Daily stylebook

EIGHTH EDITION

Seventh revision by Mia Chism (copy manager spring 2016, fall 2016), Rachael Maker (spring 2017 copy manager) and Emily McPherson (summer 2017, fall 2017, fall 2018, spring 2019 copy manager)

A

academic degrees  If mention of degrees is necessary to establish someone’s credentials, the preferred form is to avoid an abbreviation by using a phrase: John Smith, who has a doctorate in English.

Use an apostrophe in bachelor’s and master’s degree. Note: It is associate degree, not associate’s degree.

Use abbreviations such as B.A., M.A., LL.D. and Ph.D. only when the need to identify many individuals by degree on first reference would make the preferred form cumbersome. Use these abbreviations only after a full name and set them off by commas: Joseph J. Ferretti, Ph.D., spoke.

Only use doctor as Dr. when referring to a medical doctor.

See doctor; titles.

academic departments

See colleges; departments.

academic titles  Capitalize and spell out formal titles, such as chancellor, dean, etc., when they precede a name. Lowercase elsewhere. Lowercase modifiers such as department in department chair Robert Griswold.

See titles.

acronyms  Do not use acronyms as the second and subsequent references for an organization, unless the acronym is so widely used that it would be used on first reference: the ACT.

Use the full name of the organization on first reference, then use another noun such as association, group, or program.

ACT, the  The American College Testing Assessment. The acronym is acceptable on all references.

Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher Memorial Garden  The garden between Jacobson and Carpenter halls immediately east of the North Oval. Dedicated to the former OU regent who was the first Black person accepted to OU’s College of Law. She died in October 1995.

See gardens.

Adams Center  Not Adams Tower; the four-tower residence hall. It is composed of Tarman Tower, Johnson Tower, McCasland Tower and Muldrow Tower. It is connected on the first floor, and separate elevators service each tower.

See residence halls; university buildings.

Adams Hall  Adams Hall is the academic building that houses the Michael F. Price College of Business.

See colleges; Price Hall; university buildings.

addresses  If you need to refer to an address at the end of a story, do so in this style: Write to the Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication, 395 W. Lindsey St., Norman, OK 73019-4201. Use two-letter postal abbreviations only with full addresses, including ZIP code.

Use the abbreviations Ave., Blvd. and St. only with a numbered address: 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. versus Pennsylvania Avenue.

Spell streets out and capitalize when part of a formal street name without a number: Lindsey Street. Lowercase and spell out when used alone or with more than one street name: Lindsey and Boyd streets.

All similar words (alley, drive, road, terrace, etc.) always are spelled out. Capitalize them when part of a formal name without a number; lowercase when used alone or with two or more names. Always use figures for an address number: 2802 Cynthia Circle.

Spell out and capitalize First through Ninth when used as street names; use figures with two letters for 10th and above: 221 Fourth St., 100 24th Ave.

Use periods in the abbreviation for P.O. or P.O. Box numbers.

See interstates.

adviser Not advisor.

African Of or pertaining to Africa, or any of its peoples or languages.

African American  Note: not hyphenated. Acceptable for a Black American of African descent. Black is also acceptable, although the terms are not necessarily interchangeable; not all Black people are African Americans. Follow a person’s preference.

See Black; race.

agender

See gender.

ages  Always use figures.

For ages expressed as adjectives before a noun or as substitutes for a noun, use hyphens.

Examples: A 6-year-old boy, but the boy is 6 years old. The boy, 7, has a sister, 10. The woman, 26, has a daughter, 2 months old. The law is 3 years old. The race is for 5-year-olds. The woman is in her 30s (no apostrophe).

See numerals.

airports  The university-owned airport on the north campus is Max Westheimer Airpark. Will Rogers World Airport is in southwest Oklahoma City.

See Max Westheimer Airpark; Will Rogers World Airport.

albums  Album titles and individual song titles are in quotation marks. The name of the band is in plain text: Weezer’s “Possibilities” from the album “Maladroit” is top-notch entertainment.

See composition titles.

Alcohol and Hazing Hotline

See Comprehensive Alcohol Program.

alumnus, alumni, alumna, alumnae  Use alumnus (alumni in the plural) when referring to a man who has attended a school.

