Capitalize only full proper names and titles but avoid where possible. Casual reference, in lowercase, is more conversational and, thus, preferred:
the University of Calgary (not U of C)
or the university
the Faculty of Arts
but the arts faculty
the Department of Applied Chemistry
but the applied chemistry department
the Board of Governors
but the board
the University of Calgary Bookstore
but the campus book store
the Dinos, or possessive (Dinos')
not Dino or Dino's
"UCalgary" is not an official name for the University of Calgary, and is not recommended for formal announcements. However, it is widely used as a nickname, in social media, and in less formal communication contexts.
Do not capitalize faculties, schools, departments and offices when referring to more than one:
the faculties of nursing and law
The proper names of courses are capitalized:
Chemistry 302
but 300-level chemistry course
Do not capitalize fields of study/program names or areas of concentration:
The general biological sciences program
You can pursue a degree in applied chemistry
I graduated with a geology degree
When referring to a student studying a particular program/field, do not capitalize the program:
A science student
An engineering student
The names of buildings on campus are capitalized:
Taylor Family Digital Library
but the library
University websites:
On university websites: headings, menu items, and occupation titles should use Title Case for clarity.
In general, avoid introducing unfamiliar acronyms if they are to be used only once or twice. When in doubt, spell it out.
A few well-known campus abbreviations don't require formal introduction:
Mac Hall, for the large performance space in MacEwan Student Centre. This is not an abbreviation for MacEwan Student Centre.
the Oval, for the Olympic Oval
Most buildings and groups, though known by many, should still be formally introduced on first reference:
General Faculties Council; subsequently, GFC
The University of Calgary Faculty Association; subsequently, TUCFA
Omit periods in abbreviations for university degrees:
Bachelor of Arts, BA
but bachelor's degree
PhD
but doctorate
When using the month and date, abbreviate the month:
Feb. 9
and not February 9
and not Feb. 9th
Abbreviate only Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov. and Dec.
Do not abbreviate March, April, May, June, July.
When referring only to the month or with a year alone, spell it out:
Exams were held in December
and
January 1997 was a watershed month (no comma)
Use a hyphen to connect associated years:
the 2013-14 school year
but 1998-2002
Seasons are always lowercase:
The new philosophy course will be offered in the winter of 2008
The fall semester saw an increase in fundraising
The modifiers a.m. and p.m. have periods:
Classes begin at 8 a.m.
Do not use unnecessary ciphers:
8 a.m.
and not 8:00 a.m.
Do not use the 24-hour clock.
Spell out whole numbers below 10, and use figures for 10 and above. Spell out numbers in fractions below one and standing alone:
200 students attended the seven sessions
one-third
12 one-hundredths
Avoid starting a sentence with a number; if you must, spell it out.
When writing about money, use the $ symbol. When referring to denominations smaller than a dollar, write cents:
$248-million budget
lemonade costs five cents