On subsequent reference, use DDEEA
Author: jnweaver
Extension
handicapped
do not use to refer to a disability: use accessible parking (without the word handicapped), accessible restrooms, accessible building
Parent and Family Program
formerly the Parent Program
Thank-a-Badger Day
hyphenate, lowercase a
Schutt, Sarah
chief alumni officer and executive director of the Wisconsin Alumni Association
Pail and Shovel Party
student-government party during the late 1970s and early 1980s known for its pranks; it was led by Jim Mallon ’79 and Leon Varjian
Hoofers
Wisconsin Hoofers, the
UW–Madison’s outdoor-activities club; also called simply Hoofers or the Hoofers
Gordon Dining and Event Center
not Events
credentials
do not include credentials or degrees (PhD, MD, FASLA, FAAN, CFP, and the like) after names unless the person, school, or college is adamant about it
Badger State
initial caps
winter
lowercase winter break, winter 1983
UW Spirit Squad
UW–Madison’s squad comprises the dance team, cheerleaders, and Bucky Badger mascots; on second reference, use Spirit Squad or the squad; lowercase other schools’ spirit squads
Saint
for place names with Saint, Fort, Mount, and the like, write out the words except where space is at a premium: Fort Myers, Mount Airy; see CMS 10.30
photo references/identification
use parentheses, not phrases to identify people in photos: Jason Brown ’86 (left) and Martin Nelson ’87, not Jason Brown ’86 on the left, and Martin Nelson ’87; see also captions
name tag
two words
freshman football
singular freshman
Division of Continuing Studies (DCS)
on subsequent references, use Continuing Studies; use Continuing Studies in most applications
Distinguished Teaching Awards (DTA)
given annually
Distinguished Alumni Awards (DAA)
given annually by the Wisconsin Alumni Association
canceled, canceling, cancelable, canceler, cancellation
use one l with the first four words but two ls with the last word
All-Campus Party (ACP)
a week of free, alcohol-alternative events for students, hosted by the Wisconsin Alumni Student Board (WASB)
zip code
two words
YouTube
one word, uppercase Y, uppercase T
years
see CMS 9.64
x
see degree years
words as words
see CMS 7.63
women
Wisconsin Union Theater
also known as the Union Theater; it is not the Memorial Union Theater
Wisconsin State Journal
no The in the title
Wisconsin Field House
the official name is the Wisconsin (not UW) Field House; do not capitalize the in the Field House or the Wisconsin Field House.
Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF)
initial caps
Wisconsin Alumni Student Board (WASB)
a student group founded in 1980 that is affiliated with WAA and functions as an ambassador to the student community.
Wisconsin Alumni Association® (WAA)
WAA (never the WAA) is preferred on second reference, but the association is acceptable
Usage of the registered mark:
- use ® only when the full name is written out, only once, and on the first reference (or first “convenient” reference)
- punctuation follows the ®
- do not use it in running text in On Wisconsin, Badger Insider, the Flamingle, articles submitted for publication elsewhere, the body of press releases, mailing addresses, envelopes, or letterhead
- do use it in the mastheads of On Wisconsin, Badger Insider, and the Flamingle; the contact listing and final About WAA paragraphs in press releases; the masthead and last paragraph of newsletters; ads and other promotional materials
- if a marketing vehicle has several pieces, use the ® on the first reference in each piece
- do not use superscript online or with emails, but generally superscript is preferred if it’s readable
will-call
hyphenate as a noun or adjective; use with window when possible
wife
White Library
there’s no such thing; see College Library at Helen C. White Hall
WFAA
Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association (WFAA)
the logo uses an ampersand, but use and in running text; WFAA (never the WFAA) is acceptable on second reference. WAA’s merger with the UW Foundation was effective July 1, 2014. The blended organization is now called the Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association (WFAA). Both WAA and UWF also maintain their separate brand identities to external alumni and donor audiences
Wednesday Nite @ the Lab (WN@L or WN@tL)
use Nite and @
website (URL) addresses
test every site before publishing it; use the shortest version that works; use roman type without brackets; put a period at the end if it falls at the end of a sentence; delete the http:// and www portions of the address; do not hyphenate a word within a web address unless it actually has a hyphen; if necessary, break it after a slash or period that is part of the address; do not insert any characters or punctuation; see CMS 7.46
Washington, DC
use a comma; no periods with DC; in usages such as the WAA: Washington, DC, Chapter, include a comma after the DC as well
WAA
Do not use the before it; see also Wisconsin Alumni Association® (WAA). WAA’s merger with the UW Foundation was effective on July 1, 2014. The blended organization is now called the Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association (WFAA). WAA and UWF also maintain their separate brand identities.
vs.
see versus, vs.
votes
per CMS 6.78, use an en dash: The vote was 14–6
veterinary school
its full name, the School of Veterinary Medicine, is preferred, but in cases when it’s shortened, use veterinary school, not vet school
versus, vs.
write out in text, but in sports-related marketing, the abbreviation vs. is acceptable; see also court cases
vehicles
see CMS 8.116–8.117 for a discussion of the names of ships, submarines, aircraft, trains, space programs, and the class, make, and model of cars
UW Varsity Band
Universities of Wisconsin (formerly UW System)
The Universities of Wisconsin (formerly called the UW System) comprise 13 four-year universities and their branch campuses.