Use alumna (alumnae in the plural) for similar references to a woman.

Use alumni when referring to a group of men and women.

American Indian  Do not use except in quotations.

See Native American.

American Indian Law Review, the

See law review.

Andrew M. Coats Hall

See university buildings.

Anne and Henry Zarrow School of Social Work  Became the official name for the school of social work after a multi-million-dollar donation to the school.

Anne and Henry Zarrow Hall  In fall 2011, the Anne and Henry Zarrow School of Social Work moved out of Rhyne Hall and into Zarrow Hall. It is located on the old site of the Jim Thorpe

Multicultural Center on Elm Ave.

Zarrow Hall is acceptable on second reference.

See university buildings.

apartments  OU owns and operates three apartment complexes in Norman:

• Kraettli Apartments, 212 Wadsack Drive
• OU Traditions Square East, 2500 Asp Ave.
• OU Traditions Square West, 2730 Chautauqua Ave.
• Cross Neighborhood, corner of West First Street and Asp Avenue. Opened in August 2018.
• In addition, the Health Sciences Center owns and operates an apartment complex for its students in Oklahoma City:
• University Village Apartments, 900 N. Stonewall Ave.

arches  The campus is flanked by several sets of brick arches.

• Boyd Street (at the North Oval and Asp Avenue): gifts from the classes of 1915 and 1917.
• Jenkins Avenue (at Brooks Street): gifts from the classes of 1919 and 1920.
• Elm Avenue (at Brooks Street): gifts from the classes of 1932 and 1933.
• The Centennial Arches, at the base of the South Oval: result of a student and alumni fundraising drive in 1990.

See senior gifts.

Arezzo, Italy  OU’s Italian study center and study abroad destination. English-language coursework began in 2009. The program offers summer, semester, and year-long study abroad options. In 2019, OU President James Gallogly cut some student positions and the faculty-in-residence program to save money.

See Kathleen and Francis Rooney Family Residential Learning Center.

Armory, the

See university buildings.

Art Walk

See Norman Art Walk.

athletic facilities  Spell out the names of facilities as shown on first references.

• Barry Switzer Center
• Charlie Coe Golf Center
• Everest Indoor Training Center
• Football locker room
• Football Red Room
• Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium (Oklahoma Memorial Stadium accepted on first reference)
• Gregg Wadley Indoor Tennis Pavilion
• Griffin Family Performance Center
• Headington Family Tennis Center
• Jimmie Austin OU Golf Club
• John Crain Field
• John Jacobs Track and Field Complex
• L. Dale Mitchell Park
• Legacy Court, a basketball court in the Lloyd Noble Center
• Lloyd Noble Center
• Marita Hynes Field
• McCasland Field House
• McClendon Center for Intercollegiate Athletics
• Mosier Indoor Track Facility
• Murray Case Sells Swim Complex
• Prentice Gautt Academic Center
• Port Robertson Wrestling Center
• Rowing training center
• Sam Viersen Gymnastics Center
• Sarkeys Fitness Center
• Sports medicine
• Strength & Speed Complex
• SoonerVision
• Owen Field

See university buildings.

Austin  The city in Texas where the University of Texas is located. It stands alone in datelines.

See datelines.

avenues  In Norman, numbered north-south streets are avenues and always carry this style: 24th Avenue Southwest, 1220 12th Ave. SE.

See addresses; streets.

B

C

D

Dale Hall A classroom building with many large lecture halls and therefore is the location of many general education classes.

See university buildings.

Dale Hall Tower Adjacent to Dale Hall, connected by a breezeway. Houses many departments, including political science and history.

See university buildings.

datelines  Use only if the reporter was in the datelined community to gather the information reported. In datelines, the city is written in all caps, and the state is written normally followed by an em dash.

Examples:

KANSAS CITY, Mo. —

DALLAS —

Consult the AP Stylebook except in cases of Oklahoma or Big 12 cities.

OKLAHOMA DATELINES: A list of Oklahoma cities that stand alone in datelines follows. While many cities may be near to Norman in proximity, the large portion of out-of-state students and readers may not be familiar with smaller towns.

No Oklahoma with the following:

ARDMORE, NORMAN, OKLAHOMA CITY, EDMOND, STILLWATER, MOORE, TULSA.

