A

A-State

Most common reference for the Jonesboro campus of Arkansas State University.  This usage is preferred as second reference after the full institution name, rather than the acronym “ASU.”  A-State is represented graphically by the “block A-State” logo.

academic degrees

When using abbreviations to describe the academic degrees a person holds, use: B.A., M.A., D.O., Ph.D., etc. (for a full list of all degrees offered, consult the university website, "Degree programs")

The degrees conferred by A-State are associate, bachelor, master's and doctorate. 

A person receives a doctorate (as a noun) and holds a doctoral (the adjective) degree.

academic departments

Capitalize the formal names of academic departments: Department of Chemistry, Department of English.
Do not capitalize names of academic departments (except language departments) that begin with the subject: chemistry department, English department.

academic majors

Lowercase academic majors except proper nouns: history, East Asian studies, English, international relations.

academic titles

Arkansas State uses Dr. as a courtesy title for a person holding any doctoral degree whether Ph.D., Ed.D. or juris doctorate.  This is used on first reference in articles; with second and subsequent reference, revert to AP Style, usually last name only.

Do not use: “Dr. John Smith, Ph.D.” It is either Dr. John Smith or John Smith, Ph.D.
Do not use double titles: "Chancellor Dr. John Doe“ is never correct.

acronyms

Acronyms are acceptable on first reference only when the acronym is common knowledge such as FBI . Do not use SGA or SAB without first spelling out the Student Government Association or Student Activities Board.

Spell out names on first reference, use acronym on second reference: He received a grant from the National Institutes of Health. The NIH is one of the world’s foremost research centers. Or: He received a grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

acting, former

Don’t capitalize in a formal name as part of a title. She said acting Dean John Doe would be there. He introduced former A-State President John Doe.

addresses, buildings and facilities

Street addresses for the campus buildings are available online .

adviser, not advisor

Administration, Arkansas State

African-American

Preferred term for referring to an American black person of African descent.

all-, All- 

In the generic, use all-state, all-district, all-Arkansas, all-American. When used in proper names of teams, capitalize Sun Belt All-Conference, AP All-America, etc.

alma mater

Use lowercase when describing the college one attended.
Uppercase is reserved for the song and is placed in quotes: "Alma Mater."

Alma Mater (song)

The title of the song commonly known as the "Alma Mater," is "Hail to ASU," credited to Dr. H. C. Manor, with text revisions by Dr. Arthur Krida.  Manor and Krida were faculty members.

alumna, alumnae, alumni, alumnus

alumna - singular, female
alumnae - plural, women only
alumni - plural, men only or men and women
alumnus - singular, male
alum - singular, male or female; appropriate only in informal contexts

apartments

Collegiate Park Apartments (for upper level students)

Red Wolf Den Apartments (for upper level students)

Village Apartments (for graduate and non-traditional students, married students and single parents)

A-State Alumni Association

Organization with more than 90,000 former students.  Lifetime membership is called "1924 Sustaining Life Member."

Arch — see Memorial Arch

Arkansas Biosciences Institute at Arkansas State University 

(proper name)

The Arkansas Biosciences Institute (ABI) is an agricultural and medical research consortium dedicated to improving the health of Arkansans. Arkansas State is one of the participating institutions, along with Arkansas Children’s Hospital, University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture, University of Arkansas, and University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.

Arkansas General Assembly

The proper name of the legislative branch for the state government of Arkansas. (There is no such entity as the Arkansas Legislature.) The General Assembly consists of an upper branch, the Arkansas State Senate (with 35 members), and a lower branch, the Arkansas House of Representatives (with 100 members).

Arkansas State University Heritage Sites (see entry Heritage Sites, Arkansas State)

Arkansas State University System

The Arkansas State University System serves more than 37,000 students as the second-largest higher education system in Arkansas, with campuses in Arkansas cities of Arkadelphia, Beebe, Jonesboro, Mountain Home, Newport and West Memphis.  Additional instructional sites are located in other Arkansas communities. See "Appendix A" for ASU System style guide.

Arkansas'

Singular possessive, proper name.

ASU

See A-State.

ASU Loyalty Song

This is the official name of the song more commonly called the "Fight Song."

