In general­, the principal of the endowment cannot be spent. Interest income from the en­dow­ment can be used.

 

F

faculty ranks Not all teachers at ACU are professors; check resources to discover the precise faculty rank for purpose of identifying them in stories. Faculty ranks are based on pro­fessional preparation and per­formance, teaching exper­ience, and scholarly activity and research. The ranks are assistant instruc­tor, instructor, assistant professor, associate professor and professor. Part-time faculty members are classified into four categories: adjunct pro­fessors; instructors; in-residence and visiting faculty; and retired faculty.

Faculty Senate

fall lowercase.

fall break lowercase.

flu vaccine Do not capitalize.

Frater Sodalis a fraternity. Members are called Frats. Pledges are known as Brats.

freshman, freshmen Mixing these two words is a common writing error. If the reference is a noun, use sing­ular or plural. If the reference is an adjective, always use the word “freshman.” For example, the freshman officers urged all freshmen to attend the social. You can check yourself by substituting the word “sophomore” in a sentence. You would write the “sophomore” class officers — not the “sophomores” class officers.

freshman class Lowercase. Notice the spelling (singular) of the adjective “freshman.”

Freshman Follies Notice the spelling of “Freshman,” used properly as an adjective.

Friends of the ACU Library FACUL is permissible on second reference.

fund-raiser, fund raising, fund-raising See AP style. In general, the first two are used as nouns: The fund-raiser began at 6 p.m.; Fund raising was an important part of her job. The third is used as compound modifier before a noun: The fund-raising campaign was delayed.

 

G

Galaxy a fraternity. Its members are known as Moonies. Pledges are novas.

Gamma Sigma Phi a fraternity. Members are called Gamma Sigs. The club formerly was known as the Kinsmen. Pledges are known as 

Gardner Hall Replaced by Wessel Hall.

GATA a sorority. It’s GATA; Gata is incorrect.  Pledges are known as Flames.

GATA Fountain

general education Do not capitalize references to ACU general education requirements.

girl Do not refer to female students at ACU as girls unless used in a direct quote. Use the term “woman.”

Grace Museum, The On second reference, The Grace is acceptable.

grade point average Lowercase and spell out. On second reference, GPA is acceptable.

grades Letter grades always should be capitalized. Quo­tation marks are not needed for grades. The plural form of grades is to add ’s: e.g., He earned three A’s and two B’s.

Graduate School

graduate student Students enrolled in the Graduate School. Identifica­tion of a graduate student should take this form: Ellen Hart, graduate student in digital media.

grand marshal The Homecoming Parade is led by two grand marshals who are selected by the students. Note the spelling: only one “l” is used in marshal.

great Don’t use except in quotations attributed to source. It carries no definition that is useful in journalistic copy.

Gutenberg awards Established in 1993 by the JMC Department, Gutenberg awards recognize distinguished professional achieve­ments of its alumni. Gutenberg recipients have been alumni for at least 10 years and have exhibited disting­uish­ed professio­nal achievement. They receive scale models of Guten­berg printing presses. The department annually honored one outstand­ing JMC graduate before the Gutenbergs were initiated.

 

H

Habitat for Humanity

Hall of Servants This east-west atrium bisects the Biblical Studies Building.

Hardin-Simmons University Spell out first reference. Use HSU (no hyphen) or Hardin-Simmons on second reference.

Hart Auditorium located in the Biblical Studies Building.

height Use height. Heighth is not a word.

Hendrick Medical Center Note: There is no Hendrick Hospital nor is there a Hendricks, although people may say this incorrectly.

Hill, the common expression dating back to ACU’s original move to its current location, a hill above the downtown Abilene to the west. Use “the Hill” only when referring to the ACU area in this context, such as in direct quotations.

Hilton Food Court located in the Campus Center.

Hispanos Unidos

His Singers a group that uses singing and performance as a ministry.

Homecoming Capitalized all references to ACU’s Homecoming: Homecoming Golf Classic, Homecoming Musical, Homecoming Parade, Homecoming Queen.

Honor Man, Honor Woman annual awards graduating seniors for exemplary character.

honors At graduation, honors are based on a student’s ACU cumulative GPA. A student whose GPA is at least 3.4 is graduated cum laude (with honor); one whose GPA is at least 3.6 is graduated magna cum laude (with high honor); one whose GPA is a least 3.8 is graduated summa cum laude (with highest honor).

