GWC Style Guide

The GWC Marketing and Creative Services Style Guide is an essential tool for preparing publications and/or any promotional material that contains written copy.  It features formatting, spelling, punctuation, capitalization, grammar and language guidelines.

All entries are in alphabetical order. If you can’t find an entry on a subject, please consult the Associated Press Stylebook.

Academic Degrees & Certificates

The preferred form is to avoid abbreviations. For example, use doctorate instead of PhD, and bachelor’s degree instead of BA. When space constraints make the use of abbreviations necessary, do not use periods (e.g., BA, BS, MA, MFA, RN)

Capitalize the Certificates of Achievement and Certificates of  Specializations when writing the full proper name (eg: Network Infrastructure Certificate of Specialization). Do not capitalize when shortening to just “certificate” (e.g., computer information systems certificate)

Academic Honors

Academic honors such as cum laude, magna cum laude, summa cum laude and with distinction receive no special treatment in running copy, and are not capitalized (e.g., she graduated summa cum laude)

Acronyms

Always spell out the proper name of an organization on first reference, followed by the acronym in parentheses. You may shorten to an acronym on second reference and beyond (e.g., National Council of Marketing and Public Relations on first reference, NCMPR after that)

Address

Golden West College’s address is:
15744 Goldenwest St
Huntington Beach, CA 92647

The following can be used to direct students to a specific place on campus:

• The Main Quad  (or The Quad)
• The Math & Science Quad
• Main Street
• The Native Garden
• The Amphitheater
• The Meadow
• The Student Services Patio<
• The Portico
• The Student Union Patio
• The STEM Patio
• The Courtyard of Honor/p>
• The MPR

alumnus, alumna, alumni

Use “alumnus” (“alumni” in the plural) when referring to a man who has attended a school.

Use “alumna” (“alumnae” in the plural) for similar referencing to a woman.

Use “alumni” when referring to a group of men and/or women.

*The same rules apply to “emeritus,” “emerita,” and “emeriti.” See the “Emeritus, Emerita, Emeriti” category for more details**

ampersand 

Spell out “and” in most instances. The ampersand can be used as a design element or in a headline, if space necessitates it.   

articles

Capitalize an article — the, a, an — or words of fewer than four letters if it is the first word in a title or headline. 

awards

Only capitalize “award” in copy when it is part of the name of an award. 

board of trustees

The full name of Golden West College’s governing board is capitalized as follows: 

Coast Community College District Board of Trustees 

Short forms of the name are not capitalized: 

• The board of trustees met Monday.
• The College’s board of trustees will meet Monday.
• The board will meet Monday.

A short form reference to the board of trustees that is acceptable is “the Coast District Board of Trustees.”  

buildings on campus 

Capitalize proper names of buildings on first reference (Music Building, Student Services Center) 

On second reference capitalize the shortened building name (eg: Music) or building name acronym (SSC)   

capitalization

Keep capitalization to a minimum — the more words you capitalize, the more you complicate your text. 

See “Divisions/Departments” for guidelines on capitalization. 

Do not capitalize the common names of semesters, terms, academic sessions or periods, such as fall semester, registration, orientation and schedule pickup. If a semester or term is followed by a specific year, use capitalization (e.g., Fall Semester 2024 or Spring 2025). 

Do not capitalize freshman, sophomore, junior, senior, graduate, postgraduate, postdoctoral, non-degree or any similar designation unless it is part of a title, a headline or the official name of an organization. 

certificates and forms

The following guidelines apply to the titles of academic and professional certificates (as in Class AA Professional Certificate); visas; government forms; specialized forms, such as financial aid forms; and other documents referred to by name. 

Terms that are generally descriptive — such as application for admission, declaration of intent, or application for admission to candidacy — should not be capitalized. 

Capitalize the first word and all nouns, pronouns, adjectives, verbs and adverbs in the title of the form: 

• Certificate of Achievement
• Associate in Arts Degree
• Associate in Arts for Transfer
• Associate in Science Degree
• Associate in Science for Transfer
• Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)

When a number is part of a form’s title, use the numeral and omit any punctuation: 

• Incorrect: Form 1,040EZ
• Correct: Form 1040EZ
• Incorrect: Form Two-A
• Correct: Form 2A

commas 

We do not use the serial comma (eg: Remember to drop, cover and hold on) 

The exception to this rule is if the word “and” appears twice in a series (eg: Remember to drop, cover, and hold on, and once the shaking has stopped evacuate the building.) 

compositions

Put the title of an entire composition in italics. Put the title of a short work — one that is or could be part of a larger undertaking — in quotation marks. 