Universities of Wisconsin is the preferred reference for the collective of the 13 four-year universities. The name takes the form of a plural for subject–verb agreement: The Universities of Wisconsin are …
Do not abbreviate the name to UWs or UW universities on second reference, an exception to the Universities of Wisconsin’s style guide for the UW–Madison campus. This is to avoid confusion with UW–Madison’s common abbreviation to the UW. Instead, spell out the Universities of Wisconsin on all references whenever possible. If necessary, UW system (lowercase) is acceptable to describe the collective of the 13 four-year universities.
Note that the entity’s legal name remains the University of Wisconsin System. This name is still used when referring to the UW System Board of Regents. It’s also used for official documents (such as diplomas), court filings, contracts, grants, and other formal correspondence and delegations of authority.
See also UW System Board of Regents and Universities of Wisconsin (formerly UW System) campus names.
UW Libraries
this umbrella title refers to all libraries on this campus
UW Homecoming Parade
but Homecoming parade
UW Foundation (UWF)
use the Foundation (capitalized) or UWF (never the UWF) in subsequent references
UW Field House
the official name is the Wisconsin (not UW) Field House; do not capitalize the in the Field House or the Wisconsin Field House
UW–Madison Division of Extension
Extension offers credit and noncredit educational opportunities throughout the state
UW Department of Athletics
Universities of Wisconsin (formerly UW System) campus names
Use an en dash for the four-year campuses, except for UW Oshkosh. Preferred naming conventions for their branch campuses are below. See also CMS 6.81.
Effective July 2018, the two-year campuses formerly known as UW Colleges joined several of the Universities of Wisconsin’s four-year institutions as branch campuses.
Refer to the Universities of Wisconsin style guide for full guidance.
Four-year campuses
-
- UW–Eau Claire
- UW–Green Bay
- UW–La Crosse
- UW–Madison
- UW–Milwaukee
- UW Oshkosh
- UW–Platteville
- UW–Stevens Point
- UW–Stout
- UW–Superior
- UW–Whitewater
Branch campuses
-
- UW–Eau Claire – Barron County
- UW–Green Bay, Manitowoc Campus
- UW–Green Bay, Marinette Campus
- UW–Green Bay, Sheboygan Campus
- UW–Milwaukee at Washington County
- UW–Milwaukee at Waukesha
- UW Oshkosh, Fond du Lac Campus
- UW Oshkosh, Fox Cities Campus
- UW–Platteville Baraboo Sauk County
- UW–Platteville Richland
- UW–Stevens Point at Marshfield
- UW–Stevens Point at Wausau
- UW–Whitewater at Rock County
UW athletics
U.S.
see United States (noun), U.S. (adjective and noun)
URL
stands for Uniform Resource Locator, an internet address style for addresses: e.g, http://www.wisc.edu/pubs/ug/index.html, though typically shortened to, e.g., wisc.edu/pubs/ug/index.html; see also website (URL) addresses
U-Rah-Rah
generally, use hyphens and initial caps; however, in some design contexts, all caps and/or no hyphens may be more accommodating
University Ridge golf course
lowercase golf course
University of Wisconsin, the
UW, the
UW–Madison (no the)
Use an en dash rather than a hyphen. Acceptable on second reference in external publications and in all internal communication for the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Do not use the with UW–Madison: research at UW–Madison. To prevent confusion with the Universities of Wisconsin (formerly UW System), use the UW as a substitute for UW–Madison only when the context is clearly UW–Madison or the entity is officially named University of Wisconsin rather than University of Wisconsin–Madison (UW Hospital and Clinics, UW Law School). See also CMS 6.39 and 6.81 ; University of Wisconsin, the; and UW, the.
University of Wisconsin–Madison, the
Use an en dash rather than a hyphen between University of Wisconsin and Madison. Spell out on first reference in external publications or publications that will be read widely off campus. UW–Madison (with an en dash, not a hyphen) is acceptable in external publications and in all internal communication for the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Do not use the with UW–Madison (research at UW–Madison).
Also acceptable on second reference are the UW and the university (when the context is clearly UW–Madison). To prevent confusion with the Universities of Wisconsin (formerly UW System), however, use the UW as a substitute for UW–Madison only when the context is clearly UW–Madison or the entity is officially named UW instead of University of Wisconsin–Madison (UW Hospital and Clinics, UW Law School). Capitalize The only as a formal title in a formal reference, such as in the headline of a program; generally, though, lowercase the.