Honors College

hopefully This word means “in a hopeful manner.” Do not use it except when inside a quotation attributed to a source. Do not write: the committee hopes, she hopes, let us hope or we hope. When appropriate, you could write it with attribution: Johnson said she hopes…. See also: AP style.

host This word is a noun. It cannot be used as a verb. Correct usage: “The Sing Song host said he would attend.” Incorrect: “The club will host a party.”

 

I

ID acceptable in all references to identification, such as ID cards.

identifications See student identifications. The stan­dard identification of students is: Arthur Williams, sophomore history major from Fort Worth, … (class, major, hometown). The standard way of identifying faculty members is: Dr. James Miller, professor of Bible, … (Dr. if earned, faculty rank, field of study).

institutes a unit within or attached to an academic department with a specific mission. The ACU institutes are: Institute of Intensive English; Marriage and Family Institute; Voice Institute of West Texas.

instructor See: Faculty rank.

intercollegiate enrollment permitted among Hardin-Simmons University, McMurry University and ACU.

International Students Association Note: no apostrophe — thus, different than the Students’ Association.

internet

intramural Note the spelling. IM is acceptable for second reference and headlines.

it’s, its its is the possessive of the pronoun it; it’s is a contrac­tion of it is.

 

J

jargon Translate bureaucratic and academic jargon and euphemisms used by sources into words that ordinary readers will understand. Beware of commonly used jargon in speech that is incorrect in print.

Jennings House The Women of ACU Museum is in the Jennings House, East North 16th Street and Campus Court.

JMC appropriate for second reference and in headlines referring to the Department of Journal­ism and Mass Com­muni­cation. Note spelling: no s on Communication.

Judge Ely Boulevard Two words; note spelling.

junior class Do not capitalize.

junior varsity Don’t capitalize. JV acceptable for second reference and headlines. Slang “jayvee” is inappropriate.

 

K

KACU-FM The radio station is affiliated with National Public Broadcasting and operated by the JMC department.

Kappa Tau Alpha Top 10 percent of JMC students are invited to become members of this national honor society.

Kelley Scholarships scholar­ships awarded to graduating seniors

Kirk Goodwin Fun Run Galaxy fraternity established an annual run in memory of Kirk Goodwin. Proceeds are given to a member of the Abilene community with major medical expenses.

Ko Jo Kai a sorority. Members are known as Kojies. Pledges are Nunus.

 

L

Leadership Camps

librarians Not everyone who works in the library is a librarian. The Brown Library has nine who have earned the designation; the others are members of the library staff.

Lunsford Trail

 

M

Mabee Business Building home of the College of Business Administration.

Mabee Hall men’s residence hall.

Mabee Library Auditorium auditorium on the south side of the Brown Library.

Mail Services appropriate reference to the University Mail Services. Do not call it the post office.

Marriage and Family Institute

master’s degree Notice the correct use of the apostrophe. 

McMurry University Use McMurry on second reference; do not abbreviate. Note spelling.

McNair Scholars

Meals on Wheels Plus

Moody Coliseum 

Morris Center Do not use this reference. See: Don H. Morris Center.

 

N

National Public Radio KACU-FM is an associate member of National Public Radio.

NCAA appropriate in all references to the National Collegiate Athletic Assoc­iation. ACU is a Division I member.

Nelson Hall a women’s residence hall.

nontraditional student Do not hyphenate.

Nu Kappa Psi (also known as The Noble Kings) a fraternity founded in 2016. Members are called Kings. Pledges are known as Squires.

Nursing Student Association organization for Abilene School of Nursing students.

 

O

O Dear Christian College ACU’s official school song.

office This term has two usages – as a reference to a unit of the university (e.g.: Office of Student Financial Services, Office of the President, Office of Alumni Activities) and as a reference to a place or room (example: materials in the JMC Department office, meaning in Don H. Morris Room 301). Capitalize the word “office“ only in the first usage.

Omega Point sculpture located east of the Brown Library.

Omicron Xi Chi a sorority founded in 2022. 

Onstead-Packer Biblical Studies Building Note: It is not the College of Biblical Studies Building.

Opening Assembly Use this for the first Chapel of each academic year.

Optimist, The Always italicize.