Examples of an entire composition include:  

• Books
• Computer games
• Movies
• Operas
• Plays
• Poems
• Albums
• Radio and television programs
• Lectures and speeches
• Works of art

Examples of short works that are part of a larger composition include:  

• Song from an album 
• Chapter from a book
• Title of an article in newspaper/magazine 
• Television episode

Websites, dictionaries, directories, handbooks, catalogs and the Bible are exempt from this rule. Newspapers also are exempt (see “Newspaper” category for more details). 

course load

Two words. Generally refers to the number of course hours recommended or allowable each semester. 

course numbers and titles

When a course number and title are given together, give the alpha symbol and number followed directly by the title. There is no intervening punctuation. 

• CMST G100 Interpersonal Communications 

• KIN G100 Introduction to Kinesiology 

• THEA G106  Acting 1 

When a course title is given without the course number, you may capitalize the course title as long as it is the complete title. 

Do not use alpha symbols when speaking generally of a department or program’s courses or of an academic discipline. 

• Incorrect: Students may count up to 18 hours in CMST, KIN OR THEA toward the major.
• Correct: Students may count up to 18 hours in Communications Studies, Kinesiology or Theater toward the major.

*The exception to this rule is when creating a form or any other document where space is limited 

When listing courses by number, repeat the alpha symbol with each number. 

• Incorrect: The required courses include CMST G100, 110, and 112.
• Correct: The required courses include CMST G100, CMST G110, and CMST G112.

coursework

One word. Generally refers to the courses taken for degree credit. 

currency

Never combine the symbol $ and the word “dollars” in the same sentence. 

dash/hyphen

There are three kinds of dashes used in College publications. Most word-processing and page-layout programs can produce all three — hyphen, en dash and em dash. 

• Hyphen ( – ). Used to separate the elements of a hyphenated compound (for example, “on-screen” or “English-speaking students”) or to break words at the end of lines of copy.
• En dash ( – ). Used to indicate duration of continuing or inclusive numbers (for example, “2023–24” or “children ages 1–5”).
• Em dash ( — ). Used to introduce an explanatory or emphatic element; to indicate a sudden break in thought or speech; to create a break in continuity greater than that suggested by the comma; and to set off multiple nouns when the nouns are the referents of a pronoun that is the subject of a summarizing clause. 

In applications and formats that don’t allow em dashes, use two hyphens ( -- ). Do not overuse em dashes. Never use more than a single em dash or pair of em dashes in a sentence; consider commas, semicolons and parentheses as alternatives. 

dates

Abbreviate the following months if they are part of a date: 

Spell out the following months if they are part of a date:   

Spell out ALL months if they stand alone (eg: the concert will take place in late September) 

Do not use ordinal numbers when writing dates (Correct: July 1, 2024. Incorrect: July 1st, 2024)  

datelines

Golden West College adheres to AP Style Guidelines for state abbreviations. These differ from the two-letter ZIP code abbreviations commonly seen. The following is a list of correct state abbreviations: 

The following states are never abbreviated: 

The following U.S. cities do not require a state designation when referenced in publications: 

The following international cities do not require a country designation when referenced in publications: 

degrees

• When referencing a degree that someone holds, try to use the words “bachelor’s” “master’s” or “doctorate”
• When referencing a degree program at GWC, use Associate of Arts or Associate of Science on first reference, and AA and AS on second reference. You may also use “associate’s degree” on first reference. 

divisions/departments 

• Capitalize the proper name of each division (eg: Arts and Letters)
• Do not capitalize the name of a department UNLESS you are referring to the English or Spanish department (eg: marketing department). 

*see “Programs” for guidelines on naming College programs in copy 

email

no hyphen 

emerita, emeritus, emeriti

“Emerita” refers to a woman, “emeritus” to a man, “emeriti” to a mixed group or to a group of either sex. Place “emerita,” “emeritus” or “emeriti” after the formal title: 

• Professor Emeritus of English as a Second Language Nancy Boyer or Nancy Boyer, professor emeritus of English as a Second Language
• President Emeritus Wes Bryant
• Trustees Emeriti of Coast Colleges (as in a headline)
• The committee included four professors emeriti.  

FAQ

This abbreviation for “frequently asked questions” is acceptable for Web usage but not for print publications. 

freshman vs freshmen:

Use “freshman” when writing of one first-year student, “freshmen” when writing of more than one. Use “freshman” as a modifier. 

GPA

Abbreviation for “grade point average.” When listing a GPA, always use a decimal point and carry to at least one decimal place (eg: 3.0, 2.2) 

grades

• Only flat letter grades are given at Golden West College — there are no pluses or minuses (e.g. A, B, C, D or F).
• Students may also take a course with a “Pass/No Pass” option (P, NP)

honor society 

Do not capitalize “honor society” on its own — only capitalize as part of a proper title (eg: “Alpha Gamma Sigma Honor Society”) 

Internet

Always capitalize. 

