Alphabetical Entries: C
campuswide Wide is generally used as a suffix and is not usually hyphenated, per AP. (An exception to that rule is World Wide Web.)
captions Full sentences generally are preferable to sentence fragments. Since a good picture is supposedly worth a thousand words, a caption should do more than reiterate what is obvious in the photo; a good caption should enhance and clarify that which is not immediately obvious in the photo. Depending upon the context, some "thumbnail" or "mug" shots may require no more than a "nameline," simply the name of the individual or object shown. Use no period after a nameline. In all other instances, use a period to conclude all captions, even those written in headline style (as incomplete sentences).
- TENSE Since a photograph freezes a moment in time, present tense often works well in captions, particularly for actions that continue into the present. It is sometimes preferable to write captions in past tense, such as writing about conditions that no longer exist: The building was destroyed by fire a week after this photo was made.
- ARTWORKS For campus periodicals, citation of artworks in captions should include the name of the artist, the name of the artwork in quotes, the year it was made, its material(s), its size, the name of the collection to which it belongs and, if applicable, indication that the artwork has been cropped: Robert Arneson, untitled, 1964, glazed ceramic, 13 x 11 x 11". Gift of Fay Nelson. In a photo feature devoted exclusively to one artist, the name of the artist should be omitted in the caption.
- PAGE LOCATION To cite location of a photo on a page, precede the appropriate caption with directions and separate the directions from the caption with a colon: Above left: The Alumni Association honored....To cite location within a photo, follow examples below. For rows: Team members are (top row, from left) Sleepy, Dopey, Happy; (middle row) Larry, Moe, Curly; (front row) John, Paul, George and Ringo. For groups: Shown standing (from left) are Jane Doe, commencement coordinator; Alice Johns, director; and John Smith, graphic designer. Seated are Bob Frank, Diane Horne, and William Anders, all from Alumni Affairs.
- CREDIT LINES Credit lines for individual photographs and illustrations generally indicate photographer and campus unit or business name: Neil Michel/Axiom, Anne Smith/SUNY New Paltz Public Affairs, Anne Smith/SUNY New Paltz
- EDITORIAL/ DESIGN Other common forms: Courtesy of Keith Williams © AP/Wide World Photos
- For a freestanding overall credit line covering all photos in a story: Photography by Jim von Rummelhoff
- Do not use a period to end a credit line.
car pool
catalog, cataloged, cataloger, cataloging, catalogist Not "catalogue."
chair Not "chairman," "chairwoman" or "chairperson," unless part of a formal title: He chaired the committee. John Doe was chair of the SUNY New Paltz Foundation board of trustees. See the trustee entry.
Chicano A term that Mexican Americans in the U.S. Southwest sometimes use to describe their heritage. Use only if it is a person’s preference.
city, town Do not capitalize city or town in city of constructions: the city of Kingston. In most cases, abbreviate "Saint" in the names of cities: St. Paul (see AP Stylebook's "Saint" entry); exceptions: Saint John, New Brunswick, Sault Ste. Marie (see AP's cities and towns and city entries). For proper spellings and abbreviations, consult Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (selected cities and place names listed throughout the dictionary), the National Geographic Atlas of the World, the U.S. Postal Service Directory of Post Offices, geographical sections of other dictionaries or atlases.
"Class Notes" Many alumni assume a different name after graduating from SUNY New Paltz, whether through marriage or for other reasons. A person who no longer goes by the name under which they attended the University should always be identified by their currently preferred name in campus publications. However, it is appropriate to request the name under which they attended the University, as this information is necessary to correctly identify their graduating class, major and other information related to their time at SUNY New Paltz, for use in publications like the "Class Notes" and "In Memoriam" features.
Alumni names may be published and alphabetized in different ways, as shown by these examples:
- “Class Notes” item submitted and signed by “Teri Bachman” — who attended SUNY New Paltz as Teri Robinson, according to alumni records — would appear as Teri (Robinson) Bachman in “B” alphabetical order;
- “Class Notes” item submitted and signed by “Teri Robinson” would appear as such in “R” alphabetical order;
- “Class Notes” item submitted by “Teri Robinson Bachman” would appear as such in “B” alphabetical order;
- “Class Notes” item submitted by “Teri Robinson-Bachman” would appear as such in “R” alphabetical order;
- “Class Notes” item originating as a news release or newspaper clipping mentioning “Teri Bachman” would appear as Teri (Robinson) Bachman in “B” alphabetical order.
class year For current students, identify a graduating class year when possible. For subsequent references, refer to a student as an undergraduate, first-year, sophomore, junior, senior, or graduate student. Students should be identified by name, class year, and major in the following format: John Smith '15 (Biology). For alumni, see the alumni entry and the names entry.