UW is acceptable when referring to athletics teams or departments that do not use UW–Madison as part of their official names (UW Health, UW Carbone Cancer Center).
See also CMS 6.81.
University of Wisconsin Foundation
University Housing
not Division of University Housing
University Club
initial caps
University Book Store, The
although The is in its official name, use lowercase roman type for “the”; here Book Store is two words, but normally bookstore is one word
Union South
see Wisconsin Union
UN
no periods; see also CMS 8.62
UK
no periods; see also CMS 8.31
type treatment with punctuation
see CMS 6.2–6.4
trademarks
The as part of a publication’s or organization’s title
although many entities officially include The as part of their titles, put the word in lowercase roman type; see also CMS 8.170
Terrace, the
lowercase the, capitalize Terrace when referring to the Memorial Union Terrace; use wording that could not be confused with Madison’s Monona Terrace Convention Center; see also Monona Terrace Convention Center
teaching assistant
see TA, TAs
TA, TAs
no periods in this abbreviation for teaching (not teacher or teacher’s) assistant
subheads
student classifications
lowercase freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior when referring to an individual student or to the class as a whole: She is a senior history major; The senior class sponsored the lecture
student-athlete
with a hyphen
sports scores
see scores
spirit squad
lowercase unless it’s the UW Spirit Squad; see also UW Spirit Squad
speakers bureau (renamed Badger Talks in 2019)
no apostrophe; it is not possessive
spacing after end punctuation
one space, not two
sleeved
use sleeved vs. sleeve with adjectives: long-sleeved T-shirt
sic
used in roman text, with brackets, following an incorrectly used word or phrase to indicate that it’s a mistake made by the person who’s quoted, not by the writer; frequently written as [sic]
senior class gift
lowercase
senator
see CMS 8.22
Senate
see CMS 8.62
semimonthly, semiweekly
semiannual
biannual, biennial, semiannual
biannual means twice a year and is a synonym for semiannual; biennial means every two years
salutations
use a comma, not a colon, following salutations
RSVP
French for Répondez, s’il vous plait, which means Please respond; using please with the phrase is redundant because the SVP portion already says that; do not use it as a noun; Please reply, Please respond, or Please register are good substitutes
rowing team
teams
use these forms: Olympic team, U.S. national team, UW men’s basketball team; use rowing team or crew when referring to rowers because crew team is redundant; see also crew
rock ’n’ roll
use apostrophes around the n
research and development
see R&D
Republican
see CMS 8.66
representative (in Congress)
see CMS 8.22
registered marks, trademarks
do not use ™ or ® in journalistic text, but they are used with, e.g., The Red Shirt™, the Wisconsin Alumni Association®, and BADGER HUDDLE®; see also CMS 8.153
Red Shirt™ The
see The Red Shirt
The Red Shirt™ (TRS)
use the ™ on at least the first reference; using the ™ on every reference is also acceptable; always include and capitalize The; a comma goes after the ™; The Red Shirt™, Ninth Edition; write out editions First through Ninth; use numerals for editions 10th and higher
Rathskeller
note the -er ending; its nicknames are the Rath and the Rat
R&D
use when referring to research and development work, departments, or efforts; no space before or after the ampersand
Qur’an, Koran
Koran is preferred; see also CMS 8.103
quotations
In front of the attribution line following a quotation, use an em dash and a space:
“Why wonder why when you’re green?”
— Kermit the Frog
Q & A
put a space before and after the ampersand.
Pyle Center, the
lowercase the in running text; in stacked information (e.g., in invitations), use just Pyle Center (not The Pyle Center)
punctuation
use the Chicago Manual of Style for nonnews material; use the Associated Press Stylebook for news releases and Inside UW–Madison
pull quotes
put quotation marks around material if it is a quotation within the article; do not use quotation marks if the material is merely pulled text; do not use brackets for inserted material because they create clutter
prizes
see awards, prizes
president-elect
hyphenate
presale
do not hyphenate
pregame
do not hyphenate
PowerPoint
one word, capitalize the internal P
Posse
not an acronym; use an initial cap (but not all caps) in references to the Posse Foundation
political affiliations/parties
Put D, R, or I (for Independent) in parentheses, followed by a hyphen, followed by the two-letter state code in national references or the city name in state references: John Smith (D-WI), Matt Johnson (R-MA), Jack Johnson (I-Wauwatosa)
p.m., a.m.
