Calvin

Style issues pertinent to Calvin University: usage of administrative and academic titles, department and discipline names, facility names, etc.

acronyms

1. Use an acronym in parentheses following the formal, spelled-out name of the university organization or program it represents. Thereafter, the acronym may be used in place of the formal name.

• INCORRECT: The paintball incident occurred during Calvin’s popular LOFT service.
• CORRECT: The paintball incident occurred during Calvin’s popular Living Our Faith Together (LOFT) service. “We thought the worshipers wearing camouflage were doing liturgical movement,” said a LOFT organizer.

2. The name of a university organization or entity that is typically lowercased can be represented by an acronym.

• CORRECT: This past semester, Calvin Around Town (CAT) partnered with the department of health, physical education, recreation, dance and sport (HPERDS) on a tour of new Grand Rapids health clubs.

See also A.acronyms.

3. Following are some common Calvin acronyms:

AER: Academic Evaluation Report
AHANA: African American, Hispanic, Asian and Native American
CAA: Calvin Alumni Association
CALL: Calvin Academy for Lifelong Learning
CARE: Calvin Assessment Response and Evaluation
CAS: communication arts and sciences
CAT: Calvin Around Town
CCE: Cross-Cultural Engagement
CCRS: Calvin College Rehabilitation Services
CEAP: Calvin Environmental Assessment Program
CFAC: Covenant Fine Arts Center
CICW: Calvin Institute of Christian Worship
CIT: Calvin Information Technology
FEN: From Every Nation
FFM: Festival of Faith and Music 
FFW: Festival of Faith and Writing
FIDC: Faith and International Development Conference
FTIAC: first time in any college
HPERDS: health, physical education, recreation, dance and sport
IDIS: interdisciplinary
ISDO: International Student Development Office
K4L: Knights for Life 
LOFT: Living Our Faith Together
MAC: multicultural affairs committee
MSAB: Multicultural Student Advisory Board
MSDO: Multicultural Student Development Office
NCA: North Central Association
NCATE: National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education programs
SAGA: Sexuality and Gender Awareness
SAO: Student Activities Office
SAPT: Sexual Assault Prevention Team
SLC: Service-Learning Center
STEP: Striving Toward Educational Possibilities (conference)
WMRL: West Michigan Regional Lab

See also A.acronyms.

alma mater

Lowercase alma mater when referring both to the school and to the song.

• CORRECT: Calvin was our mother’s alma mater, and she sang the “Friendship Song,” which was Calvin’s alma mater long before Calvin had an official alma mater.

alumna/ alumnae/ alumni/ alumnus

Alumnus is the singular, masculine form, referring to a former student (whether or not that student graduated). Use the singular alumna and plural alumnae to refer to female former students. Alumni is Calvin’s preferred plural for a group of former students composed of both women and men. Use the term alum only on second reference and thereafter.

• CORRECT: The lone alumnus, Kenny Kowalski, joined some friendly alumnae in a group hug at the alumni picnic.

See also C.graduation year/ exit year.

alumni association

Capitalize alumni association only when using the official name, Calvin Alumni Association (CAA). Lowercase subsequent references to alumni association and to association.

• CORRECT: There has been record turnout of good-looking alumni at Calvin Alumni Association events. “Our alums certainly are aging well,” commented a spokesperson for the alumni association.

See also C.acronyms and C.chapters.

board of trustees

Do not capitalize board of trustees.

• CORRECT: At its autumn meeting, the Calvin board of trustees denied tenure to a promising candidate whose undergraduate degree came from a clown college.

Calvin Annual Fund

Capitalize Calvin Annual Fund, the name of the alumni giving program. Do not capitalize the unofficial title “annual fund.”

Calvin University/ Calvin Theological Seminary

1. Refer to the university as Calvin University on first reference in publications that are intended for an audience beyond the Calvin community (e.g., press releases). For publications that circulate primarily to the Calvin community and constituency (e.g., Spark), Calvin may be used on first reference. Using Calvin as a second reference is acceptable for all publications. Do not capitalize university when it stands alone as a reference to Calvin University.

• CORRECT: The National Merit Scholarship allowed Jesse SmartBright to study at Calvin University, his school of choice. He favored Calvin for its academic reputation and for its Frisbee golf course.

2. Do not refer to the university as Calvin University and Seminary, except as a historical reference to Calvin College and Seminary. The university and seminary are two separate entities. The official name of the seminary is Calvin Theological Seminary. Do not capitalize seminary when it stands alone as a reference to Calvin Theological Seminary.

