SAT (top)
SAT was once an abbreviation for Scholastic Assessment Test (and earlier for Scholastic Achievement Test), but the College Board now says the term is not an abbreviation at all. Thus SAT is sufficient even on first reference, with no periods. Score totals are written without a comma: 2100. The SAT was revamped and enlarged in 2005. A new writing section was added to the revised mathematics and critical reading (formerly called verbal) sections. Beginning with spring 2005, the maximum possible score on the SAT is 2400 rather than 1600.

Scholars Program, The (top)
Capitalize it as long as it refers specifically to Marietta College.

scholarship (top)
Lower case except for named awards: She received a scholarship from the company. Joan Davis received the McCoy Scholarship.

seasons (top)
Spring, summer, fall, winter are never capitalized in prose, except when starting a sentence.

Selby Building (top)
One of three buildings that make up the Rickey Science Center.

semesters (top)
Do not capitalize. (Ex: "The physics class will be offered for the first time during spring semester 2007.")

Senior Honors Program, The (top)
Capitalize it as long as it refers specifically to Marietta College.

senior staff (top)
Appointed by the College president and including the following positions: Provost (academic dean), Vice President of Advancement (development), Vice President for Administration and Finance, Dean of Student Life, Vice President of Enrollment Management and Director of Athletics, Physical Education and Recreation.

Sigma Delta Pi (top)
National Collegiate Hispanic Honor Society whose members are elected from among outstanding advanced students of Spanish. Members must have a 3.0 overall GPA, a 3.3 GPA in Spanish, must have completed or be enrolled in a 300 level Spanish class, declared a major or minor in Spanish, and have completed at least nine credit hours of Spanish.

Sigma Kappa (top)
Social organization, established at Marietta in 1944, of collegiate and alumnae women committed to promoting the ideals of life-long friendship, intellectual, and spiritual fulfillment and service to the greater good. The Beta Theta chapter builds sisterhood through community involvement and additionally holds two retreats and two formals each year.

Sigma Tau Delta (top)
Confers distinction for high achievement in English language and literature, to promote local interest in literature and the English language on campus, and to foster the discipline of English in all its aspects, including creative and critical writing.

Slack Research Collection (top)
Comprised of the individually named special collections of library materials, which are housed in the George J. Blazier Room of Dawes Memorial Library. Included in the research collections, numbering 35,000 books and 28,000 manuscripts, are the following:

• Cutler Collection
• Dawes Collection
• Harry Philip Fischer Collection
• Hildreth Collection
• Stephen Durward Hoag Collection
• Marietta College Archives
• Marietta College Library Art Collection
• Manuscripts and Documents of the Ohio Company of Associates
• Manuscript Collection
• Putnam Papers
• Rare Book Collection
• Charles Goddard Slack Collection
• Rodney M. Stimson Collection

slash (/) (top)
Avoid the slash in text. Use an "and" or an "or" instead. Similarly, do not use "and/or," which is unnecessary because "or" is not exclusive.

social fraternities at Marietta (top)
With the dates each Marietta chapter was founded, are: Alpha Tau Omega (1890), Delta Tau Delta (1967), Delta Upsilon (1870), and Lambda Chi Alpha (1925).

Social Security (top)
Capitalize, but do not capitalize the noun that follows: Social Security number, Social Security tax.

social sororities at Marietta (top)
With the dates of founding of the Marietta chapters, are: Alpha Xi Delta (1945), Chi Omega (1923), Sigma Kappa (1944).

Society for Collegiate Journalists (top)
National honorary society for collegiate mass communications. It is a non-profit organization operating on campuses of fully recognized and accredited colleges, universities, and institutions awarding degrees upon completion of a four-year program. Initiation requires a student to have been active in journalism or broadcasting for one full year at the institution, to have done it well, and to have good grades.

spring break (top)
Do not capitalize.

Sr. (top)
Capitalize and abbreviate when part of someone's name; do not precede by a comma (media style).

staff (top)
When used alone, it's a singular noun (The staff is dedicated). Say "staff members" when talking about the people who make up the staff. (Our staff members are dedicated.)

states (top)
Always list cities with states, regardless of Associated Press rules, for the benefit of international readers. Only exception is Marietta, Ohio. No need to include the state.

• Use AP abbreviations when states accompany a city. (When a state is mentioned alone, spell it out.)

