Style Guide

Abbreviations

Should only be used when obvious to a student and needed, not simply as a convenient shorthand. Most of our internal, employee abbreviations are unnecessary in a student communication. No one document should use more than a handful of abbreviations, to avoid “alphabet soup” that confuses the reader. Additionally, there is no need to include abbreviations that do not appear again later in the communication.

Per AP Style, abbreviations should be spelled out on first reference and then introduced by offsetting commas, not parenthesis - Lansing Community College, or LCC, is a delightful place to work. Not Lansing Community College (LCC) is a delightful place to work.

Academic and Office Facility

Abbreviation AOF should be used internally, and can be used externally on second reference. It was built in 1924 and purchased by the college in 1976. The address is 315 N. Grand Ave., Lansing.

Academic degrees

The names of academic degrees and majors should not be capitalized, unless the major is a proper noun. Associate degree is not possessive, but bachelor's degree and master's degree are. Marty McFly has an associate degree in biology and a bachelor's degree in English.

Academic years

Start fall of one year and end the summer of the next. This is in contrast to budget or fiscal years, which run July 1 of one year through June 30 of the next. Format as fall 2019-spring 2020, or 2019-2020 academic year.

Administration Building

Should be referred to as Administration Building on all references. It was built in 2005, and its address is 610 N. Capitol Ave., Lansing.

See Boardroom for more information.

Addresses

Should be formatted according to AP Style. General guidelines include:

• Use the abbreviations Ave., Blvd. and St. only with numbered addresses: 610 N. Capitol Ave.
• Spell them out and capitalize when part of a formal street name without a number: North Capitol Avenue
• Lowercase and spell out when used alone or with more than one street name: Capitol and Grand River avenues
• Other names for streets - road, square, drive, etc. always are spelled out.
• Abbreviate compass directions used in street names, unless the number is omitted: 610 N. Capitol Ave. but North Capitol Avenue

Ampersands

Should not generally be used as a substitute or shorthand for and. LCC does use some stylized ampersands. For example, the abbreviation for the Arts and Sciences Building is A&S Building.

And/or

No space in between. The phrase should be avoided where possible.

Aviation Maintenance Technology Center

Abbreviation Aviation Center can be used internally, or externally on second reference. Should not be referred to as Mason Center. Located at the Mason Jewett Airport, the center's address is 661 Aviation Dr., Mason.

Arts and Sciences Building

Abbreviation A&S Building can be used internally, and can be used externally on second reference. Initially built in 1968, the building was renovated in 2012- 13. Its address is 419 N. Washington Square.

Boardroom

Never Board Room. Can be referred to as either Administration Building Boardroom, or Boardroom in the Administration Building, but should not appear without reference to the Administration Building.

Campus

Technically, LCC only has one campus in our downtown location. However, stylistically, we refer to West Campus as a campus. All other LCC locations are extension centers.

Campuswide

One word.

Cancel, canceled, canceling, cancellation

Commas

Per AP Style, LCC does NOT use the Oxford comma in simple series constructed with and or or: Gwendolyn was interested in studying math, science or theatre.

Do include a comma in a series in which one or more elements of the series include an and or or of their own: Gwendolyn was interested LCC's programs in Dental Hygiene, Education, or Engineering and Physics.

If one or more elements in your series include a comma of their own, the series needs to be divided by semicolons: Gwendolyn was interested in LCC's programs in Digital Media, Audio and Cinema; Education; or Engineering and Physics.

Course titles

Official course titles should be capitalized and are punctuated with colons between the course number and course title, if both are used. ACCG 160: Payroll Systems and Taxes and ARTS 201: Painting II.

Dart Auditorium

Should be referred to as Dart Auditorium on all references. It was built in 1980, and it can seat 480 people. The address is 500 N. Capitol Ave., Lansing.

Dates

Should be formatted according to AP Style. General guidelines include:

• Always use Arabic figures, without st, nd, rd or th.
• When a month is used with a specific date, abbreviate only Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov. and Dec. Spell out when using the month name alone, or with the year.
• If a phrase lists only a month and year, do not separate the year with commas. January 2017, not January, 2017.
• If a phrase lists month, day and year, set off the year with a comma. Jan. 1, 2017, is going to be cold.
• Years are the lone exception to the rule that a numeral should not start a sentence. Twenty-two cows went to the supermarket, but 1922 is when cows began going to the supermarket.
• If indicating a span of time, do not put an apostrophe before the s: the 1990s

Department and program names

Official department and program names should be capitalized. Unofficial, shortened, informal or generic names should not be capitalized.

Downtown Campus

Should be capitalized on all references. Never Main Campus.

Early Learning Children's Community

Abbreviation ELCC or Early LCC can be used both internally and externally on second reference.

LCC acquired the building in 1967, but Early LCC did not open until 2010. The address is 601 N. Washington Square, Lansing. It currently is run by and shares management with Lansing childcare center EC3. It was previously managed by Gretchen's House.

Email

Should only be capitalized at the beginning of a sentence. Never e-mail.