3. Name history. Following are the names adopted by Calvin University and the dates of their adoption:

• 1876 Theologische School van de Ware Hollandsche Gereformeerde Kerk (Theological School of the True Dutch Reformed Church)
• 1880 Theologische School van de Hollandsche Christelijke Gereformeerde Kerk (Theological School of the Dutch Christian Reformed Church)
• 1895 Theological School of the Christian Reformed Church
• 1906 John Calvin Junior College and Theological School
• 1908 Theological School and Calvin College
• 1930 Calvin College and Seminary
• 1931 Calvin College
      Calvin Seminary
• 1958 Calvin Theological Seminary
• 1991 The schools adopt separate boards of trustees
• 2019 Calvin University

• CORRECT: He graduated from Calvin College in 1999 and entered Calvin Theological Seminary in 2000.
• CORRECT: Calvin’s official name in 1930 was Calvin College and Seminary.

Calvin Theatre Company

The official name of Calvin’s dramatic company uses the 
-re spelling of theatre. (Traditionally, dramatic companies use the -re spelling and cinemas use the -er spelling.) Do not use the 
-re spelling to refer to a theater major.

• CORRECT: The dramatis personae of the Calvin Theatre Company spend their non-rehearsal time at a local movie theater. Theater majors like movies.

Calvin Theological Seminary

See C.Calvin College/ Calvin Theological Seminary.

centers

1. Use the official name of a Calvin center on first reference. Capitalize both the official and unofficial names of Calvin’s centers. When using the official name, capitalize the principle words, including prepositions and conjunctions of four or more letters. Lowercase articles (a, an, the) in a name unless used as the first word of the name. Use the official name of the center on first reference.

2. Following are the official names of Calvin centers:

• Calvin Center for Christian Scholarship
• H. Henry Meeter Center for Calvin Studies (commonly the Meeter Center)
• Seminars in Christian Scholarship
• Van Lunen Center: Executive Management in Christian Schools (commonly the Van Lunen Center)

• CORRECT: The new catechism was unearthed in the basement of the H. Henry Meeter Center for Calvin Studies. The Meeter Center has a stockpile of unexplored texts, including some very old, very rare Calvinist comic books.

3. Do not capitalize the word center when it stands alone.

• INCORRECT: Rumor has it that there is a Jacuzzi in the Van Lunen Center. The Center’s staff denies the rumor, adding that if there were a Jacuzzi at the Center, it would be there for its therapeutic benefit to staff.
• CORRECT: Rumor has it that there is a Jacuzzi in the new Van Lunen Center. The center’s staff denies the rumor, adding that if there were a Jacuzzi at the center, it would be there for its therapeutic benefit to staff.

See also C.chairs and C.institutes.

chairs

1. Use the official name of a Calvin endowed chair on first reference. Capitalize both the official and unofficial names of Calvin endowed chairs. When using the official name, capitalize the principle words, including prepositions and conjunctions of four or more letters. Lowercase articles (a, an, the) in a name unless used as the first word of the name. Use the official name of the chair on first reference.

2. Following are the official names of Calvin chairs:

• Arthur H. DeKruyter Chair in Faith and Communication 
  (commonly the DeKruyter Chair)
• Brummel Chair in Organic Chemistry (commonly the Brummel Chair)
• Frederik Meijer Chair in Dutch Language and Culture (commonly the Meijer Chair)
• Gary and Henrietta Byker Chair in Christian Perspectives on Political, Social, and Economic Thought (commonly the Byker Chair)
• James and Judith Chambery Chair for the Study of Ethics in Business (commonly the Chambery Chair)
• Paul B. Henry Chair for the Study of Christianity and Politics (commonly the Henry Chair)
• Queen Juliana Chair of the Language and Culture of the Netherlands (commonly the Queen Juliana Chair; non-endowed)
• William Spoelhof Teacher-Scholar-in-Residence Chair (commonly the Spoelhof Chair)

• CORRECT: The proper name for the chair is the Arthur H. DeKruyter Chair in Faith and Communication, and the guy who holds it is sitting over there in an Eames Lounge Chair.

3. Do not capitalize the word chair when it stands alone.

• INCORRECT: The professor who filled the Gary and Henrietta Byker Chair in Christian Perspectives on Political, Social, and Economic Thought said that he found it hard to remember the entire name of the Chair.
• CORRECT: The professor who filled the Gary and Henrietta Byker Chair in Christian Perspectives on Political, Social, and Economic Thought said that he found it hard to remember the entire name of the chair.