see times
photo credits
use something like this, with colons and semicolons: Front cover (3): John Brown; inside right: Larry Holmes; inside left (2): Jeff Miller; back cover, top: Paula Abdul; back cover (left center, right center, bottom): Harry Reasoner
photo captions
see captions
people’s titles
see titles of people
PEOPLE
all caps; stands for Precollege Enrichment Opportunity Program for Learning Excellence; adding program after PEOPLE is redundant
pass/fail
lowercase, with a forward slash
page numbers
use numerals for all page numbers (even 1), no matter where they appear
over, more than
see more than, over
On Wisconsin magazine
“magazine” is lowercase roman; On Wisconsin magazine, originally called The Wisconsin Alumni Magazine, was first published in 1899; its name changed several times, from The Wisconsin Alumnus to just Wisconsin Alumnus to Wisconsin Alumni to On Wisconsin magazine
On, Wisconsin!
this beloved expression comes from the UW’s beloved fight song; it includes a comma because it’s a form of direct address; when it’s run into a longer sentence such as Thanks, and on, Wisconsin!, the on becomes lowercase
one-time, onetime
one-time refers to something that happened only once; onetime means former
One Alumni Place
part of the Martin and Florence Below Alumni Center; it opens on to Alumni Park; also referred to as the One Alumni Place Visitor Center
okay
not OK, O.K., ok, or o.k
Ohio State University
Do not include the or The before the name of the institution.
Office of the Provost
provost’s office is acceptable on subsequent references
Office of Admissions and Recruitment
admissions office is acceptable on subsequent references
Numen Lumen
use initial caps and roman
9/11
9/11 is acceptable in references to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks; see also CMS 9.35
navy
see CMS 8.112
National Institutes of Health
despite the plural Institutes, it takes a singular verb
My UW
the personalized web portal for UW–Madison and a single entry point into secure information provided by the university (My UW); it gives students access to information on grades, tuition accounts, financial aid, and housing
Motion W
When referring to UW–Madison’s athletics logo, capitalize the full name: Motion W (uppercase, no italic).
See also W Crest.
more than, over
use more than when something can be counted: She bought more than 20 books; in general, over refers to spatial relationships: She jumped over the chair
moon
see CMS 8.141
months
Spell out in running text when not used with a day of the week: February 2, 2017. Abbreviate January (Jan.), February (Feb.), August (Aug.), September (Sept.), October (Oct.), November (Nov.), and December (Dec.) when used with a day of the week: Thursday, Feb. 2, 2017. Do not abbreviate March, April, May, June, or July. The following style is also acceptable: 28 March 2017. When writing for news releases or Inside UW–Madison, abbreviate months when used with a date, with the exception of March, April, May, June, and July, which are always spelled out.
Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center
the official name of the Madison convention center; it should not be called (anything resembling) the Frank Lloyd Wright Convention Center
money
see CMS 9.20 and 9.24
military organizations
see CMS 8.112
mic
see mike, mic
mike, mic
use mike, not mic, for the abbreviation of microphone
men
Memorial Union Theater
there’s no such thing; the proper title is the Wisconsin Union Theater; also called the Union Theater
Memorial Union
see Wisconsin Union
matching gift (noun), matching-gift (adjective)
He will make a matching gift; Fill out the matching-gift form; Use the matching-gift process online; see also CMS 5.92 and 7.85
marines
see CMS 8.112
marching band
maiden/birth/former names
magazine issues
Madison Magazine
initial caps, italicize
Madison College
Madison Area Technical College (MATC)
The official name of the college is Madison Area Technical College (MATC). On second reference or in an informal context, use Madison College.
Lowell Center, the
lowercase the in running text; in stacked information (e.g., in invitations), use just Lowell Center (not The Lowell Center)
Library Mall
initial caps
libraries
University of Wisconsin–Madison Libraries, UW–Madison Libraries, the libraries, Memorial Library, College Library
legislature
see CMS 8.62
legal cases
see court cases
Law School
capitalized; the Law School prefers UW Law School (not the UW Law School) or University of Wisconsin Law School (not School of Law)
Latin scholarly words and phrases
La Follette
in references to Fighting Bob La Follette, 1879; Belle Case La Follette 1879, LLB 1885; their family; or any people or entities that have descended from them, put a space between La and Follette
LaBahn Arena
no space between La and Bahn
Koran, Qur’an
Koran is preferred; see also CMS 8.103
kickoff, kick off
one word as a noun or adjective; two words as a verb
issue names, magazine
in On Wisconsin and Badger Insider magazines, capitalize the name of the season (i.e., the name of the issue), whether the year is included or not: the Spring 2015 issue, the Fall issue
initials
see middle initials
middle initials
in general, do not use a middle initial unless the person is adamant about including it or it appears in the official name of an endowment, foundation, award, scholarship, or the like.
initialisms
Incorporated, Inc.
delete when possible, but when it’s used, see CMS 6.48
Sr.