ASU-TV (proper name)

award, fellowship, scholarship

Capitalize when used with a formal name. Lowercase when referring to more than one formally named award, scholarship or fellowship.

athletics

A-State is NCAA Division I in the Sun Belt Conference with 16 intercollegiate sports. In football only, A‑State is Bowl Championship Subdivision; BCS on first reference is acceptable.

Athletics Department

Athletic Department is incorrect.

B

baccalaureate

bachelor of arts, bachelor of science

See academic degrees for guidelines.

Black

Not preferred; see entry for African American.

Board of Trustees

Capitalize, use board after first reference. Also, see “Arkansas State University System” style guide (Appendix A) for additional guidance.

Building names, major features, campus landmarks and abbreviations

Always uppercase. (May be abbreviated in campus announcements.)

C

campuses

Use campus or “sister campus” (not “branches”). 

The Arkansas State University System has six campuses: Henderson (in Arkadelphia), ASU-Beebe, A-State (in Jonesboro), ASU-Mountain Home, ASU-Newport, and ASU Mid-South (in West Memphis) and five instructional sites: ASU-Beebe at Heber Springs, ASU-Beebe at Searcy, ASU-Beebe at Little Rock Air Force Base, ASU-Newport at Jonesboro, ASU-Newport at Marked Tree, and Arkansas State Campus Queretaro in Mexico (See entry for more details on Campus Queretaro).

If needed for clarity, specify the campus to which the information refers, such as Arkansas State University-Newport on first reference, then ASU-Newport for second reference. Otherwise, stay with Arkansas State University.  For more detailed guidance, consult Appendix A for Arkansas State University System style guide.

campus-wide

Preferred adjective is campus-wide, as in “The campus-wide event will be observed Thursday.”  However, “Campus wide, the idea is popular."

Campus Queretaro

Established as an instructional site for Arkansas State University, A-State Campus Queretaro is located in the Mexican state of Queretaro outside of the state capital of Queretaro City near the international airport for the region.  It is the first American-style residential campus located in Mexico, and is a public-private partnership of Arkansas State University and the Mexican corporation identified as ASUCQ, A.C.  On first reference, spell out Arkansas State Campus Queretaro, with A-State Campus Queretaro or A-State CQ as second references to the educational operations and campus location.  ASUCQ is only allowed to reference the partner corporation that owns and maintains the physical plant of the campus.  As such, only in limited instances that specifically refer to this Mexican foundation should that term be used.  All other references should be the A-State CQ.  A-State CQ is an instructional site of Arkansas State; it is not a separate campus of the ASU System and should not be referred to as ASU-Q or ASUQ. For more information, go to AState.mx.

Carnegie Classification

At the beginning of 2019, Arkansas State University's Carnegie classification was elevated to "Doctoral Universities, High Research Activity," R2, based upon current level of a minimum of $5 million in research the past two years. Previously A-State was “Master's/regional," M1 classification.

Chancellor

The chief executive of each campus in the Arkansas State University System is the chancellor.  The president is chief executive officer of the Arkansas State University System.

college, academic colleges at A-State

As of the 2023-24 academic year, the colleges through which degrees are granted are:

• College of Agriculture
• Neil Griffin College of Business
• College of Engineering and Computer Science
• College of Liberal Arts and Communication
• College of Education and Behavioral Science
• College of Nursing and Health Professions
• Beck College of Sciences and Mathematics
• University College

Honors College provides a more rigorous program of study, but does not grant degrees.

The Department of Military Science is not a college but is usually listed with the units which offer degree programs.  Students can obtain a minor in military science.

(official) colors

Scarlet and black (not red and black)

Commencement

Fall Commencement is in December, Spring Commencement is in May, and Summer Commencement is in August.

D

dates

Always list dates with day of the week first, followed by a comma then month and day with comma and/or period. Use as follows:
Faculty honors will be Tuesday, June 11, in Fowler Center.
The Faculty Reception will be held at 1 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 5.
Note: See days of week and months of the year for correct style.

days of the week

Always spell out and never abbreviate any of the seven days of the week.

Dean’s List or Chancellor’s List

Uppercase in all uses: She is on the Dean’s List.