Try to avoid using http:// and https:// when you can. Also avoid URLs that are particularly lengthy and complicated. 

lists

When referencing proper names with a common last word, do not capitalize the last word (eg: San Bernardino, Orange and Riverside counties) 

mascot

Golden West College’s mascot is Rustler Sam. He was first designed in 1968 by the cartoonist of the popular comic strip Tumbleweeds, Tom. K. Ryan when TV westerns were all the rage and movie cowboys were the rescue heroes of choice. Students from the College wrote Ryan asking if they could use one of his characters, Sagebrush Sam, as their mascot. Instead, Ryan drew them an entirely new character, asking for a school sweatshirt and pennant as payment. The original Rustler Sam has undergone a few changes since then, abandoning a cigarette and beard, and gaining a trusty steed named “Bob,” designed by GWC employee David Dluzak in 2004. Dluzak also designed a modernized logo graphic of Rustler Sam in TKTK used mainly by GWC’s athletics department.  

More recently in TKTK, Golden West College’s Student Services area has introduced a secondary unofficial mascot – a sun named “Goldie” – for use in both internal and external communications. Goldie is nonbinary and features a friendly smiling face for students. Although they are an unofficial mascot, Goldie has become a popular feature in marketing and outreach, even making appearances on national television for the Huntington Beach 4th of July parade.  

Current management of mascot duties falls under the jurisdiction of the marketing and creative services department. For more information about mascot usage, please contact Andrea Rangno at arangno@cccd.edu.  

numerals

In general, spell out numbers one through nine. Use numerical figures for 10 or above. 

The exceptions are: 

• Academic course numbers
• Addresses
• Ages (eg: She is 5 years old. He is in his 30s)
• Dates, years and decades (eg: Class of ’67, Feb. 8, 2014)
• Decimals, percentages, and fractions larger than one (eg: 3½, one-quarter)
• Dimensions (eg: 5 feet 6 inches, 5-foot-6. Never use 5’6.)

on campus

Hyphenate only when used as a modifier (e.g. The on-campus event is scheduled for Friday, May 19 OR The event is scheduled for Friday, May 19 on campus ). The same rules apply for “off campus.” 

office 

Do not capitalize unless it is part of a proper name (e.g. Office of Admissions OR Stop by the admissions office for an application) 

Golden West College

On first reference, always refer to the school as Golden West College. On second reference and beyond, the only acceptable names are Golden West and GWC. Do not refer to the school as “GW.” 

point of view

• Try to avoid using first person (“I,” “we” and “my”) and second person (“you” and “your”) point of view in College publications.
• The third person perspective is preferred for all College publications. This includes “he,” “she,” “it/s,” “him,” “her,” “his” and “her/s.” Plural third person pronouns include “they,” “them” and “their/s.”
• Always be consistent in copy, and do not switch between first, second or third person within the same publication.

School Name

• First reference should be the full name, capitalized – Golden West College.
• Second references and beyond can be either GWC or Golden West.
• You may also refer to GWC as “the College” (capital “C”) in copy.
• Never refer to the College as “GW.”

semesters

Do not capitalize the common names of semesters or academic sessions such as fall semester, registration and orientation. If a semester or term is followed by a specific year, use capitalization (e.g., Fall Semester 2023). 

Times

• Include periods in a.m. and p.m.
• Do not include :00 when referencing a time on the hour (eg: 1 p.m. NOT 1:00 p.m.)
• In editorial copy, you can use the words “from” and “until” for time ranges that cross from a.m. to p.m.  (e.g. The event took place from 9:30 a.m. until 2 p.m.) In graphic design, it’s acceptable to use an en dash for time ranges that cross from a.m. to p.m.
• For ranges in time, include an en dash (eg: 4–5 a.m.)
• References to 12 p.m. and 12 a.m. should be written as noon or midnight.

Titles

• Capitalize a person’s title if it comes before their name (eg: Vice President of Student Services Claudia Lee)
• Do not capitalize a title if it comes after a name (eg: Dorsie Brooks, dean of Career and Technical Education)
• Do not use Mr. or Mrs.
• Do not include degrees after names (eg: Kay Nguyen, PhD) in editorial copy. Exceptions can be made, as space permits, in lists that are included in marketing material.
• Include “Dr.” at the beginning of names at your discretion (or based on the individual’s preference). 
• Generally, licenses after an individual’s name should not be included in editorial copy. However, in some instances licenses can be included by request, as space permits, in lists that are included in marketing material. 

Web

Always capitalize.