see Jr., Sr., III
husband
spouse, wife, husband
all are acceptable
house fellow
two words
House (House of Representatives)
see CMS 8.62
home page
two words
Homecoming Weekend
capitalize both words
Homecoming parade
but UW Homecoming Parade
Homecoming
uppercase the UW event’s name; lowercase in generic usages
H’m
not H’mm or Hm or Hmm
Helen C. White Library
there’s no such thing; see College Library at Helen C. White Hall
halftime
noun or adjective
green space
two words
Grandparents University® (GPU)
the program name was registered in 2007 without the plural possessive apostrophe on Grandparents; add the ® mark on at least the first reference; using the ® mark on every reference is also acceptable
government terms
see CMS 8.62–8.65 regarding legislative, administrative, and governmental bodies’ terms
governmental/civil titles
see CMS 8.22 and titles of people
girls
GI Bill
provides educational assistance to service members and veterans
Fulbright scholar
common usage has frequently shortened the name to just Fulbright, but the fellowship program’s official name is Fulbright-Hays; there are several types of Fulbrights and various specific names for them, but they are mostly fellowships, so the generic word grant (but not scholarship) typically works when referring to them; the generic word scholar can refer to a recipient
Founders’ Day(s) (FD)
use the plural possessive apostrophe
Foundation, the
see UW Foundation
former/birth names
football Saturday(s)
see also Game Day
Game Day
noun or adjective when referring to UW football (home and away) Game Days only; initial caps
Flamingle, the
although The is in the official name of the Wisconsin Alumni Association’s weekly enewsletter, use lowercase roman type for “the;” see CMS 8.70
first-come, first-served
use hyphens and separate with a comma
file share (noun); file-share (adjective); share files (verb)
options when writing about sharing files
file names
use all caps and no periods for, e.g., PDF, JPEG, JPG, TIF, GIF
Fifth Quarter
initial caps
Field House
the official name is the Wisconsin (not UW) Field House; do not capitalize the in the Field House or the Wisconsin Field House
fellow
capitalize when used in reference to a specific, named fellowship: He was recently named a Fulbright Fellow; in most cases, however, it will be lowercase: Jacob Hoke, a new fellow of the American Academy of Metallurgy; lowercase on all subsequent references
farmers’ market
plural possessive
initial cap
Ex College
short for Alexander Meiklejohn’s 1920s Experimental College at the University of Wisconsin; use quotation marks on the first reference only.
email addresses
use roman type with no brackets or parentheses; put a period after the address if it falls at the end of a sentence; break it at the @ sign or a period if it’s necessary to carry it to the next line
Do not hyphenate email, but hyphenate e-book, e-business, e-commerce.
Elvehjem Museum of Art
the former name of the Chazen Museum of Art
ellipses
Put a space between the word and the ellipsis points: word#…#word; word#…; or complete sentence.#…#complete sentence. See also CMS 13.50 – 13.58.
eldercare
one word
Editor’s Note
used in articles and after letters to the editor to give further explanations; put the words Editor’s Note: (with a colon) in italics; use roman type for the rest of the text, with no parentheses or brackets around the note
earth, Earth
see CMS 8.140
dormitory, dorm
use residence hall instead
dollar figures
see CMS 9.20 and 9.24
different from, different than
use from, not than
Department of Athletics
Democrat
see CMS 8.66
degree years
Use only on the first reference within an article; do not include letters before a bachelor’s degree; do not use periods with the degree abbreviation; do not use a space between the degree and two-digit class year; use a close single quote (apostrophe) to precede the year (it’s ’, not ‘); use a comma to separate each degree: Jim Hoyt ’65, MS’67, PhD’70.
If someone did not — or has not yet — graduated from UW–Madison, use an x before the year that s/he would have graduated or will graduate: rock star Steve Miller x’67. There is no space between the x and the year; include the apostrophe with the year; with advanced degrees, the x goes between the degree and the year: MDx’61, DVMx’75, PhDx’54, MAx’90.
Write out degree years occurring in the 19th century as, e.g., John Bluephie 1880, MS1883, PhD1885. Write out degree years occurring in the 20th century between (and including) 1900 and the current degree year as, e.g., Jane Brownstone 1900, MA1902, PhD1905; but Lowell Evan Noland PhD’24. When a new graduation year dawns, add 19 to the corresponding 20th-century year in a rolling, 100-year fashion.
See also names and degrees for the treatment of couples’ names.
degree year and student status
when referring to a current student, either use an x or make a reference to his/her academic year status (but not both): John Borman x’21 or John Borman, a freshman
decades
examples are the nineties, the 1980s and 1990s, the 1980s and ’90s; for the first decade of a century use, e.g., years 2000–2009, not 2000s or ’00s; for the second decade of a century use, e.g., second decade or 2010s; see also CMS 9.33
dean’s list
include apostrophe in this list of high-achieving students
Office of Student Assistance and Support (formerly Dean of Students Office)
The Office of Student Assistance and Support is a primary resource for students navigating personal, academic, or health issues to get the help they need.