See also C.centers and C.institutes.

chapters

Lowercase everything but proper nouns when referring to alumni chapters.

• CORRECT: Calvin’s Arizona-Phoenix alumni chapter and Washington-Seattle alumni chapter learned everything they know about laser tag from the Michigan young alumni chapter.

See also C.alumni association.

Class of …

Capitalize the word class when it refers to a graduating class.

• CORRECT: Mitchell Louter returned to campus for the reunion of his class, the Class of ’93, but he spent all his time alone in the library.

See also C.graduation year/exit year.

Commencement/ Convocation/ Homecoming /Honors Convocation

Capitalize official university events such as Commencement, Convocation, Homecoming and Honors Convocation.

• CORRECT: At this year’s Commencement, devoted family and friends of the 2015 graduating class perspired in the stands.

See also C.events.

committees

Lowercase references to committees.

• CORRECT: The student senate tabled its afternoon discussion in favor of table tennis.

conferences/ symposia

Capitalize the official names of Calvin’s conferences and symposia. Capitalize the principle words of the official name, including prepositions and conjunctions of four or more letters. Lowercase articles (a, an, the) in a name unless used as the first word of the name.

• CORRECT: This year’s Symposium on Worship will once again be held in January … in Michigan. Have these people never heard of Jamaica?

See also C.festivals/series.

courses/ curricula

Do not capitalize the names of university studies, fields of study, curricula and majors, unless they are proper nouns. Do capitalize names of specific courses and enclose them in quotation marks.

• CORRECT: I took “Philosophy of Language and Interpretation” three times, and now I can’t understand anything anyone is saying. But epistemology I get.
• CORRECT: She majored in history, philosophy and German, but now she can’t find a job.

See also C.departments/ divisions and C.majors.

When referring to a course by its numbers, do not capitalize the department name unless it is a proper noun.

• INCORRECT: Unfortunately, if she took Chemistry 201, she couldn't take English 338.
• CORRECT: Unfortunately, if she took chemistry 201, she couldn't take English 338.

degrees

1. Lowercase formal names of academic degrees.

• CORRECT: The artist, who had earned a bachelor of arts in fine arts, was herself pretty fine.
• CORRECT: The new master of accounting degree attracted students to the accounting department.

2. Use an apostrophe plus s (’s) when writing the possessive form of an academic degree.

• CORRECT: She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in biotechnology and later earned a master’s degree in psychology. Now she manipulates plants for a living.

See also H.apostrophe.

3. Do not use the word degree behind doctorate, a title that can stand alone. Do use the word degree after doctoral.

• INCORRECT: All of our professors of classics hold doctorate degrees.
• CORRECT: All of our professors of classics hold doctoral degrees.
• CORRECT: Calvin professor of English emeritus Charlotte Otten holds a doctorate in English—not in lycanthropy.

4. Use a comma between the degree holder’s name and his or her degree abbreviation.

• CORRECT: The keynote address was given by Betsy Trotwood, PhD, Cambridge.

5. Omit periods in the abbreviations of academic degrees.

• CORRECT: Kenny Webbers earned a BA in English from Calvin and an MS and PhD in criminology from Western Michigan University. (Now he’s the English department’s bouncer.)

6. The word degree should not follow a degree abbreviation.

• INCORRECT: He held a BA degree in biology.
• CORRECT: He held a BA in biology.

7. Following are common academic degrees and their abbreviations, with degrees granted by Calvin University and Calvin Theological Seminary indicated by asterisks:

BA*—bachelor of arts
BCS*—bachelor of computer science
BFA*—bachelor of fine art
BME*—bachelor of music education
BS*—bachelor of science
BSA*—bachelor of science in accounting
BSE*—bachelor of science in engineering
BSOT*—bachelor of science in letters and occupational therapy
BSN*—bachelor of science in nursing
BSR*—bachelor of science in recreation
BSW*—bachelor of social work
EdD—doctor of education
MA—master of arts 
MAcc—master of accounting 
MA Ed Min*—master of arts in educational ministry
MA Wor*—master of arts in worship
MDiv*—master of arts in divinity
MEd*—master of education 
MS—master of science 
MTS*—master of theological studies
PhD—doctor of philosophy 
ThD—doctor of theology
ThM*—master of theology

See The Chicago Manual of Style for other degree abbreviations.

departments/ divisions

Do not capitalize the names of Calvin academic or administrative departments unless they refer to languages.

