Writing For and About Illinois Wesleyan

2021 Edition

Prepared by the Office of Communications

Introduction

Purpose

This style guide was developed to serve as a resource for those who create written materials targeted at internal and external audiences. Use of the guide will result in more consistency of style in University publications and other communications. It is designed to provide:

answers to commonly asked questions related to writing about Illinois Wesleyan,
key facts and information about the University, its programs, buildings, etc., and
helpful writing style and usage guidelines based on the Associated Press Stylebook, which is used extensively by the media and by publications of many types.

Use of the Guide

Writing For and About Illinois Wesleyan University is intended as a reference for communication produced for the campuswide audience or for the general public. It is not meant as a guide for technical or academic writing.

The main source used for this guide is the Associated Press Stylebook, which is intended for a general audience. Whenever text is sent to University Communications, the AP Stylebook will be the basis for editing. Other reference materials that may be helpful include Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style and Webster’s New College Dictionary.

While adherence to the guide is not mandatory, it is encouraged. We realize that style may need to vary in certain circumstances and hope that individual departments will use discretion when deviating from the guide.

Use the drop-down navigation to explore this online edition.

If you have questions or need assistance, please contact the Office of University Communications by phone at (309) 556-3181 or by email at univcomm@iwu.edu.

Writing About Illinois Wesleyan

Mission Statement
Institutional Profile
Defining the Liberal Arts
Use of the University Name
Writing Style Guide
Institutional Timeline

Institutional Profile

Basic profile introduction or short profile:

Founded in 1850, Illinois Wesleyan University is a nationally recognized private university. Illinois Wesleyan’s liberal arts curriculum and pre-professional programs are designed to encourage its students to think and study broadly. The University is exclusively undergraduate and enrolls students from across the nation and around the globe.

When describing the University for admissions or the media, the following can be added:

Illinois Wesleyan University offers more than 80 majors, minors and areas of study, including highly regarded pre-professional programs and professional programs in business, the fine arts and nursing.

Located in Bloomington-Normal, with a combined population of 130,000, Illinois Wesleyan is approximately midway between Chicago and St. Louis.

Defining the Liberal Arts

The following defines how we view a liberal arts education at Illinois Wesleyan.

The Liberal Arts at Illinois Wesleyan

A liberal arts education at Illinois Wesleyan allows our students to discover the interconnectedness of knowledge through a challenging course of study beyond their majors. We place emphasis on developing their critical thinking and communications skills, strengthening their cultural literacy, and helping them to become more globally aware and ethically grounded. Illinois Wesleyan prides itself on producing graduates who are well-rounded, broadly educated individuals with a spirit of inquiry who can successfully adapt to the demands of a rapidly changing, complex world.

Use of the University Name

To avoid constant repetition of the full University name in writing about Illinois Wesleyan the following guidelines are suggested.

Illinois Wesleyan University is generally the preferred first reference. The full University name clearly establishes institutional identity. It is the most complete and formal first reference, making it generally the best first reference for external communications. However, for informal communications, and communications within the Illinois Wesleyan family, there are other acceptable first reference alternatives.

Illinois Wesleyan is also an acceptable first reference and generally the best second reference. This is especially the case when the full name has been established via letterhead, the full University name or logo appearing on a publication cover, in previous sections of a document or publication, etc. Illinois Wesleyan also is a bit less formal than the full name.

IWU can be an occasional first reference and acceptable second reference, depending on the audience. The initials are best used for internal audiences, younger alumni and informal communications directed at those with close ties to the University. For most external audiences, use of the initials could cause confusion with Indiana Wesleyan (IWU) and Iowa Wesleyan (IWC), or make us appear more like public universities that commonly use their initials, e.g., ISU and WIU.

The University is an acceptable second reference. It can be used internally or externally after the school name has been established.