Dean B. Ellis Library

Use Dean B. Ellis Library on first reference, use library on second reference. Or, the library lawn.
Ellis Library is acceptable for clarity.

degrees

See academic degrees.

degrees with distinction

Lowercase: cum laude, magna cum laude , and summa cum laude.

department

See academic departments .

Disaster Preparedness Education, Regional Center for

The Regional Center for Disaster Preparedness Education, based in the College of Nursing and Health Professions, is an official regional training center recognized by the American Medical Association and National Disaster Life Support Foundation.

Distinguished Professorships, Chairs and Deans (by College)

doctoral, doctorate

See academic degrees or academic titles.

dorm, dormitory

Do not use; use residence hall.

E

Equine Center (see "Building and Facility Names" for complete names)

Email (AP says no hyphen needed)

Environmental Sciences Ph.D. Program (proper name)

F

Facility names (see "Building and Facility Names")

Faculty Senate (proper name)

fall semester

See semester.

Fight Song 

See entry "ASU Loyalty Song."

First-year, first-time

Use the compound adjective “first-year,” rather than “freshman," to refer to students who are arriving at A-State for their inaugural year.  Examples include: first-year residence hall, the First-Year Experience program, first-year scholarships.  Increasingly students arrive with concurrent credit hours from high school that make them academically sophomore (or second-year) students.  Many programs are directed at these first-time, first-year students, and for clarity, do not use the term “freshman.”.

Fowler Center

In most cases, it is Fowler Center – not "The" or "the Fowler Center." Never use “performing arts” as part of title. Fowler Center contains: (proper names)

• Bradbury Art Museum
• Grand Hall
• The A-State Theatre
• Riceland Hall
• The Simpson Theatre

The Fowler Center Series, ticketed professional performances, includes some presentations that are designated part of the Riceland Distinguished Presentation Series .  The Delta National Small Prints Exhibition is an annual event in the Bradbury Art Museum.

fraternities, sororities

The full, formal name should be used on first reference: Tau Kappa Epsilon . Abbreviations are acceptable on second reference, but avoid nicknames like Pike.

In reference to a fraternity’s or sorority’s building, the word house should be capitalized when it follows the name of the organization: Tau Kappa Epsilon House; fraternity house .

Greek-letter fraternities and sororities that are chapters of national organizations, with their campus charter date and nickname, are listed here; if the group has a house on campus, that is noted:

Fraternities:

• Alpha Gamma Rho, 1973 (AGR), house on Aggie Road near university farm
• Alpha Phi Alpha, 1973 (Alpha)
• Alpha Tau Omega, 1967 (ATO)
• Kappa Alpha, 1967 (KA), house on University Loop
• Kappa Alpha Psi, 1975 (Kappa)
• Kappa Sigma, 2014 (Kappa Sig)
• Lambda Chi Alpha, 1959 (Lambda Chi), house on University Loop.
• Omega Psi Phi, 1973 (Omega or "Ques")
• Phi Beta Sigma, 1979 (Sigma)
• Phi Delta Theta, 2021 (Phi Delt)
• Pi Kappa Alpha, 1948 (Pike), house on University Loop
• Sigma Chi, 1987 (Sigma Chi), house on University Loop
• Tau Kappa Epsilon, 1949, recolonized 2016 (Teke)

Sororities:

• Alpha Gamma Delta, 1948 (Alpha Gam), house on Aggie Road
• Alpha Kappa Alpha, 1973 (AKA)
• Alpha Omicron Pi, 1949 (AOPi), house on Aggie Road
• Chi Omega, 1961 (Chi O), house on Aggie Road
• Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, 2021 (Delta)
• Delta Zeta, 1991 (DZ), house on Aggie Road
• Hermandad de Sigma Iota Alpha, chapter colonized 2021 (SIA)
• Zeta Phi Beta, 1986 (Zeta)
• Zeta Tau Alpha, 1968, recolonized 2012 (Zeta), house on Aggie Road

Fight Song

Although it is commonly known as the "fight song," the name is "ASU Loyalty Song," credited to George L. "Pop" Hodge.

Freshman, freshmen

The plural form of the noun is freshmen.  However, as an adjective, freshman is always correct.

fund raising (n.), fund-raising (adj.), fund-raiser (n.)