• CORRECT: In her long tenure at Calvin, Regina Moon worked in the political science, English, classics, mathematics and statistics, and French departments. Moon was both well informed and exhausted when she retired.

Do not capitalize names of Calvin’s academic divisions (language literature and the arts; natural sciences and mathematics; intertextual disciplines; social sciences) or administrative divisions (administration and finance; advancement; enrollment and external programs; information services; student life).

• CORRECT: Minerva McGonagall, Calvin’s new dean of intertextual disciplines, spoke eloquently about the integration of faith and learning.
• CORRECT: Rubeus Hagrid, the new vice president of administration and finance at Calvin, won’t let anyone kill the spiders in his office.

Do not abbreviate department in running text.

• INCORRECT: During her sophomore year, she worked in the history dept. and discovered a lot of administrative idiosyncrasies there.
• CORRECT: During her sophomore year, she worked in the history department and discovered a lot of administrative idiosyncrasies there.

See also C.offices.

east campus

Do not capitalize references to east campus. Do capitalize references to Knollcrest East.

• CORRECT: Knollcrest East refers to the student apartments on the south side of the east campus.

emerita/ emeritae/ emeriti/ emeritus

1. Emeritus is the singular, masculine form for a retired professor. When referring to female professors, use the singular emerita or plural emeritae. Emeriti is Calvin’s preferred plural for a group of men only or a group composed of men and women.

• CORRECT: At Homecoming, three emeritae discussed politics with an emeritus who voted libertarian.
• CORRECT: The emeriti included a former Tulip Queen and her whole court!

See also C.alumna/alumnae/alumni/alumnus.

2. When referring to retired faculty, it is proper to use either professor emerita or emeritus plus field of study before the name or emerita/emeritus professor plus field of study following the name. It is also proper to use emerita/emeritus in parentheses behind name and title to refer to an emeritus faculty member.

3. Capitalize Professor Emerita/Emeritus before the name unless it stands in apposition or is used as a job description.

• CORRECT: Gordon Spykman, emeritus professor of religion and theology, was familiar with the Dutch term for “Reformed antennae,” and Professor Emeritus George Harper, formerly of the English department, knows the names of many of the trees on the Calvin campus.
• CORRECT: The keynote, “Deconstruction and the Role of Moondoggie in Gidget Cinema,” was delivered by communication arts and sciences Professor James Darren (emeritus).

See also C.titles.

events

1. Capitalize the official names of Calvin’s traditional, annual events, including athletic events.

2. Following is a (non-exhaustive) list of some of Calvin’s traditional, annual events:

• Cardboard Canoe Race
• Chaos Night
• Cold Knight Club
• Commencement
• Convocation
• The Game/ The Rivalry
• Homecoming
• Honors Convocation
• Mud Bowl
• Sem Pond Jump

• CORRECT: Rey Washington's dorm won Chaos Night two years in a row, and she went on to win the Mud Bowl as a junior and the Cardboard Canoe Race as a senior. She's the envy of the school.

See also C.Commencement/ Convocation/ Homecoming/ Honors Convocation and C.The Rivalry.

facilities/ recreational areas

1. Use the official name of a Calvin facility or recreational area on first reference. Capitalize both the official name and—in indicated cases—the unofficial name of a facility or recreational area. Some facilities and recreational areas have informal names that do not require capitalization: the chapel, the fieldhouse, the residence halls, physical plant, soccer fields, tennis courts, cross country course.