College of See School of entry.
college When making a generic reference, do not capitalize. There are many colleges in New York. When referring to SUNY New Paltz, use "University" and capitalize. As a state agency, the University must remain open.
commencement Use lowercase – the University's annual spring commencement – unless part of a proper title in formal publications – SUNY New Paltz May 2021 Commencement.
composition titles Apply the guidelines listed here to book titles, computer game titles (but not software titles), movie titles, opera titles, play titles, poem titles, song titles, television program titles, and titles of speeches, lectures and works of art.
- Capitalize the principal words, including prepositions and conjunctions of four or more letters.
- Capitalize an article – the, a, an – or words with fewer than four letters only if it is the first or last word in a title.
- Set in italics the names of long works — books, movies, operas and plays.
- Put quotation marks around the names of works such as poems, songs, television programs and speeches. The Bible and books that are primarily catalogs of reference material do not get italics or quotes. In addition to catalogs, this category includes newspapers, magazines, journals, almanacs, directories, dictionaries, encyclopedias, gazetteers, handbooks and similar publications.
- Translate a foreign title into English unless a work is known to the American public by its foreign name.
Examples: Of Mice and Men, Catcher in the Rye, "You Don't Know Jack," Quicken, Gone With the Wind, The Exorcist, Broadway Bound, "The Star-Spangled Banner," the NBC-TV Today program, "ER," "Conflicting Cultures."
Reference works: Poughkeepsie Journal, U.S. News and World Report, Jane's All the World's Aircraft, Encyclopedia Britannica, Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Tenth Edition.
Foreign works: Rousseau's "War," not Rousseau's "La Guerre." But: Leonardo da Vinci's "Mona Lisa," Mozart's "The Marriage of Figaro" and "The Magic Flute."
Periodicals: Capitalize "the" in a newspaper's name if that is the way the publication prefers to be known, unless the story mentions several papers, some of which use "the" as part of the name and some of which do not: Daily Freeman, New Paltz Times, Poughkeepsie Journal, The New York Times, The Times Herald-Record, The Wall Street Journal, The New Paltz Oracle
- UNPUBLISHED WORKS. Titles of dissertations and theses, manuscripts in collections, lectures and papers read at seminars should be set within quotes: "The Psychosocial Effects of ‘Gilligan's Island' on Contemporary Cultural Tastes of Residents of Suburban Lincoln, Nebraska."
comprise Comprise means "to contain," "to include all" or "embrace," so never say "comprised of." See AP's compose, comprise, constitute entry.
computer terms See database, disk, e-mail, Web and online entries, Chicago 7.157-160, and Internet entry in AP Stylebook.
Conference/exhibition titles Full official names of conferences and exhibitions should be capitalized: Mohonk International Peace Conference, Republican National Convention (the national convention or the convention on second and subsequent references). Don't treat such appendages as "annual meeting" as part of titles; lowercase them: 55th annual New York State Political Science Conference. A title given to a conference is enclosed in quotation marks: "Lessons from the Conflict in Kosovo: Where do we go from here?" a conference held at SUNY New Paltz in December.
convince, persuade With convince, use "that" or "of"; with persuade, use "to": She is convinced that he is a bozo. His work convinced her of his vapidity. She persuaded him to consider another line of work.
councilmember Preferable to AP's "councilman" and "councilwoman."
course titles Capitalize and put within quotation marks: "Studies in Baroque Art."
courtesy titles Refer to both men and women by first and last name: Susan Smith or Robert Smith. With the exception of obituaries, use courtesy titles Mr., Mrs., Miss and Ms. only in the following circumstances:
- In direct quotations;
- To distinguish among two or more individuals with the same last name;
- For a married woman who requests that her husband’s first name be used: Mrs. Patrick Stratton.
Obituaries may use Mr., Ms., Mrs., Miss, Dr. and professional titles. Preferences of survivors should help determine which courtesy titles to use. Verify the names and titles of faculty and staff by contacting the Office of Human Resources, Diversity & Inclusion, or consulting their department.