Follow the examples:
Fund raising is difficult.
They planned a fund-raising campaign.
A fund-raiser was hired.

G

grade point average

Use GPA on second reference, but do not use periods in the abbreviation.

Greek letter social organizations (see fraternities, sororities entry)

H

Hemingway-Pfeiffer Museum and Educational Center

A program of Arkansas State, the center is the family home of Ernest Hemingway’s second wife, Pauline Pfeiffer. Also located on the grounds is a barn-studio where Hemingway penned portions of one of his most famous novels, “A Farewell to Arms.”

The Matilda and Karl Pfeiffer Foundation Museum opened in May 2004 across the street from Hemingway-Pfeiffer. Although related historically, it is not an Arkansas State University program.

Heritage Sites, Arkansas State

The Arkansas State University Heritage Sites Office develops and operates historic properties of regional and national significance in the Arkansas Delta. These sites provide educational resources for formal and informal learning, including serving as living laboratories for students in the university’s Heritage Studies Ph.D. program. In addition, they serve as economic catalysts in communities where they are located by attracting heritage tourists from around the country. 

A-State Heritage Sites also serves as an administrative agent for Arkansas Delta Byways, the official non-profit regional tourism promotion association serving 15 counties in the Arkansas Delta. These include Arkansas, Chicot, Clay, Craighead, Crittenden, Cross, Desha, Drew, Greene, Lee, Mississippi, Monroe, Phillips, Poinsett and St. Francis counties.

A-State Heritage Sites has been instrumental in developing and promoting two National Scenic Byways that traverse this region: the Crowley’s Ridge Parkway and the Arkansas segment of the 10-state Great River Road, which runs along both sides of the Mississippi River, from its headwaters at Lake Itasca, Minnesota, to the Gulf of Mexico.

See separate entries for the following:

• Historic Dyess Colony and Boyhood Home of Johnny Cash at Dyess, Mississippi County
• Historic V.C. Kays House
• Hemingway-Pfeiffer Museum and Educational Center at Piggott, Clay County
• Lakeport Plantation near Lake Village, Chicot County
• Rohwer Japanese American Relocation Center, at Rohwer, Desha County
• Southern Tenant Farmers Museum at Tyronza, Poinsett County

Heritage Studies Ph.D. Program (proper name) 

Historic Dyess Colony:  Boyhood Home of Johnny Cash (A-State Heritage Site)

A program of A-State’s Arkansas Heritage Sites since 2009, the Historic Dyess Colony:  Boyhood Home of Johnny Cash is under restoration at present. The complex includes the Dyess Administration Building, a Theatre/Community Shell and the Johnny Cash Boyhood Home. Working with the community, Arkansas Heritage Sites' goal is to make this site an international tourism destination. (Note: Note: the town’s name is pronounced “dice” not “dye-ess.”)

Historic V.C. Kays House (A-State Heritage Site)

1930s-era Tudor-style residence of the president of Arkansas State College (pre-university), V.C. Kays and his wife Bertie.  The three-level house, now listed in the National Register of Historic Places, is being renovated for purposes associated with the Governor Mike Beebe Economic Development & Education Institute and A-State Heritage Sites.

Honors College

Student selected to participate in the Honors College enjoy a place to live, a place to learn, and a place to belong, with emphasis on exceptional opportunities for academic and social enrichment.

Howl

See "Mascot" entry.

I

interim

Lowercase in all cases. An interim job title in academia is a position to which a person is appointed between the times an incumbent to a position steps down until a new person is hired to fill that position permanently.

K

KASU (proper name)

KASU is the oldest non-commercial radio station in Arkansas.  KASU-FM is not correct.  KASU, 91.9 FM, is acceptable.

Kays House (see Historic V.C. Kays House)

L

Lakeport Plantation (A-State Heritage Site)

A program of A-State’s Arkansas Heritage Sites, Lakeport Plantation is the only remaining Arkansas antebellum plantation home on the Mississippi River. Built in 1859 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974, the Greek Revival structure was gifted to Arkansas State University in 2001 by the Sam Epstein Angel family. After a five-year restoration period, the museum opened to the public.

library

(see Dean B. Ellis Library)

Lecture~Concert Series

A yearly series of performances and guest lectures on the Jonesboro campus.