2. Following are the formal names of Calvin facilities and recreational areas:

• Bergsma Natatorium (former pool; use as historical reference)
• Calvin Chapel
• Calvin College Rehabilitation Services
• Calvin’s Crossing
• Calvin Theological Seminary (do not refer to the seminary as “Calvin Seminary”), see also C. Calvin College/ Calvin Theological Seminary
• Cave (see Fish House)
• Center Art Gallery
• Commons
• Commons Annex
• Covenant Fine Arts Center (CFAC) - formerly Fine Arts Center
• DeVos Communication Center (DC)
• DeWit Manor
• Dice Mineralogical Museum
• Ecosystem Preserve (do not refer to the preserve as the “nature preserve”)
• Engineering Building (EB)
• Prince Engineering Design Center
• Vermeer Engineering Projects Center
• Fish House (refers to the coffeehouse in the Cave in Johnny’s Café)
• Forum (refers to the forum on the ground floor of the DeVos Communication Center)
• Gainey Athletic Fields (do not refer to the fields as the “Gainey Athletic Facility”)
• Gezon Auditorium
• H. Henry Meeter Center for Calvin Studies (commonly Meeter Center)
• Hekman Library (HL)
• Heritage Hall (refers to the archives in Hekman Library)
• Hiemenga Hall (HH)
• John “Doc” DeVries Hall of Science (commonly DeVries Hall)
• Knollcrest Dining Hall
• Knollcrest East (KE) Apartments:
  • Alpha
  • Beta
  • Delta
  • Gamma
  • Kappa
  • Omega
  • Phi-Chi
  • Sigma
  • Theta-Epsilon
  • Zeta-Lamda
• Lab Theater
• Mail and Printing Services
• North Hall (NH)
• Prince Conference Center (PCC)
• Ravenswood
• Raybrook Office Suite
• Residence halls:
  • Beets-Veenstra (BV)
  • Boer-Bennink (BB)
  • Bolt-Heyns-Timmer (BHT)
  • Kalsbeek-Huizenga-van Reken (KHvR)
  • Noordewier-VanderWerp (NVW)
  • Schultze-Eldersveld (SE)
  • Rooks-Van Dellen (RVD)
• Robert L. Bytwerk Video Theater (commonly Bytwerk Video Theater)
• Science Building (SB)
• Seminary housing:
  • Bavink
  • Berkhof
  • Kuyper
  • Omega
  • Sigma
• Spoelhof Fieldhouse Complex:
  • Hoogenboom Health and Recreation Center
  • Huizenga Tennis and Track Center
  • Van Noord Arena and Fitness Center
  • Venema Aquatic Center
• Uppercrust
• Vincent and Helen Bunker Interpretive Center (commonly Bunker Interpretive Center)
• West Michigan Regional Lab (refers to the lab in DeVries Hall)
• William Spoelhof University Center; commonly Spoelhof Center (SC)
• Youngsma Center

See campus map at calvin.edu/map.

festivals/ series

1. Capitalize only the official names of these Calvin events. Capitalize the principle words of the name, including prepositions and conjunctions of four or more letters. Lowercase articles (a, an, the) in a name unless used as the first word of the name.

2. Following are the official names of Calvin’s festivals and series:

Artist Series 
DisArt Festival
Fall Music Festival 
Family Weekend
Festival of Faith and Music
Festival of Faith and Writing
January Series
Symposium on Worship (Use the former title Symposium on Worship and the Arts when historically.)

3. Do not capitalize the ;the in the Artist Series or in the January Series in running text, and do not use an ampersand to represent the and in the Festival of Faith and Writing or the Festival of Faith and Music in running text.

NOTE: The offices that oversee these events are free to capitalize the and use the ampersand in their logos.

• CORRECT: This year, one of the January Series speakers also participated in the Artist Series and the Festival of Faith and Writing. (It was overkill.)

See also C.conferences/ symposia, C.logos and C.programs.

first-year student/ freshman

Use the term first-year student instead of freshman.

• CORRECT: The seniors chastised the first-year student who improvised politically incorrect lyrics for the “Friendship Song.”

graduation year/ exit year

1. Use an apostrophe to abbreviate years of university classes. The apostrophe should indicate the omitted part of the date
(use ’, not ‘).

• INCORRECT: Sandi Fleming ‘89 is still “positivizing the norm” for beachcombing in the Los Angeles area.
• CORRECT: Sandi Fleming ’89 is still “positivizing the norm” for beachcombing in the Los Angeles area.

2. Do not use a comma to separate the name from the year of graduation.

• INCORRECT: Fred Weasley, ’04, owns a joke shop with his brother George Weasley, ’04.
• CORRECT: Fred Weasley ’04 owns a joke shop with his brother George Weasley ’04.

3. Use a comma between multiple years of graduation indicating more than one university degree.

• CORRECT: Wackford Squiers ’85, MA ’87.

4. To refer to an alumnus who didn’t graduate, use ex (which stands for the year of exit) without a space before the exit year. Style rules applying to graduation year also apply to exit year.

• INCORRECT: Bart Simpson, ex’00 never seems to get any older.
• CORRECT: Bart Simpson ex’00 never seems to get any older.