Messaging Map

Our Story

View as pdf

Academic Quality	Rich Experiences	Supportive Environment
a strong liberal arts core and pre-professional programs	access to extracurricular groups, clubs, and athletics	inspiring people who encourage new directions
modern facilities, equipment, and teaching practices	internships, research, and real-world learning	an open culture that fosters dialogue and discussion
faculty who identify strengths and present opportunities	signature experiences, community engagement, and global exposure	shared values of respect inclusivity, and equality
building knowledge and wisdom	exploration of every opportunity	a welcoming and supportive community
Illinois Wesleyan University is:	▲ a focused, academic community devoted to sparking the curiosity within every learner
so that students can:	discover, refine, and live out their passion ▼
ability to navigate and adapt in an ever-changing world	cultivating and perfecting multiple talents	the courage to take risks in pursuit of something new
core set of skills to successfully respond to change	practice in assembling teams and leading peers	the desire to aim higher and exceed one’s own expectations
a learning environment that mirrors today’s workplace	a portfolio of work to showcase success	appreciation for divergent thought and practice
experiences that develop minds and open doors	purpose and accomplishment on a global scale	an atmosphere of acceptance and belonging

Writing Style Guide

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

Academic courses

Formal names of academic courses should be capitalized and put into quotation marks.
e.g. "Introduction to Creative Writing"

Academic grades

Capitalize and use Roman typeface. Do not place quotation marks around grades.
e.g. A, B, C, D, F, pass, incomplete, grade of B, grades of B or Bs

Academic majors

Lowercase general references; capitalize if proper noun.
e.g. She is a biology major; She is a Spanish major.
See the Majors web page for listing of majors.

Acronyms

Spell out for first citation and follow with the acronym in parentheses. The acronym may be used in subsequent references.
e.g. The Council on University Programs and Policy (CUPP) will deliver a speech. CUPP is an essential organization.

Adopt, approve, enact, pass

Amendments, ordinances, resolutions and rules are adopted or approved. Bills are passed. Laws are enacted.

Advisor

Not adviser.

Alma mater

Do not italicize.

Alumna, alumnae, alumni, alumnus

Use alumna for the feminine singular.
Use alumnae for the feminine plural.
Use alumni for the masculine plural or for general plural.
Use alumnus for the masculine singular.

The Ames Library

Capitalize “The” in all cases. See also University buildings and facilities.

Bloomberg Finance Lab

See Greg Yess '82 Bloomberg Finance Lab.

Board of Trustees

Capitalize only when referring to a specific group. Use “the Board” on second mention.
e.g. Illinois Wesleyan University Board of Trustees

Buildings

See University buildings.

One word.

Captions

Identify people as (front row, from left), etc.

Chair

Not chairman or chairperson.

Christmas Break

Use "Winter Break" instead.
See also Winter Break.

Class year

Use the following for undergraduate years: first-year, sophomore, junior, senior.
When identifying current students or alumni by their class years, the year is expressed in two digits and preceded by a downward apostrophe.
e.g. Jon Doe ’60

Use full year when referring to a year whose last two digits have repeated in University history, unless context makes this distinction obvious.
e.g. 1906, 2006

Can use full four-digit year if referring to a class as a proper name.
e.g. She is a member of the class of 2007.

Co-

Do not hyphenate prefix except when forming nouns, adjectives and verbs that indicate occupation or status.
e.g. co-author, codependent

Commencement

Capitalize when referring to specific event.

Convocation

Capitalize when referring to specific event (President’s Convocation and Founder’s Day Convocation). Use lowercase for referring to convocation in general.

Degrees (academic)

Do not capitalize degrees when spelled out.
e.g. bachelor of arts

Use an apostrophe when referring to a bachelor’s, a master’s, etc.
e.g. bachelor’s degree

Do not use the possessive pronoun.
e.g. She earned a doctorate. (Not she earned her doctorate).

Preferably, do not abbreviate, but if form necessitates abbreviation, use periods.
e.g. B.A., M.A., B.S.

Degrees with distinction

Set in Roman face, not italics and do not capitalize.
e.g. cum laude, magna cum laude, summa cum laude

Culturally Sensitive Terminology

University Nondiscrimination Policy

Preferred Terminology

American Indian

Synonymous with Native American, though choice should be left to individual or group preference. Use specific identification, such as Sioux or Navajo, whenever appropriate.

Asian American

Use to express dual heritage for someone of Asian descent. However, when appropriate, use a more specific identification, such as Japanese-American.

BIPOC

Stands for Black, Indigenous, People/Person of Color. POC, people/person of color, is also acceptable. When able, be more specific (e.g. if teaching about the accomplishments of Black scientists, use Black rather than BIPOC or POC).

Use instead of “non-white,” as “non-white” persists the perceived normalcy of whiteness and the otherness of people of color.

Biracial, multiracial

Both are acceptable. Avoid “mixed-race” as this can carry negative connotations. Some people may prefer to identify as mixed race, but when unsure, use biracial or multiracial.