Lettermen’s Club  is the proper name for the booster organization (not Letterman’s).

M

majors

See academic majors .

mascot

Red Wolves is the nickname for athletic teams. Howl and Scarlet are spirit characters. Howl was introduced at a football game on Sept. 6, 2008.

Memorial Arch

The Memorial Arch is the official name of the iconic historic arch located on the Jonesboro campus. In their will, the members of the Training School Class of 1927 referred to the arch by that name for the concrete structure they had gifted to the institution as a tribute to those who would follow them. Other references to arch or historic arch are lowercase.

months

Abbreviate only Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov., and Dec. 
The other months are not abbreviated.

N

Nursing and Health Professions, College of

The college facilities include the Nursing and Health Professions Building, the Donald W. Reynolds Center for Health Sciences, and portions of Eugene W. Smith Hall (See "buildings" for details)

NYIT

New York Institute of Technology’s College of Osteopathic Medicine at Arkansas State University is the medical school that opened in a renovated Wilson Hall in the fall of 2016.  On second reference, it may be called NYITCOM at A-State.  However, if reference is to the main campus at Old Westbury, Long Island, second reference would be simply NYIT.  The COM is a second instructional location of the main NYIT campus.  Do not use branch campus, per guidelines from COCA (the national accrediting agency).  Never refer to COM as belonging to A-State; the COM is co-located with A-State facilities, but it is NYIT's academic unit.  The NYIT editorial style manual also is available here .

O

off-campus (adj.), off campus (adv.)

Hyphenate when used as an adjective: The university is looking at off-campus housing as an option.
Write two words, without hyphenation when used as an adverb: The student moved off campus.
Guidelines are the same for on-campus and on campus .

office

Capitalize when part of a proper name: She submitted her story to the Office of Communications
Use lowercase in all other uses : He visited the dean’s office.

Online Degree programs

A-State Online, known for being convenient, affordable, and valuable, allows a student to achieve educational goals on the individual's schedule. One of the oldest online degree programs in Arkansas, the degrees earned through A-State Online are identical to those earned by the more than 80,000 alumni of Arkansas State University.  A complete list of online degrees offered at the undergraduate and graduate levels is available at: http://www.AState.edu/info/academics/degrees/index.dot?s=online-only

osteopathic medical school (see NYIT entry)

osteopathic medicine, doctor of

Use D.O. to abbreviate doctor of osteopathy.  See the NYIT entry. The NYIT editorial style manual also is available here .

P

p.m. and a.m., not PM or AM

see times

postbaccalaureate

One word. However, the preference is to state the name of the postbaccalaureate degree.

police

(See entry for University Police)

president

Capitalize president only as a formal title before a name: ASU System President Chuck Welch. Capitalize president in its various forms when part of the formal title of an event, such as: The President’s Reception will be held in the Cooper Center.  Do not capitalize president in general usage or second reference, such as: The president directs the planning process.
See titles of people.

professor

Basic academic ranks are four, in this order: instructor, assistant professor, associate professor, and professor.
Capitalize these titles as a formal title before a name. Assistant Professor Joe Fred is teaching that class.
Lowercase in all other cases: Jane Doe, associate professor of art, has many students.

Professorships, endowed

see Distinguished Professorships

Publication titles

Publications, such as newspapers, magazines, and academic journals, are capitalized and italicized.  "The Herald reported on the theft of Newsweek magazines, then The Jonesboro Sun reprinted the story."  However, in web usage and other contexts, university publication titles should be italicized, such as Inside A-State .

R

residence hall

Not dorm or dormitory.

residence hall and apartment names

Always uppercase and never abbreviated.

• Arkansas Hall
• The Circle
• Collegiate Park
• Honors Living-Learning Community
• Kays Hall
• Northpark Quads
• Red Wolf Den
• ROTC Living-Learning Community
• Sorority Row
• STEM Den Living-Learning Community
• University Hall

Carl R. Reng Student Union

Formerly called the Reng Center.  This includes the combined original Reng facility and newer Student Union.  Additional style references will be added for specific spaces.  See also, Student Union.