Formerly called the Dean of Students Office, the office was renamed in June 2024 to better reflect its mission. Its function and structure remain the same.
dates
use a comma after a date that includes the year: Students must submit an application by March 3, 2019, to be eligible for the program; do not use a comma with a month and year if there is no date included: fall 2019, March 2020; see also CMS 6.38
en dashes
An en dash connects numbers and sometimes words: 2010–14, 11 a.m.–4 p.m., UW–Madison. It also shows a range in numbers and words: 20–25 people, Monday–Friday. Use an en dash with open compound modifiers: pre–School of Pharmacy course. When connecting years with from, also use the word to, not an en dash: from 1980 to 1986, not from 1980–1986. For news releases or Inside UW–Madison, use a hyphen to connect years: 1980-86. Do not put spaces on either side. See also CMS 6.78–6.84.
em dashes
An em dash sets off an amplifying or explanatory element, separates a subject or series of subjects, or indicates a sudden break in thought or sentence structure: We will fly to Paris — if I get a raise. Put a space before and after the em dash, which is an exception to Chicago style. Do not use a pair of hyphens to create an em dash. See also en dashes, hyphens, and CMS 6.85–6.92.
Dane County Farmers’ Market
Farmers’ is plural possessive in this proper name
Daily Cardinal, the
although The is in its official name, use lowercase roman type for “the”; see CMS 8.170
crew
crew team is redundant; it’s crew, the crew, or the team; see also teams
courtesy titles
in general, do not use Dr., Mrs., Mr., or Ms; a written-out courtesy title that helps to put a person’s role in context (President Kennedy, Chancellor Mnookin, Dean Wilcots, Professor Jenkins) may be used on first reference
court cases
italicize the names of legal cases, including the abbreviation v. (for versus): Bloomfield Village Drain Dist. v. Keefe, Miranda v. Arizona; a case name may be shortened in subsequent discussion: the Miranda case or simply Miranda; see also versus and CMS 8.82
coursework
one word
couples’ names
couple
words that stand for a group of things can mean the group as a whole (and thus take a singular verb) or the individual members of the group (and thus, a plural verb); the presence of the before the word often indicates that it’s singular: The couple lives in apartment 9A; when a comes before the word, and especially when of comes after it, it’s probably plural: A couple of professors live in apartment 9A
Congress
uppercase when referring to the U.S. Congress (or just Congress), which comprises the Senate and the House of Representatives; see also CMS 8.61
comprehensive campaign
use lowercase to refer to a multiyear campaign with campus audiences when not using its proper name; refer to it only by its proper name to noncampus audiences; use campaign on second reference; the proper name of the fourth comprehensive campaign in university history, which took place from 2015-21, was All Ways Forward, which uses initial caps, roman type, and no quotation marks
compare with, compare to
compare with means to discern both similarities and differences; compare to notes primarily similarities
communication arts
lowercase
alumnihood
lowercase, one word
commencement
lowercase for generic references to the ceremony; uppercase can be used in the official titles of events
College Library at Helen C. White Hall
this is the proper name of the library that is often (incorrectly) referred to as the Helen C. White Library or White Library or just Helen C.
co
our dictionary advocates spellings such as copresident, cofounder, coeditor, coauthor, and codirector with no hyphens; see the dictionary for the few exceptions that use hyphens
class years
see degree years
Class of …
capitalize Class when referring to an entire graduating class; see also graduation classes
graduation classes
capitalize Class when referring to a specific, entire graduating class: Class of 1984; using the abbreviated form of the year is acceptable: ’59, ’98; see also degree years
civil/governmental titles
see CMS 8.22 and titles of people
cities
use this list to determine whether to include a state or country name after the city name; if it’s on this list, the city name may stand alone
International cities:
Barcelona, Beijing, Hong Kong, London, Madrid, Mexico City, Moscow, Munich, Paris, Rome, and Tokyo; but do use the country with Seoul, South Korea
U.S. cities:
Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Green Bay, Honolulu, Houston, Indianapolis, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Madison (except if it’s Madison in a state other than Wisconsin), Manhattan, Miami, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Minneapolis/Saint Paul, New Orleans, New York City (when identified this way, but not just New York for the city), Omaha, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, Salt Lake City, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Tampa, Twin Cities, and Tucson; but do use the state with Kansas City (Missouri or Kansas), Portland (Oregon or Maine), and Saint Louis (Missouri)
cheesemaker
one word
Chazen Museum of Art
formerly known as the Elvehjem Museum of Art
chapters/clubs
chancellor’s office
Office of the Chancellor
chancellor’s office is acceptable on subsequent references
Carillon
uppercase for the bell tower on campus
captions
in On Wisconsin and Badger Insider, do not use graduation years in photo captions unless the individuals’ names do not appear elsewhere in a story; if one or some people are mentioned in an article that accompanies the photo, and one or others are not, use graduation years for all of the people listed in the photo caption; do not use boldface with names and graduation years in captions; see also photo references/identification
Capital Times, the
although The is in its official name, use lowercase roman type for “the”; see CMS 8.170
campuswide
also citywide, countywide, nationwide, statewide, systemwide, worldwide, but university-wide
Camp Randall Stadium
home for Wisconsin’s football team
bylines
Use graduation year(s) if the writer is a graduate; use birth/former name(s) unless the writer does not wish to include it/them. If a writer has more than one byline within a section of a publication, use the full name and graduation year(s) (if applicable) on the first reference and initials with no graduation year(s) on subsequent references. This does not apply to photo credits.