5. When referring to graduates of Calvin who have also earned a degree at Calvin Theological Seminary, cite the name of the degree plus the year earned following the Calvin grad year. Separate the multiple degrees with a comma.

• CORRECT: It looks like Kevin Kuivenhoven ’86, MDiv ’89 earned his divinity degree the year the Berlin Wall came down. (No cause and effect implied.)

Homecoming

Capitalize references to Homecoming.

See also C.Commencement/ Convocation/ Homecoming/ Honor's Convocation and C.events.

honors

Do not capitalize the word honors when referring to a person who graduated with honors.

• CORRECT: Sally Paresseux could have graduated with double honors in English and classics, but she frankly stated that she didn’t want to work that hard.
• CORRECT: He was an honors graduate in 1987, but since then his life has gone downhill.

Honors Convocation

Capitalize references to Honors Convocation.

See also C.Commencement/ Convocation/ Homecoming/ Honors Convocation and C.events.

institutes

1. Use the official name of a Calvin institute on first reference. Capitalize both the official and unofficial names of Calvin’s institutes. When using the official name, capitalize the principle words, including prepositions and conjunctions of four or more letters. Lowercase articles (a, an, the) in a name unless used as the first word of the name.

2. Following are the official names of Calvin institutes:

• Calvin Institute of Christian Worship (commonly Worship Institute)
• Clean Water Institute of Calvin College
• Gainey Institute for Faith and Communication (commonly Gainey Institute)
• John and Judy Spoelhof Family Institute for Christian Leadership in Business (commonly Spoelhof Institute)
• Kuyers Institute for Christian Teaching and Learning (commonly Kuyers Institute)
• Nagel Institute for the Study of World Christianity (commonly Nagel Institute)
• Paul B. Henry Institute for the Study of Christianity and Politics (commonly Henry Institute)

• CORRECT: It was named the Paul B. Henry Institute for the Study of Christianity and Politics, but we call it the Henry Institute. (And sometimes, we call it “Henry.”)
• CORRECT: The powers-that-be at the Henry Institute are well on their way to founding a third party.

3. Do not capitalize the word institute when it stands alone.

• INCORRECT: The Institute, named for Milton Kuyers, was founded in 2004.
• CORRECT: The institute, named for Milton Kuyers, was founded in 2004.

See also C.centers and C.chairs.

interim

Do not capitalize the word interim when referring to Calvin’s January and May terms. Do capitalize names of specific interims and enclose them in quotation marks.

• CORRECT: Every January, professors Schmidt and Hettinga expose large groups of students to sub-zero temperatures on the venerable “New England Saints” interim. (The proposed new name for “New England Saints” is “Toying With Frostbite.”)

See also C.courses/ curricula.

Knights

See also B.Knights.

Knights for Life (K4L)

Knights for Life refers to Calvin's young alumni chapters.

majors

Do not capitalize the names of academic concentrations (majors) unless they are proper nouns.

• INCORRECT: At various times in her college career, Kathy McMajorsma has majored in German, Engineering, Philosophy, French and Biotechnology and minored in Medieval Studies.
• CORRECT: At various times in her college career, Kathy McMajorsma has majored in German, engineering, philosophy, French and biotechnology and minored in medieval studies. (Her parents have not appreciated her tuition bills.)

See also C.courses/ curricula.

musical ensembles

Capitalize the official names of Calvin musical ensembles. Capitalize the principle words of the official name, including prepositions and conjunctions of four or more letters. Lowercase articles (a, an, the) in a name unless used as the first word of the name. Use the official name of a Calvin musical ensemble on first reference. Use the former names of Calvin musical ensembles as historical references.

Calvin Orchestra
Campus Choir
Capella
Collegium Musicum
Flute Choir
Gospel Choir
Jazz Band
Symphonic Band (formerly Knollcrest Band)
Women's Chorale
Wind Ensemble (formerly Calvin Band)

offices

Do not capitalize the names of Calvin University offices.

• INCORRECT: The Alumni and Public Relations Office was home to both the Development and Student Life offices during the infamous “Spoelhof Shuffle.”
• CORRECT: The alumni and public relations office was home to both the development and student life offices during the infamous “Spoelhof Shuffle.”

See also C.departments/ divisions.

programs

1. Capitalize the official names of Calvin’s programs. Capitalize the principle words of the official name, including prepositions and conjunctions of four or more letters. Lowercase articles (a, an, the) in a name unless used as the first word of the name. Use the official name of the program on first reference.