Employees

Includes all employees at LCC, both faculty and staff. This term is preferable to “faculty and staff” as it is inclusive and promotes unity between groups. It also includes student employees, although they are frequently identified separately for clarity.

Extension Centers

Include LCC East, Livingston County Center and Aviation Maintenance Technology Center. West Campus is not an extension center. See individual entries for more information.

Department and program names

Refer to the “Financial Aid Office.” Correct url is lcc.edu/fa, which is a vanity leading to www.lcc.edu/finaid). Hours are 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Mondays and Tuesdays, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, and 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Fridays.

Boilerplate language: If you need assistance, please visit the StarZone, located on the second floor of the Gannon Building, or contact the Financial Aid Office at 517-483-1200, option 1. OR… If you have any questions, please visit the StarZone, located on the second floor of the Gannon Building, or contact the Financial Aid Office at 517-483-1200, option 1.

Capitalize Financial Aid when referring to the office, but lowercase in general references.

Financial aid terms

• Adjustments to your awards (not changes to your account)
• Avoid references to specific award years when possible
• Award year (not academic year)
• Cost of Attendance
• Enrollment level (not enrollment status)
• Overawarded
• Re-awarded
• Resubmit
• Student Requirements
• Work-Study

Standard points of view used in Financial Aid Office messages

• Tracking messages: first or second person (I or you)
• Award messages: third person (student) with the exception of LCC Temporary Funding Message.
• Info Messages: first or second person (I or you)
• Award Letter: first or second person (I or you)
• Self Service: first or second person (I or you)

Form names

Formal names of forms should be capitalized (Loss of Income Appeal). If a form name is shortened or used colloquially, it should not be capitalized. Form names should be consistent between the website, Dynamic Forms, Campus Logic and RTVTREQ.

Gannon Building

Should never be abbreviated to Gannon, but abbreviation GB can be used internally. The address is 422 N. Washington Square, Lansing.

Gannon Commons

Abbreviation Commons can be used internally, but should not be used externally. For additional clarity, can be lengthened to Gannon Building Commons.

Gannon Conference Center

The conference center on the first floor of the Gannon Building. It includes two rooms - the Michigan Room, which seats 150, and the Grand River Room, which seats 50.

Gannon Highway

The hallway on the second floor of the Gannon Building between the StarZone and the Commons. For additional clarity, can be lengthened to Gannon Building Highway in external communications.

Greater Lansing

Capitalized when used to denote the entire metropolitan area.

Health and Human Services Building

For internal audiences, can be abbreviated to HHS or HHS Building on first reference. For external audiences, should be spelled out on first reference, and HHS Building can be used in subsequent references. Never use an ampersand in the name. Opened in 1995, the address is 515 N. Washington Square, Lansing.

Headline style vs. body style

Some AP Style rules vary based on whether your copy appears in a headline or in the body. For example, quotations are single in headlines but doubled in copy.

At LCC, headline style can be used for headlines, digital signs and postcards. Body style should be used for body copy, emails, brochures and other lengthy materials.

Herrmann House

Built in 1893 and purchased by LCC in 1967. The address is 520 N. Capitol Ave., Lansing.

H.O.P.E. Scholars

Properly formatted with the periods.

Huron Building

Should not be abbreviated. Built in 1976 and later purchased by the college. The address is 333 N. Washington Square, Lansing.

Hyperlinks

In email or other electronic form, use descriptive text to form links. For more information, visit our website, not, For more information, go to lcc.edu. This is an accessibility best practice.

In printed text, hyperlinks need to be spelled out so students can accurately type them into a browser. You can request a vanity hyperlink through the 5Star Service Center. These have the advantage of shortening a cumbersome link and making it memorable and intuitive.

In general, provide links whenever possible. They help the audience easily complete an action or find more information than can reasonably be provided in a single communication.

Institutional organization

At LCC, the elected Board of Trustees sits at the top of the organization chart. Underneath is the President's Office.

Beneath the President's Office, two primary offices house most divisions and departments:

• Office of Finance, Administration and Advancement (FAA)
• Office of the Provost
• (The Chief Diversity Officer also reports to the President, but divisions and departments do not report through the Diversity Officer.)

Although some departments (like Marketing) reside directly in the FAA Office or the Provost's Office, most departments reside in divisions, an intermediate organization level.

The following divisions and departments are housed within the Office of Finance, Administration and Advancement:

• Administrative Services Division
• Marketing Department
• External Affairs and Development
• Financial Services Division
• Human Resources Department
• Information Technology Services Division
• Office of Risk Management & Legal Analysis
• Student Affairs Division
• Public Relations Department

The following divisions and departments are housed within the Office of the Provost:

• Academic Affairs
• Arts & Sciences Division
• Center for Data Science
• Community Education and Workforce Development Division
  • Adult Enrichment
  • Continuing Education
  • Extension Centers (including the Center for Workforce Transition at the Capital Area Michigan Works!)
  • Business and Community Institute
  • Small Business Development Center
  • Youth Programs
• Health and Human Services Division
• Technical Careers Division

All formal office, division and department and program names should be capitalized.