bulleted information
Regardless of the style chosen for a document — complete sentences or not, end punctuation or not, an initial cap on the first word of each bulleted item or not, and the like — remain consistent throughout that particular document. If a second sentence is added to an item — which drives end punctuation on the first sentence — then all items in the bulleted list should have end punctuation.
buildings
capitalize official names of campus facilities; on second reference, lowercase if a proper name is not used: the Mosse Humanities Building, the building, construction on Vilas; the word building may be used to prevent confusion with the academic department of the same name, but do not capitalize building in these cases: the Law School, the Law School building; in most cases, building names can stand alone: Grainger Hall, Nancy Nicholas Hall
boys, men, girls, women
people who are of high school age or younger are boys and girls; people who are of college age or older are men and women
UW System Board of Regents
The 17-member panel that oversees the Universities of Wisconsin. Use the University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents or the UW System Board of Regents on first reference; regents, board of regents, or board (all lowercase) are acceptable on second reference.
While the Universities of Wisconsin is the preferred name for the collective of the 13 four-year campuses, the entity’s legal name remains the University of Wisconsin System. The board of regents continues to use the legal name:
- University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents; UW System Board of Regents
- Jane Doe, president of the University of Wisconsin System; UW System president Jane Doe
See also board of directors, board of regents, board of visitors; Universities of Wisconsin (formerly UW System); and regent, regents.
birth/former names
names and degrees
To clarify how to use birth/former names, married names, and degrees with couples, here are some examples. Badger Insider’s Badger Pride section, however, does not follow this convention:
- John Wilson ’56
- Mabel Smith Wilson ’57
- John Wilson ’56 and Mabel Smith Wilson ’57
- John Wilson ’56 and Mabel Smith-Wilson ’57
- John Wilson ’56 and Mabel Smith ’57
- John Smith-Wilson ’56 and Mabel Smith-Wilson ’57
- John Wilson and Mabel Smith Wilson ’57
- John Wilson ’56 and Mabel Smith Wilson (or just Mabel Wilson, because she doesn’t have a grad year, and thus, we’d probably leave out the birth/former name)
- John Wilson ’56, JD’58, PhD’60 and Mabel Smith Wilson ’57, MA’59, DVM’62
The Badger Pride list in Badger Insider uses the following more condensed format which doesn’t include birth/former names. (The In Memoriam listings in Badger Insider do include birth/former names.)
- John ’56 and Mabel ’57 Wilson
- John Wilson ’56 and Mabel Smith-Wilson ’57
- John ’56 and Mabel ’57 Smith-Wilson
- John and Mabel ’57 Wilson
- John ’56 and Mabel Wilson
- John ’56, JD’58, PhD’60 and Mabel ’57, MA’59, DVM’62 Wilson
- John Wilson ’56 and Mabel Smith ’57
If a last name is hyphenated, use the first name of the hyphenated pair for alphabetical-order purposes. If there are three names (one first and two that appear to be last names), but the second two are not hyphenated, use the third name (i.e., the second last name) for alphabetical-order purposes.
Big Red
capitalize
Below Alumni Center
BC
means before Christ; do not use periods; BC follows the year; see also CMS 9.34, 10.38
band
UW Marching Band, UW Varsity Band
the university’s best-known band is called the UW Marching Band in the fall (when it marches) and the UW Varsity Band in the spring (when it plays indoor concerts); use marching band on second reference when discussing the UW Marching Band
Badger yearbook
do not use The or Yearbook as part of the title
Badgerwear
for references to clothing products that Badgers wear
send-off (noun and adjective), send off (verb)
Badger Insider magazine (BI)
WAA’s magazine for its members; “magazine” is lowercase roman
BADGER HUDDLE®
Use the registered mark; write the phrase in all caps; including the is acceptable. Sometimes context calls for usage such as the Purdue BADGER HUDDLE®. Never say just HUDDLES, but BADGER HUDDLE® tailgates is acceptable. Use the initial-capped (but not all-capped) Huddle on subsequent references to a BADGER HUDDLE®. Periods and commas go after the ®. The word huddle is lowercase when referring to a literal football huddle or a gathering that’s figuratively called a huddle.