Rohwer Japanese American Relocation Center (A-State Heritage Site)

Some 8,000 Japanese Americans were interned at Rohwer (Desha County) during World War II. Audio exhibits on site and a museum at McGehee preserve their memories.  Today all that remains of the once 500-acre relocation camp is the Rohwer Memorial Cemetery, where many Japanese Americans interned at the camp were laid to rest, and a tall smokestack, where the camp’s hospital used to stand.  Two large monuments also are located in the cemetery, honoring all those who died while interned there, as well the young men from the camp who gave their lives fighting for the U.S. in World War II.

S

Scarlet

See "Mascot" entry

seasons

Lowercase, unless part of a formal name: summer, spring, Winter Olympics, ASU Spring Fling

semesters

Lowercase: spring semester, fall semester, first summer semester, second summer semester

senior citizens

Usually reserved for those 65 and older. Avoid using seniors, because of possible confusion with the student classification.

sharrow

A "share the road arrow" recognized by federal and other highway standards as a road marking to indicate usage of a road by bicycles and other vehicles.

social media

See "website and social media" entry

sororities

See fraternities, sororities .

Southern Tenant Farmers Museum (A-State Heritage Site)

A program of A-State’s Arkansas Heritage Sites, the Southern Tenant Farmers Museum in Tyronza, Ark., is the birthplace of the Southern Tenant Farmers Union. Located in the historic H.L. Mitchell-Clay East building, the restoration of the dry cleaning business, filling station and the adjacent Tyronza Bank was completed in 2006. The Citizens of Tyronza gave the museum complex to Arkansas State University in 2000.

spring semester

See semesters .

staff

Usually considered singular unit (comprised of many people): The staff has reviewed the president's document .

Staff Senate (proper name)

State abbreviations

Use abbreviations previously used by Associated Press (do not spell out in full as AP now does and do not use U.S. Postal Service two-letter abbreviations). While not a complete list, Arkansas and nearby states would be abbreviated as indicated: Ark. (Arkansas), Ala. (Alabama), Ill. (Illinois), Miss. (Mississippi), Mo. (Missouri), Kan. (Kansas), Ky. (Kentucky), La. (Louisiana), Okla. (Oklahoma), and Tenn. (Tennessee). Note: Texas, Iowa, Ohio are not abbreviated.

Streets and Roads (major)

• A Street
• Aggie Road
• Alumni Boulevard
• Caraway Road
• Honors Avenue
• Johnson Avenue
• Marion Berry Parkway
• Olympic Drive
• Red Wolf Blvd.
• Red Wolf Trail
• University Loop East and University Loop West

Student Activities Board

All uppercase. May use abbreviation, SAB , after first reference.

Student Government Association

All uppercase. May use abbreviation, SGA , after first reference.

Student Union

See also, Carl R. Reng Student Union.

Student Union Auditorium

This is a sufficient reference for this space.  However, in communications to off-campus audiences, it is appropriate to call it the Auditorium in the Carl R. Reng Student Union.

summer semester

See semesters .

T

theater, theatre

The Arkansas State University Theatre uses theatre in references: The Theatre in Fowler Center, the Department of Theatre, etc.
Note: See Fowler Center.

time, references to

use: 7-9 a.m., 8:30 a.m. until 2 p.m., 8:30 a.m. until noon, 8:30 – 10:30 a.m.
DO NOT USE THESE: 7:00 until 9:00 AM, 8:30 AM until 12:00 PM
lowercase with periods - a.m. or p.m. ; never use 12:00 PM or 12:00 AM, it is  noon or midnight ; never use 10:00 AM, it is 10 a.m. or 10 – 11 a.m.; the same is with references to p.m.
i.e. The meeting is 7-9 p.m. Do not use: The meeting is 7:00 – 9:00 PM tonight or the meeting is at 7:00 tonight. 
When listing times along with dates -- always list the time first. Use as follows:
The event will be held at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 9, in Riceland Hall.

titles of events

Capitalize, in quotation marks, the full, formal titles of workshops, conferences, seminars, speeches, art exhibitions, and similar events: A workshop titled "Technology in the Classroom" will be held on Wednesday.

titles of people

The general rule is to only capitalize a person’s title when you list it before the person’s name. When the title comes after the name (preferred), the title should be lowercase.  If the title includes an organizational unit, that portion is capitalized; a function is not capitalized.
Dean Kathy Cole or Dr. Kathy Cole, dean of the College of Business or Gina Bowman, director of media relations.

titles of works

Treat words like "the" and "magazine" as part of the title (capping, italicizing, including in quotes, as appropriate) only when so treated by the publication in question; check the masthead to be sure.