Black

The preferred AP style; Use African American if quoted or as part of an organization’s name. Preference should be left to individuals or groups.

Disabilities

Use person/people with disabilities or disabled people. Use nondisabled or person/people without disabilities instead of normal or able-bodied when comparing people with disabilities to others.

Use wheelchair user or person who uses a wheelchair instead of wheelchair-bound.

Avoid terms that invoke pity such as “suffers from,” “victim of,” and “stricken with.” Instead use neutral language such as “they have muscular dystrophy.”

Avoid slurs such as retard, cripple, crip, etc.

Gender-neutral

To avoid gender bias in written materials when possible, gender-neutral terms should be used.

When appropriate, substitute non-gendered terms for those with masculine or feminine markers.

e.g. firefighter, police officer, flight attendant, server

Not: fireman/firewoman, policeman/policewoman, steward/stewardess, waiter/waitress

Avoid substituting person for man.

e.g. chair

Not: chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson

Exception: official titles including the terms chairman or chairwoman

When appropriate, write in the plural.

e.g. All students must meet with their professors.

Not: Each student must meet with his professor.

Never: Each student must meet with their professor.

When appropriate, write in the second person.

e.g. Students, you should bring your books to class.

Not: Each student should bring his books to class.

Avoid the third-person singular, gendered pronouns.

e.g. Each applicant submitted a resume.

Not: Each applicant submitted his resume.

Avoid slash constructions. If necessary, write he or she.

e.g. All performers played their instruments.

Not: Each performer played his/her instrument.

AP style notes that a few terms are still used to provide gender specificity. If desired, use of these terms may be avoided by substituting a verb for a noun.

e.g. host/hostess; Mrs. Smith was the hostess.

Instead: Mrs. Smith hosted the party.

Heritage

Hyphens are no longer used in conjunction with “American,” for example what used to be “Mexican-American” is now “Mexican American”.

Latinx

Use to express heritage for someone whose ethnic origin is in a Spanish-speaking country. Some prefer the term Hispanic, Latino (masculine) or Latina (feminine). Use a more specific identification when appropriate, such as Cuban-American.

LGBTQIA

Stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, intersex, asexual/aromantic. Use to describe the community as a whole. Use a more specific identification when appropriate, such as gay man, trans woman.

Mental Illness

Do not use derogatory terms, such as insane, crazy/crazed, nuts or deranged, unless they are part of a quotation that is essential to the story.

Predominantly White Institution

Use Predominantly White Institution or Historically White Institution on first mention. Can abbreviate to PWI on second mention. Used to describe universities that are, or have been, majority white students. Often referenced in contrast to historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs).

Religions

Use the term multi denominational to describe a service that covers all Christian denominations; the regular IWU Chapel Hour is an example of this. The term non denominational typically refers to Christian religions that develop their own specific beliefs, which vary from church to church. The term interfaith and multifaith refers to services that include two or more religions.

Capitalize the names of religious orders and the terms applied to their members.

e.g. They are members of the Roman Catholic Church; They are Catholic

Do not capitalize terms such as church when used descriptively.

e.g. a Roman Catholic church

Terms such as rabbi or priest follow the same rules as other titles.