Internet

Should only be capitalized at the beginning of a sentence.

Lansing Community College

For internal audiences, should be LCC on all references. For external audiences, should be spelled out on first reference unless accompanied by the LCC logo. If referenced as the college, college should not be capitalized.

LCC East

Houses most of the Youth Programs as well as other classes. The address is 2827 Eyde Parkway, East Lansing.

Library

Should be capitalized on all references. Located on the second, third and fourth floors of the Technology and Learning Center.

Livingston County Center

Formally Livingston County Center at Parker Campus. Located at 402 Wright Road, Howell. Should not be referred to as Howell Campus.

Mackinaw Building

Not Mackinac Building. Built in 1962 and purchased by LCC in 1967. The address is 430 N. Capitol Ave., Lansing.

Mall

Outdoor space between Gannon Building, A&S Building and Dart Auditorium, where the seal is located. Preceded by un-capitalized the.

MAP

My Academic Pathway. Spell out on first reference.

Months

See dates.

myLCC

Lowercase my, uppercase LCC.

On-campus and off-campus

Use the hyphen when on-campus or off-campus are adjectives. - It is an on-campus event. No hyphen otherwise. - The event will occur on campus.

online

Never on-line.

Ordinal numbers

Spelled out in longer copy, but can use digits for digital signs. Frequently used for floors of building - third floor of the Library in copy, but 3rd floor of the Library on digital signs.

Phone numbers

Should be formatted as 517-483-1842, not with periods or parenthesis. Phone options should be formatted as 517-483-1200, option 2. Extension numbers preceded by an "x" should not be used, even for internal audiences. (Employees often work away from their desk phones, and should not need to remember the full phone number.)

Pronouns

Use an individual's preferred name and pronouns. Per AP Style, "If that preference is not expressed, use the pronoun consistent with the way the individuals live publicly." If their preferred gender or public presentation is unknown, it is OK to use they and their in the singular. Avoid assuming gender based on someone's given name.

Rogers-Carrier House

Built in 1891 and purchased by the college in 1967. Fun fact: LCC initially used it as a bookstore. The address is 528 N. Capitol Ave., Lansing.

Room numbers

If the word "room" appears before the number, it should be preceded by name of building, separated with a comma: Gannon Building, Room 2214. Alternatively, if the word "room" is excluded, the number can run without a comma: Gannon Building 2214. The comma can be excluded for digital signs: GB Room 2214.

Self-Service

With hyphen. Part of Banner.

Semester names

Should not be capitalized. I am enrolled for fall 2019. I am enrolled for the fall semester.

Sign in

Utilize phrases sign in and sign out when writing web authentication language. Do not utilize log in or log out. Furthermore, username and password or credentials are preferred phrases for authentication information; login is to be avoided.

Social Media

Controlled by the Public Relations Director.

StarZone

Never Gannon Building StarZone, but can be referred to as StarZone in the Gannon Building for clarity. It includes:

• Advising
• Admissions
• Adult Resource Center
• Campus Life
• Campus Tours
• Career and Employment Services
• Centre for Engaged Inclusion
• Center for Student Access
• Counseling
• Financial Aid
• Global Student Services
• Orientation
• Payments
• Placement Testing
• Registration
• Success Coaches

The West Campus Student Services area includes many of the same services, but should not be referred to as a "StarZone."

Staff

Non-faculty employees of LCC. In general, when describing LCC employees, they should be referred to uniformly as employees rather than as "faculty and staff" so as to promote unity and inclusion. Exceptions can be made when needed for clarity.

Technology and Learning Center

Formally the Abel B. Sykes, Jr., Technology and Learning Center. Abbreviation TLC should be used internally. Externally, it should be referred to as the Technology and Learning Center on first reference and can be referred to as TLC on second reference. Built in 1998, the building is named for LCC's second president. It houses the Library and a large computer lab.

Times

Should be formatted according to AP Style. General guidelines include:

• a.m. and p.m. should be written lowercase, with periods between.
• Time ranges should have a dash between, as in 10-11 a.m. or 1-3 p.m. If the event does not span across noon or midnight, a.m. or p.m. need not be repeated.
• Use figures except for noon and midnight

Titles

If following a person's name, should always be lowercased. If preceding a person's name, should be capitalized. President Steve Robinson, or Steve Robinson, president of LCC. General, abbreviated or colloquial titles are not capitalized. Individuals who hold a PhD can carry the courtesy title Dr. before their names.

Washington Court Place

Can be abbreviated to WCP internally, and externally on second reference. Located at 309 N. Washington Square, Lansing.

We and us

Internally, use we and us to refer to the collective college community. Externally, be careful not to speak for the entire college by use of we and us.

Website

Always one word, and only capitalized if it begins a sentence.

West Campus

West Campus was built in 2004. It houses the Technical Careers Division and the Business and Community Institute. Should not be abbreviated WC internally, externally or on digital signs. Located at 5708 Cornerstone Dr., Lansing.