 

P

Parade of Flags 

Paramount Theatre

parentheses Avoid parentheses in journalistic copy. They are used normally to include an aside. In journal­istic copy, including an aside causes confusion for ordinary readers. If the parenthetical information is needed, it should be included as part of a normal sentence. Sometimes writers will use parentheses inside a quotation to explain a word or phrase; instead, add a transition sentence before the quote to make the context clear, so the ordinary reader can understand the quote as it was actually said.

Ph.D. correct abbreviation for the doctor of philosophy degree.

Pi Kappa a fraternity founded in 1998, disbanded in 2022 and rechartered in 2024. Members are Carps. 

pickup, pick up Pickup is a noun and an adjective. Pick up is used as a verb.

playoff, playoffs Always spell as one word. The adjective is always singular.

Pope Fellows

post office See Mail Services for references to ACU’s campus mail service.

preregistration One word; do not hyphenate.

professor This is a title for faculty who have been promoted to the rank of full professor. Other titles include associate professor, assistant professor, instruct­or and assistant instructor (used infrequently). Always note the proper title for each faculty member in the ACU Undergraduate Catalog. See also: faculty ranks.

professorship faculty position established by en­dowed funds. The title often includes the term “disting­uished.”

pronouns To avoid confusion, The Optimist uses the pronouns “he,” “him” and “his” for males and “she,” “her” and “hers” for females that correspond to the student’s gender as recorded by the university. To avoid confusion, The Optimist does not use “they,” “them” or “theirs” for individuals. 

provost The chief academic officer of a university. The academic deans report to the provost

 

Q

Quiet Place prayer and meditation areas in the Onstead-Packer Biblical Studies Building and the Mabee Busi­ness Building.

quotations Quotations add warmth and interest to stories and should be used high in stories. Ordinary information and common knowledge should not be placed in quotes. Use quotes only when the quoted mater­ial is controversial, unique or significant in a memorable sentence or paragraph, or a point of significance said by someone important. Do not include quotes around one word for emphasis.

 

R

redshirt an athlete who does not partic­ipate in intercollegiate athletics during an entire season to preserve a year of eligibility. Redshirt freshmen who use four years of athletic eligibility graduate five years after entering ACU.

residence hall avoid use of dorm; proper names of residence halls are capitalized.

resident assistant an assistant in a residence hall. R.A. is acceptable on second reference.

Room Capitalize and spell out when referring to a specific room, e.g., Room 200.

 

S

SGA acceptable for headlines and second reference for Student Government Association.

Sadie Hawkins Week 

said The best verb for attribution. It is an unbiased, neutral and unobtrusive verb. Don’t use “says” unless in a feature story for specific effect. Other verbs, such as “noted,” “claimed,” etc., carry value-laden connotations. Use other verbs, such as “announced,” “suggested” or “explained” only when they fit exactly what occurred. Avoid inappropriate connotations with verbs like “declared” or “admitted.” Never write that a respondent grinned, smiled, frowned or giggled the words. When quoting inanimate objects like documents or news releases, use “according to.”

SAT Scholastic Aptitude Test. This abbreviation is appropriate in all references.

senior class

Senior Walk located between the Cam­pus Center and the Biblical Studies Building.

Service Saturday

Sewell Theatre Note spelling.

The Shinnery Review annual literary magazine. Use in italics.

Shore Art Gallery

Shotwell Stadium

Sigma Theta Chi a sorority. Members are known as Siggies.

sign-ups, sign up “Sign-ups” is a noun and is hyphenated. “Sign up” is a verb phrase and is not hyphenated: e.g., students may sign up until Friday.

Sikes Hall women’s residence hall.

Sing Song

slang Don’t use slang. Putting slang in quotation marks does not make it acceptable.

Smith-Adams Hall Do not use this reference. There is a Smith Hall and an Adams Hall.

Smith Hall a residence hall for men. Do not use Smith-Adams Hall.

sophomore class Note spelling of “sophomore.”

sports information director SID can be used on second reference.

spring Use in lower case to refer to the season.

spring break Do not capitlize; it’s not an official event.

Student Financial Services

student identifications Use the classification-hometown-major structure to identify students in journalistic copy. Only proper nouns in the major should be cap­italized: e.g., Hanson Peña, junior English major from Abilene, and John Wilson, senior accounting major from Houston, were honored. If the student is an officer or has a specific position with an organization, that identification may also be pertinent. All of the identifica­tion does not have to be used at the same place. A student’s activity may be more important than the standard ID, which can be used in the second reference: e.g., on first reference: John Doe, SA president,…. On second reference: Doe, senior biology major from Dallas, ….