Italicize:

• book titles
• play and film titles
• television or radio series titles
• art exhibition titles
• titles of paintings and other artworks
• titles of operas and other long musical compositions

Use quotation marks to set off the titles of shorter works:

• academic papers and presentations
• short stories, magazine or newspaper articles, poems
• individual episodes of television or radio series
• songs and short musical compositions
• lectures, speeches and presentations

traditions 

Campus traditions include:

• Convocation of Scholars, April
• R.E. Lee Wilson Award, April
• Faculty Honors Convocation, April
• Delta Symposium, April 
• Agribusiness Conference, February
• Delta National Small Prints Exhibition, January
• Lecture-Concert Series 
• Order of the Pack, at start of football season
• Wolves Up
• Scarlet Victory Lighting of Ellis Library tower
• Red Wolf Walk
• Rubbing the nose of Mohegan, the red wolf statue
• Homecoming Celebration, fall semester
• Golden Anniversary Reunion (50-year class)
• Homecoming bonfire 
• Centennial time capsules
• Midnight breakfast on Study Day (dead day)
• Johnny Cash Heritage Festival, October
• Staff Senate Picnic, May
• Thanksgiving dinner, November
• Christmas tree ornament series

trustees

Capitalize Board of Trustees, but not trustee, unless it comes before a person’s name as a formal title.

U

United States (n.), U.S. (adj.)

University Police

It is University Police Department, abbreviated UPD on second reference), not ASU Police, not A-State Police, or Police Department.

university

Capitalize only as part of a formal name.
Lowercase when referring to A-State as "the university."

University Honors Scholarship

It is the highest institutional award a student can achieve at Arkansas State. Selection is based on a competitive process with ACT/SAT scores and grade point average.

V

vice chancellor, vice president

Each campus has one or more vice chancellors who report to the chancellor of that campus.  Those individuals who have responsibilities at the A-State System level and report to the system president are vice presidents.

W

website and social media

The goal of our online presence is to make Arkansas State a university that is easy to locate and with which to interact.  For the growing impact of search engines, having a unique identifier is important.  At the start of the internet era, Arkansas State took the domain name of “astate” as Arizona State claimed “asu.”  While we recognize that within the Arkansas State family we always will be ASU, in a global world it becomes important to emphasize the difference between us and our similarly named western colleague.

To be consistent with the guidelines for A-State, we ask that when referring to our main university website that we write AState.edu.  This is in prose or in design work.

According to the Associated Press Stylebook: “Website addresses are also known as Uniform Resource Locators, or URLs. Follow the spelling and capitalization of the website owner.” (our emphasis added).  As we have now expressed as the website owner that AState.edu is our form of spelling and capitalization, we ask that media as well as our university community utilize our style.

Since URLs and most social media services do not recognize a dash, do not add a dash as this will cause end users to be unable to locate the address (A-State.edu is NOT correct).  While capitalization will not matter to browsers, we also do not allow astAte.edu, ASTATE.EDU, ASTATE.edu or AState.EDU.

In variation from AP style, all website addresses in prose or design will not utilize “http://” or “www.”  These are legacy items from a time where they were necessary to locate the URL, and we want to put the focus on the location of our institution.  This is also for brevity.  Consider that “http://www.” is as many characters (11) as the domain level name of “AState.edu” (11).

For purposes of visual clarity, all social media should include similar constructions.  Since the majority of online services are not case sensitive, making our handles, hashtags and unique identifiers easier to read will increase the ability of our followers to remember us and differentiate from similar names.

• Facebook.com/ArkansasState
• Twitter.com/ArkansasState
• Instagram.com/ArkansasState
• Vimeo.com/ArkansasState
• YouTube.com/ArkansasState

The ability to help “visual search” is particularly apparent in longer social labels and those for individuals.