University Timeline: Illinois Wesleyan and the World

▷ See a timeline of Firsts in IWU History

University Event	Year	World Event
Illinois Wesleyan University founded	1850
Central Portion of campus acquired	1854	Republican Party formed
Old North Hall built	1856
	1859	Darwin presented theory of evolution
	1860	Abraham Lincoln elected 16th President
	1861	Civil War began
	1863	Emancipation Proclamation issued
	1865	Civil War ended; Lincoln assassinated
Establishment of first fraternity at IWU, Phi Gamma Delta	1866
John Wesley Powell explored Colorado; Black students admitted	1867	Alaskan Purchase
Female students admitted	1870
Old Main built	1870
	1871	Chicago fire
School of Law established; Female Professor hired; Establishment of first sorority at IWU, Kappa Kappa Gamma	1873
	1876	Custer's last stand
	1876	First commercial telephone exchange
College of Music established	1879	First "five-and-dime" store opened
Wesleyana produced	1886	Haymarket riot
Football team organized	1887	Ireland's Bloody Sunday
International Students admitted	1889
College of Oratory opened	1893
The Argus published	1894
Scholarships awarded	1895
Summer school programs	1896
	1898	Spanish-American War
College of Liberal Arts organized; Domestic Science program begun	1906	San Francisco earthquake
Cheer song written and arranged	1909	Peary reached North Pole
	1914	World War I
Student Council organized	1915
North Central Association accreditation	1916
	1919	World War I
	1920	19th Amendment gave women right to vote
Construction of Memorial Gymnasium	1921
School of Nursing organized	1924	First woman governor elected
	1927	Lindbergh flew the Atlantic
Hedding College adopted	1928
	1929	Stock market crashed
Presser Hall completed	1930
Wesleyan accepts produce as tuition during Great Depression	1933
	1937	Amelia Earhart's flight
	1939	World War II began
	1941	Pearl Harbor attacked
Hedding Hall (Old Main) fire	1943
	1944	G.I. Bill
	1945	World War II ends
School of Art established	1946	First U.N. general assembly
School of Drama established	1947
	1955	Rosa Parks sparked Montgomery Bus Boycott
Collegiate School of Nursing organized	1959	Vietnam War began
	1963	John F. Kennedy assassinated
January "Short Term" introduced	1965
Old North razed for Sheean Library	1966	Medicare instituted
Library completed; Robert S. Eckley became 15th president	1968	Apollo 8 lunar flight
Honorary degrees to Apollo 8 crew	1969	Apollo 11 landed on moon
IWU Student Senate asks administration to lower flag; President Eckley approves	1970	Kent State University Shooting
Alice Millar Center for Fine Arts; campus radio station WESN 88.1	1972	Richard Nixon visited China
	1973	Vietnam peace pacts signed
	1974	Nixon resigned
	1980	Ronald Reagan elected 40th President
	1983	First woman in space
Evelyn Chapel dedicated	1984
Fort Natatorium dedicated	1988	George H. W. Bush elected 41st President
IWU rated #1 in Midwest by U.S. News; Minor Myers jr became 17th president	1989	Fall of Berlin Wall
Renovation of Buck Memorial Library	1990
	1991	Gulf War in Iraq and Kuwait
GLBT rights group established; Illinois Wesleyan University Magazine	1992	Bill Clinton elected 42nd President
Optional May Term replaced January Short Term Illinois Wesleyan registered the www.iwu.edu domain	1993	World Wide Web released
Faculty and students send first emails; Shirk Center dedicated	1994	GOP took both houses of Congress
Center for Natural science dedicated, later featured as model building by the National Science Foundation	1995	Itzhak Rabin, Israeli prime minister, assassinated
IWU website launched	1996	Clinton elected to 2nd term
Sherff Hall renovated into Center for Liberal Arts; new residence hall opened, eventually called Harriett Fuller Rust House	1997	Dianna, Princess of Wales, died in a car crash
Faculty Colloquium Program launched	1998	Al-Qaeda bombed U.S. embassies in South Africa
Jack Horenberger Field dedicated; Ground broken for The Ames Library	1999	World population reached 6 billion
IWU Sesquicentennial celebrated at Homecoming	2000	George W. Bush elected 43rd President
	2001	World Trade Center attacks
The Ames Library opened; Hansen Student Center opened in what was once Memorial Gymnasium	2002
	2003	U.S. invaded Iraq
Richard F. Wilson became 18th president	2004	Indian Ocean tsunami
Organic food introduced to campus dining services	2005	Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans.
Website began webcasting events; IWU had first snow day in 40 years	2006
	2007	Virginia Tech and N.I.U. campus shootings
Minor Myers jr Welcome Center dedicated, Bloomington's first LEED-certified building	2008	Barack Obama elected 44th President
	2009
	2010
	2011
	2012
State Farm Hall opened (fall semester)	2013
	2014
Eric Jensen became 19th president	2015
	2016	Donald Trump elected 45th President
	2017
	2018
S. Georgia Nugent became the 20th president of IWU, and the first female president of the University.	2019
	2020	COVID-19 global pandemic Joe Biden elected 46th President

Ann Aubry - Director of Communications

Department - Office Of Communications

aaubry@iwu.edu

(309) 556-3874

Writing For and About Illinois Wesleyan

Office of Communications

Introduction

Writing About Illinois Wesleyan

Institutional Profile

Defining the Liberal Arts

Use of the University Name

Messaging Map

Our Story

Academic

Quality

Rich

Experiences

Supportive Environment

Writing Style Guide

Culturally Sensitive Terminology

Preferred Terminology

University Timeline: Illinois Wesleyan and the World