2. Following are the official names of some of Calvin’s programs:

• Adult and Continuing Education
• Anthony J. Diekema Faculty Fellowships
• Calvin Academy of Lifelong Learning (CALL) (See A.acronyms and C.acronyms).
• Continuing Education
• Dirk and JoAnn Mellema Program in Western American Studies
• Entrada Scholars Program
• First Saturdays at the Ecosystem Preserve
• Fridays at Calvin
• Honors Program
• Lilly Vocation Project
• McGregor Summer Research Fellowship Program
• Pew Younger Scholars program
• Project Neighborhood
• Seminars in Christian Scholarship

• INCORRECT: The students who visited Calvin through Entrada especially liked the unscheduled explosion they witnessed in the chemistry lab.
• CORRECT: The students who visited Calvin through the Entrada Scholars Program especially liked the unscheduled explosion they witnessed in the chemistry lab.

3. Do not capitalize the word program when it stands alone.

• INCORRECT: Coordinators of the McGregor Summer Research Fellowship Program said the Program received some interesting proposals this year, including one called “Merging Hermeneutics and Homiletics: Hermenetics or Homileutics?”
• CORRECT: Coordinators of the McGregor Summer Research Fellowship Program said the program received some interesting proposals this year, including one called “Merging Hermeneutics and Homiletics: Hermenetics or Homileutics?”

publications

Capitalize and italicize the names of official university publications: Spark, Chimes, Dialogue, Verge, etc.

• CORRECT: The article about the significance of Krispy Kreme doughnuts to the American workplace—the article that was excerpted in The New York Times—was published in Chimes, not in Spark.

See also K.books/ periodicals/ long musical compositions and K."the" in a title .

recreational areas

See also C. facilities/ recreational areas.

The Rivalry

The annual, nationally televised men’s basketball game between Calvin University and Hope College has traditionally been called The Game by Calvin and The Rivalry by Hope. In 2006, Calvin adopted Hope’s nomenclature, and this storied hardwood showdown is now referred to as The Rivalry by both schools. Capitalize both words in historic references to The Game and current references to The Rivalry.

roads

1. Capitalize the official names of Calvin’s on-campus roads.

2. Following are the official names of Calvin on-campus roads:

• East Campus Drive is the road that leads to the DeVos Communication and Prince Conference centers.
• Knight Way is the road that leads from the fieldhouse past the residence halls to the Fine Arts Center.
• Knollcrest Circle is the large loop that encircles the main campus and its adjoining athletic fields

See campus map at www.calvin.edu/map.

titles

1. Capitalize both academic titles (professor, dean, provost) and administrative titles (president, vice president, director, etc.) when they appear before a name. Lowercase an academic or administrative title when it follows a name, stands alone or is used in apposition, not as part of a name but as if it were a job description.

• CORRECT: That Professor Staff seems to be something of a polymath.
• CORRECT: Long before the event, the director of media relations prepared a statement, and that should have been the end of the matter—but, alas!
• CORRECT: It is rumored that the provost of Calvin University has the ability to become invisible.
• CORRECT: Apparently, the new dean for language literature and the arts, Professor Literati, can’t read.

2. Capitalize the names of distinguished professorships.

• CORRECT: It is not correct that Calvin professor of English emerita Charlotte Otten is the Boris Karloff Distinguished Professor of Lycanthropy at Transylvania University. It was some guy they called “Moony.”

3. Use the title professor, not Dr., to refer to a Calvin professor, no matter what degree level the professor has attained. It is not necessary to use the title instructor or the terms adjunct, assistant, associate or full to distinguish between professors except in publications—i.e., reports from the provost’s office or the academic catalog—that require such distinctions.

• INCORRECT: Some who attended the wedding saw Dr. Vanden Bosch at the reception, proofreading the menu.
• CORRECT: Some who attended the wedding saw Professor Vanden Bosch at the reception, proofreading the menu.

4. Lowercase titles of officers of a class or student organization.

• INCORRECT: Peter Ennui was elected Student Body President, but resigned the office two weeks after the election due to a virulent case of senioritis.
• CORRECT: Peter Ennui was elected student body president, but resigned the office two weeks after the election due to a virulent case of senioritis.
• CORRECT: Meghan Caret was the editor of the famous pop-up issue of Dialogue.

See also K.titles.

We-Haul

The team of students, faculty and staff that helps incoming students on move-in day is called We-Haul.