Student Government Association Spell out on first reference. On later references use SGA.

Sub T-16 a fraternity; note proper hyphen placement. On second reference, Sub T is acceptable. Members are known as Subbers. Pledges are Gobs.

 

T

Teague Boulevard east entry to campus from Judge Ely Boule­vard.

Teague Special Events Center second reference: Teague Center.

TEG Tuition Equalization Grant. Note: it is not Texas Equalization Grant.

Texas Legislature

Texas State Technical College

theatre The Optimist usage differs from the AP preferred spelling. Use this spelling when referring to theatre in general. Use theatre when referring to the Theatre Department, Sewell Theatre and the Paramount Theatre. Use “theater” only when used in proper nouns; note spelling of Beauchamp Amphitheater.

they, their The pronouns they and their are always plural. They and their are incorrect references to individuals and to collective nouns such a club, team, college, city, group, committee, church, etc. The pronouns it and its are the correct choices. (Note: Optimist does not fully follow AP style in this regard.)

titles Use an identifying title with a person’s name in first reference, and use first and last names on first ref­erence: e.g., Dr. Scott Perkins, associate professor of psy­chology. Occasionally, you may need to pro­vide more than one title on first reference: e.g., John Mertz, class president and freshman history major from Sweetwater, said … Or you may add a second title on second reference. Don’t use Pres­ident Dr. Phil Schubert; use President or Dr., but not both before the name. It is not necessary to include ACU in titles unless it would be confusing if excluded: e.g., Dr. Neal Coates, professor of political science. But: Dr. Neal Coates, ACU professor of political science, and Dr. Robert Jones, HSU professor of history, will speak at the seminar.

Tower of Light

Treadaway Boulevard Note spelling.

Treadaway Kids

Tri Kappa Gamma a sorority. Members are Kappas. Pledges are known as Scrappies.

TRIO This name refers to the three federally funded Title IV programs on campus: Alpha Academic Services, McNair Scholars and Upward Bound.

Trojans a men’s farternity.

true freshman This term is used in athletics and means an athlete is competing in intercollegiate athletic contests during his or her first year of college enrollment. Also see: redshirt.

Trustees Award

 

U

University and Alumni Relations

University Budget Team an operational team that coordinates the logistical elements of planning and budgeting.

University Chorale

University Counseling Center

University Mail Services post office is permissible only in quotes and generic uses. Never capitalize “post office.”

University Park Apartments

University Scholars The Faculty Senate honors top senior scholars from each department in a Faculty Senate convocation in the Chapel on the Hill each spring. The honorees are called University Scholars.

 

V

valedictorian lowercase.

varsity use in lowercase for all references to athletics.

vice president Note: no hypen.

very Avoid this qualifier. It adds only clutter. The meaning of this word cannot be defined and, thus, depends entirely upon the inter­pretation of the user. It should be used only in direct quotes, attributed to the person using it.

Visiting Committee

Volunteer and Service-Learning Center

 

W

W Club women’s honor organization.

WACU Museum Campus Court and E.N. 16th Street. WACU also operates the Treetop Gift Shop there.

Walling Lecture Hall

Wells Field the women’s softball field.

Wildcat Kids

Wildcat Week

Wildcats Cats acceptable for second refer­ence. Lady Cats is not permissible because Gentleman Cats is not used.

Wildcat Sports Hall of Fame

Williams Performing Arts Center

women Use this term when referring to female students enrolled at the university. Do not use girls unless it is used in a direct quote.

Women for Abilene Christian University Spell out on first reference. WACU on second reference and in headlines.

“World Famous Bean” This is an advertising slogan. Use: the Bean. 

World Mission Workshop

worldwide

worship Do not use the redundant phrase “worship service”; a worship is a service.

 

Y

years Academic years will be cited using this style: 2023-24, etc. For a span of years, the style will be 1995-2021, etc.

 

Z

Zellner Hall

Zeta Phi Alpha a sorority founded in 2023. Members are called Zetas. Pledges are known as Zugs.

ZIP code Use all caps ZIP for Zone Improvement Pro­gram, but always lowercase the word “code.” Do not put a comma between the state name and the ZIP code. Exam­ple: Abilene, Texas 79699.

Zona Luce Building