• Twitter.com/CoachSCaldwell
• Facebook.com/BlakeAnderson

When written in prose, the social network’s preferred name and capitalization is followed by a slash and our designation.

When expressed visually, the preference is for the icon logo of the service followed by a slash and our designation.

As an institution, our default hash tag is:  #AState

All advertising and marketing materials for the university include social media references to promote our social media accounts.

weekdays

Spell out days of the week. Do NOT abbreviate.

winter semester

Do not use.  See semesters.

R.M. “Bob” Wood Sales Leadership Center

Center in the Neil Griffin College of Business.

Y

year

There is rarely a need to use the year in campus publication texts, as long as the document is dated. (One exception would be those instances where several events that encompass both the current year and the next year are listed.)

APPENDIX A

Arkansas State University System Style Guide

The Arkansas State University System Style Guide is incorporated here in full.  Questions about the ASU System Style Guide may be directed to the Vice President for Strategic Communications.

• Arkansas State University System should be used on first reference, then ASU System on second and subsequent references. "A-State System” is incorrect.

• Arkansas State University Board of Trustees on first reference, then board or trustees on second and subsequent reference. “A-State Board of Trustees” is incorrect. It's a system board and not a Jonesboro campus board.

• Arkansas State University, A-State, Arkansas State and the Red Wolves mascot refer ONLY to the Jonesboro university campus. Neither the system nor the two-year colleges use the A-State or Arkansas State name or logo. Use Arkansas State University on first reference, then A-State or Arkansas State on second and subsequent references. “ASU” and “ASU-Jonesboro” are no longer used to refer to the Jonesboro university campus except informally or in state government reporting (e.g. ADHE).

• When written in prose or headlines, capitalize the “A” and “S” with a hyphen for A-State. Do not use “AState”, “Astate,” “stAte,” or “ASTATE” for this type of second reference. Only when social media or other computer applications do not allow for a hyphen is “AState” the acceptable alternative. Again, please note the capital “A” and “S”.

• Use Arkansas State University-Beebe, Arkansas State University-Mountain Home, Arkansas State University-Newport or Arkansas State University Mid-South on first reference, then ASU-Beebe, ASU-Mountain Home, ASU-Newport or ASU Mid-South on second and subsequent references. ASUN, ASUB, ASUMH and ASU Mid-South are acceptable for headlines. Again, Arkansas State University-Jonesboro and ASU-Jonesboro are not correct usage.

• The Arkansas State University System includes Arkansas State University, in Jonesboro; five two-year institutions: ASU-Beebe, ASU-Newport, ASU-Mountain Home, ASU Mid-South, in West Memphis, and ASU Three Rivers, in Malvern; Arkansas State University Campus Queretaro in the State of Queretaro, Mexico; and the newest addition, Henderson State University, a four-year institution in Arkadelphia. ASU-Beebe also has campuses in Heber Springs and Searcy and an instructional site at Little Rock Air Force Base. ASU-Newport also has campuses in Jonesboro and Marked Tree.

• The following are subsidiary campus names along with second reference options:

   -- We no longer use ASU-Heber Springs, ASU-Searcy or ASU-Little Rock Air Force Base to refer to ASU-Beebe affiliated campuses. Apply names of those campuses using this style: Arkansas State University-Beebe at Heber Springs on first reference, then ASU-Beebe at Heber Springs on second and subsequent references. Also, use Arkansas State University-Beebe Online and then ASU-Beebe Online to refer to online classes and enrollment.

  -- For Arkansas State University-Newport campuses in Jonesboro and Marked Tree, use Arkansas State University-Newport at Jonesboro or Arkansas State University-Newport at Marked Tree on first reference. On second reference, acceptable uses are ASU-Newport at Jonesboro, ASU-Newport at Marked Tree, ASUN at Jonesboro and ASUN at Marked Tree.

  -- Use Arkansas State University Campus Queretaro for the campus in Mexico. Use A-State Campus Queretaro or A-State CQ on second and subsequent references. ASU-Queretaro, ASUCQ and ASUQ are not acceptable uses. In Mexico only, the style is Arkansas State University Campus Querétaro, México.

  -- For guidance on references to New York Institute of Technology at A-State, see the NYIT entry in the A-State Style Guide.

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