• Postal abbreviations: When publishing an entire address for readers' mailing purposes, use the two-letter postal abbreviation for states.

• When inserting a state into a proper noun, such as Wheeling Jesuit College, put the state in parentheses: Wheeling (W.Va.) Jesuit College.

• In prose, use commas on both sides of the state when it is listed with a city: "The football team's bus broke down in Hanover, Ind., on their return trip from Dubuque, Iowa, Saturday."

AP State abbreviations:

step team (top)
Do not capitalize. The step team began in the fall of 2005. The goal is to bring the art of stepping and precision dance drill movements to the campus. The step team is open to all students who want to learn to step, love to perform, and meet new people.

stereotypes (top)
Avoid racial and sexual references or mention of debilitating physical conditions if they are not germane to the story. The phrase "people with disabilities" is preferable to "the disabled"; the term "disabled" to "handicapped." Don't say "afflicted with" or "the victim of"; instead: He has a spinal injury. Don't use a disease as a descriptive. (Ex: "He has diabetes. not he is a diabetic."). Exception: Survivor of is acceptable, as in, "He is a survivor of cancer."

student-athlete (top)
Use hyphen in this compound noun. No hyphen would indicate that the student is studying to be an athlete.

Student Alumni Council (SAC) (top)
Capitalize. SAC is an organization for the purpose of connecting alumni and students. It is designed to introduce current students of the College to the Alumni Association and what it does. Students participate in alumni events, mentoring programs, company visits, alumni speakers, etc. in order to help students benefit from "The Long Blue Line." SAC works to build future MCAA leaders and to promote pride and loyalty in Marietta College that continues beyond graduation. SAC is a partner of the Alumni Relations Office and the Career Center.

Student Athletic Advisory Council (SAAC) (top)
Capitalize. SAAC encourages unity, common purpose, and camaraderie between teams and among all athletes. Promote the publicity and recognition received by our studentathletes. Evaluate the MC athletic program and make recommendations to the administration for the improvement of the student-athlete's academic, athletic, and social experiences. Promote and support athletics at institutional, conference, and national levels, which would include the review of proposed legislation at various levels. Serve as a vehicle through which the College may discuss with student-athletes issues regarding the management, operation, and rules that govern the Athletic Department and its sports teams.

Student Global AIDS Campaign (SGAC) (top)
Capitalize. Marietta's chapter began in the fall of 2005. SGAC is a national movement committed to bringing an end to HIV and AIDS in the U.S. and around the world through education, informed advocacy, media work and direct action.

Student Health Center (top)
Capitalize when referring to the Marietta College operation located on Seventh Street.

Student Senate (top)
Capitalize. Provides capable, representative, and responsible leadership in student-life and activities, and provides a legitimate channel through which the views of the student body may be represented to the other segments of the College community.

student teacher (top)
Two words; student is an adjective here, not part of the noun.

students (top)
Years: In general, students should be listed by the year they will graduate, 'YY, rather than by description of first-year student, sophomore, etc. (Joe Smith '07)

Hometowns: Students should always be listed with their hometowns in parentheses. Joe Smith '07 (Alliance, Ohio) had three paintings entered in the student art show. Subsequent references: Do not use courtesy titles. Generally, use just their last names upon subsequent reference. It may be appropriate to use first names on some features).

study abroad (top)

summa cum laude (top)
Cumulative grade point average between 3.90 and 4.0.

Symphonic Wind Ensemble (top)
Capitalize when referencing Marietta’s ensemble. The Symphonic Wind Ensemble provides students with the opportunity to rehearse and perform high quality wind band literature with emphasis placed on both individual and group improvement. No audition required.

Glossary for this Letter

• SAT

• Scholars Program, The

• scholarship

• seasons

• Selby Building

• semesters

• Senior Honors Program, The

• senior staff

• Sigma Delta Pi

• Sigma Kappa

• Sigma Tau Delta

• Slack Research Collection

• slash (/)

• social fraternities at Marietta

• Social Security

• social sororities

• Society for Collegiate Journalists

• spring break

• Sr.

• staff

• states

• step team

• stereotypes

• student-athlete

• Student Alumni Council (SAC)

• Student Athletic Advisory Council (SAAC)

• Student Global AIDS Campaign (SGAC)

• Student Health Center

• Student Senate

• student teacher

• students

• study abroad

• summa cum laude

• Symphonic Wind Ensemble