University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
University Marketing and Media Relations Style Guide
Our goals are clarity, consistency and brevity. In general, our office follows Associated Press style and Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary. Exceptions, additions and reminders are listed below.
abbreviations and acronyms – Avoid using abbreviations, acronyms or long unwieldy names on second reference. Using a generic term is usually more appropriate. Ninety students from UW-Whitewater will study abroad over the next two years thanks to a $100,000 grant from the Institute for Study Abroad Foundation. UW-Whitewater is the only university in Wisconsin to receive a grant from the foundation.
academic degrees – Use bachelor’s degreein finance or master’s degree in human resource management, or Bachelor of Arts.
academic titles – Capitalize before a name; lowercase when used alone or in constructions that set them off from a name by commas. Assistant Professor Michael Bennett wrote a book on the Theatre of the Absurd. Beverly Kopper, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs, introduced the student commencement speaker.
adviser – Not advisor.
alumni – Identify University of Wisconsin-Whitewater alumni by year(s) of graduation. Jeff Angileri ’06.
ampersand (&) – Do not use an ampersand in place of “and.” It should be used, however, when it is part of a company’s formal name or composition title.
a.m., p.m. – Lowercase, with periods. Use noon and midnight.
campus locations – Include the name of the building, not its initials, and the room number. Auditions will be held in James R. Connor University Center, room 261. See list of building names below.
capitalization – Capitalize only the first word in headings unless the headings refer to proper names. Formal titles (people) are capitalized when used immediately before a name and lowercased when used alone or in constructions that set them off from a name by commas. Chancellor Richard Telfer attended the open forum. The chancellor attended the open forum. Myrna McCallister, director of Andersen Library, cut the ribbon.
comma (,) – Use commas to separate elements in a series, but do not put a comma before the conjunction in a simple series. The flag is red, white and blue. He would nominate Tom, Dick or Harry.
course names – Capitalize proper names (English) and course names followed by a number (Speech 204). Use lower case for general course names (history class, chemistry class).
dates – Include the day of the week, month and date (Tuesday, Jan. 6). Use the year only if needed for clarity. When a phrase lists only a month and a year, do not separate the year with a comma. January 2011. When a phrase includes a date, set off the years with commas. Commencement dates are set for Saturday, Dec. 18, 2010, and Saturday, May 14, 2011.
department names – Use the full name and capitalize it. Mathematical and Computer Sciences Department.
doctor – Do not use Dr. as a title for individuals who hold Ph.D.s.
email – One word; no dash.
events – Always list events in the following order: time, day of the week, month, date and place. The Warhawks will take on UW-Oshkosh at 6 p.m. Friday, Jan. 9, in Gym 1 of the D.L.K./David L. Kachel Fieldhouse.
faculty -- Refers to a group, not individuals. For individuals, use faculty members or members of the faculty. Do not write “three faculty.”
hyphen (-) – When a compound modifier – two or more words that express a single concept – precedes a noun, use hyphens to link all the words in the compound except all adverbs that end in –ly. A first-quarter touchdown, a full-time student, an easily remembered rule.
Note: Many combinations that are hyphenated before a noun are not hyphenated when they occur after a noun. Marcia works full time.
majors, minors – Names of majors and minors are always lowercase except for words that are proper nouns. Marcia is an elementary education major. Steve is an English major.
numerals – Spell out whole numbers below 10, use figures for 10 and above. The wheelchair basketball team won five national championships. There are 15 players on the team.
For ordinals, spell out first through ninth. Starting with 10th use figures.
students -- Include a student’s year in school, major and hometown when possible. For example, Carmen Zimmerman of Rosendale was named the December 2010 student commencement speaker. She will receive a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a major in marketing and a bachelor of arts degree with a journalism major and an emphasis in advertising.
telephone numbers – Use figures without parentheses. The form: 123-456-7890.
Time, date, place – Write the information in that order. The game begins at 6 p.m. Friday, Jan. 9, in Gym 1 of the DLK/David L. Kachel Fieldhouse.
times – When listing times, use the connector “to.” The dance will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. In listings, however, dashes (--) are acceptable.
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater – Spell out completely on first reference; shorten to “UW-Whitewater” on subsequent references. Never use UWW or UW-W in our publications.
Web – Short form of World Wide Web, it is always capitalized in such phrases as Web page and Web feed. But website is one word. Also webcam, webcast, webmaster. Omit at beginning of URLs.
Willie Warhawk – Should be “Willie” not “Willy.”
Wisconsin – Do not add “Wis.” after locations in the state unless needed for clarity. Use the postal abbreviation “WI” only in complete addresses that include a zip code.
List of UW-Whitewater buildings
Alumni Center
Ambrose Health Center
Andersen Library
Arey Hall
Baseball Service Building
Benson Hall
Bigelow Hall
Campus Ministry
Carlson Hall
Clem Hall
Coulthart Family Pavilion
Drumlin Hall
Esker Hall
Fischer Hall
Fricker Hall
General Services Building
Goodhue Hall
Greenhill Center of the Arts
Heat Plant
Heide Hall
Hyer Hall
Innovation Center
Timothy J. Hyland Hall
James R. Connor University Center
DLK/David L. Kachel Fieldhouse (see below for clarification on Kachel locations)
Knilans Hall
Lee Hall
Log Cabin
McCutchan Hall
McGraw Hall
Moraine Hall
Observatory
Perkins Stadium/Athletic Building
Red School House
Roseman Building
Starin Hall
Student Athletic Complex
Tutt Hall
Upham Hall
Visitor Center
Warhawk Alley (formerly UC Rec Center)
Wellers Hall
Wells Hall/East
Wells Hall/West
White Hall
Whitewater University Technology Park
Williams Center
Winther Hall
Young Auditorium
Kachel Family Sports Complex (athletic facilities, including Perkins Stadium)
DLK/David L. Kachel Fieldhouse (connected to the Williams Center)
Kachel Gymnasium (second floor of Williams Center)
Kachel Center (connects Young Auditorium and Greenhill Center of the Arts)
Kachel Center for Innovation and Business Development (located in Hyland Hall)
10/13/18