Badger Herald, the
although The is in its official name, use lowercase roman type for “the”; see CMS 8.170
Babcock ice cream
the brand name is Babcock Hall ice cream because it’s made by the Babcock Hall Dairy Plant, but an acceptable nickname is Babcock ice cream
Axe
with a final e in reference to the Badgers’ football rivalry with Minnesota for Paul Bunyan’s Axe
a while, awhile
generally a preposition (typically for, after, or in) precedes a while, but awhile stands alone
awards, prizes
uppercase Award or Prize when referring to a specific award (Sparkplug Award), but lowercase when generic (the award); see also CMS 8.83
athletics department
In formal references, use UW Department of Athletics or Department of Athletics; in informal references or on second reference, use athletics department (with an s on athletics); as a generic description of the sports program in general, UW athletics is acceptable.
associate degree
not associate’s degree
artist-in-residence, artists-in-residence
hyphenate
army
see CMS 8.112
Arboretum, the
uppercase when referring to the UW Arboretum; lowercase with generic references to arboretums
appositives
names in appositive form
Use commas when there is only one such person because it’s redundant information; do not use commas when there is more than one such person; see also CMS 5.23. An example: Mary’s husband, John, and her son Greg went with her. In this example, Mary has only one husband, so his name is set off with commas: John is a “restatement” of husband. Mary has more than one son, so the commas with Greg are eliminated to show which son is being referred to specifically, from among the other possibilities. If she had only one son, his name would also be set off by commas.
Annual Campaign
refer to this as the University of Wisconsin–Madison Annual Campaign, with initial caps, on first reference; UW–Madison Annual Campaign is also acceptable; use Annual Campaign (uppercase) on second reference; a generic reference with the year would be, e.g., 2019 Annual Campaign (uppercase)
ampersand
the ampersand (&) is not a substitute for and; use it only when an entity includes it as part of its official name
Alumni Park
the park and green space between One Alumni Place and the Memorial Union Terrace; opened in October 2017; capitalize these areas of the park: Badger Pride Wall, Alumni Way, Progress Point, The Lantern; do not capitalize these areas of the park: the fountain, welcome plaza, areas of distinction, Bucky Badger sculpture (its title is Well Red), outdoor classroom; the park’s website is alumnipark.com/
alumni chapters/clubs
Never use club, even though some Wisconsin Alumni Association alumni chapters refer to themselves that way; terms such as group or alumni community are acceptable to provide variety. Use alumni chapter as a generic reference, and use, e.g., Seattle alumni chapter or Seattle chapter as a quasi-generic reference. For specific references, use the WAA reference first (written out or abbreviated as WAA), then a colon, then the capitalized word Chapter, as in Wisconsin Alumni Association: Fox Valley Chapter; WAA: Fox Valley Chapter; Wisconsin Alumni Association: Big Apple Badgers Chapter; WAA: Motor City Badgers Chapter.
Martin and Florence Below Alumni Center, the
WAA’s headquarters building at 650 N. Lake Street is currently called the Martin and Florence Below (pronounced BEE-loh) Alumni Center; subsequent references are the Below Alumni Center, the alumni center, or the center; as of the renovation that was completed in 2017, the building now includes One Alumni Place, which opens on to Alumni Park
alum
use this term only in informal contexts; see also alumnus, alumna, alumni, alumnae
All Ways Forward
the name of the comprehensive campaign held from 2015-21
all of a sudden
not all of the sudden
all-American
always hyphenated; all is always lowercase unless it refers to the Associated Press–chosen All-American football or basketball team.
air force
see CMS 8.112
AD
stands for anno Domini, Latin for in the year of the Lord; do not use periods; AD precedes the year; see also CMS 9.34 and 10.38
academic titles
Capitalize and spell out formal titles such as professor, dean, president, chancellor, professor emeritus, and chair when they precede a name: Chancellor John Doe, Professor Jane Doe, Dean John Smith; but John Doe, chancellor; John Smith, dean; or Jane Doe, professor. Lowercase modifiers: music professor Jane Doe, department chair Jane Doe, or Jane Doe, professor of music. Capitalize formal titles of named professorships on all references: Jane Doe has been named the Bascom Professor of Art; Jane Doe, Bascom Professor of Art, received the award; Jane Doe, Bascom Professor Emerita of Art, gave the lecture. Named/endowed professorships, deanships, and the like should be listed before other titles in signature lines and biographies. See also titles of people.
athletics scores
see scores
scores
use numerals and an en dash between the numerals of sports scores; see CMS 6.78