BIG 12 CITY DATELINES: A list of cities that are home to Big 12 schools that stand alone in datelines follows. Note: Manhattan, Kansas, home of Kansas State University, is the exception to this list because Manhattan is more closely associated with New York.

No state with the following:

AMES, LUBBOCK, STILLWATER, AUSTIN, MORGANTOWN, FORT WORTH, WACO, LAWRENCE.

See Big 12.

Davenports  The catering restaurant upstairs in Couch Restaurants.

David Burr Park  Also colloquially known as gazebo park. Located on Asp Avenue and Fourth Street near Sarkeys Fitness Center.

Use Burr Park or the park on subsequent references. Use gazebo park only in quoted matter.

David L. Boren

See Boren, David L.; presidents, OU.

David L. Boren Hall

See residence halls; university buildings.

dead name

See gender.

dead week  Refers to the week preceding final examinations.

dean  The chief administrator of a college. Professors answer to the dean of their college. Deans answer to the provost.

An exception is the dean of students, who is the vice president for Student Affairs.

See academic titles.

Deans Row  Formerly DeBarr Avenue.

See DeBarr Avenue.

DeBarr Avenue  Not Debarr or De Barr. The street was named for Edwin DeBarr, a Ku Klux Klan Grand Dragon and one of OU’s original professors. After months of protests, Norman City Council voted on Dec. 19, 2017, to change the name of the street to Deans Row Avenue. The street signs were changed on Jan. 4, 2018.

departments  Use lowercase except for words that are proper nouns or adjectives: the department of history, the history department, the department of English, the English department or when department is part of the official and formal name: OU Department of History.

Devon Energy Hall

See university buildings.

Disability Resource Center Oversees services for all people with disabilities, such as testing or housing accommodations. Housed in the former SAE house at 730 College Ave.

See Sigma Alpha Epsilon incident.

disabled  Do not describe an individual as disabled or handicapped unless it is clearly pertinent to the story. If a description must be used, try to be specific. Michael J. Fox has Parkinson’s disease, not Michael J. Fox has a disability.

Avoid words that connote pity, such as afflicted with or suffers from. Rather, has multiple sclerosis or uses a wheelchair (not is confined to a wheelchair). Avoid using handicap when describing a disability.

doctor Use Dr. in first reference as a formal title before the name of an individual who holds a doctor of dental surgery, doctor of medicine, doctor of optometry, doctor of osteopathic medicine, doctor of podiatric medicine, or doctor of veterinary medicine: Dr. Jonas Salk.

Use Dr. as a title for individuals who hold other types of doctoral degrees only when absolutely necessary, and make clear the specialty of the individual, as the public frequently identifies Dr. only with physicians: Dr. Michael McPherson received his Ph.D. in economics from Michigan State University.

Do not continue the use of Dr. after first reference.

See academic degrees.

Donald W. Reynolds Performing Arts Center  Completed in 2004 with a $12.2 million grant from the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation. It houses a renovated, 750-seat Holmberg Hall, two dance studios and offices for the School of Dance and the Weitzenhoffer Family College of Fine Arts.

See colleges; university buildings.

dorms

See residence halls.

Duck Pond, the  The preferred reference to Brandt Park, the large park between Brooks and Lindsey streets east of OU’s main campus. The Duck Pond is maintained by the university.

Dunham College

See residence halls; residential colleges; university buildings.

E

editor-in-chief  Do not capitalize, even when used as a formal title before a name: editor-in-chief Dana Branham.

See titles.

Ellison Hall

See university buildings.

email  No hyphen. Do not capitalize unless at the beginning of a sentence.

emeritus  This word often is added to formal titles to denote that individuals who have retired retain their rank or title. When used, place emeritus after the formal title, in keeping with general practice of academic institutions: Dean Emeritus Ronald Thompson or Ronald Thompson, dean emeritus.

endowed chair, endowed professorship  Many departments have funding for endowed chairs and professorships. An endowed chair requires $500,000. An endowed professorship requires $1 million.

A funds is raised above the regular departmental budget for the position, and the state matches the money. These positions are set up to attract prominent figures in the field.

Capitalize the name of the chair or professorship whenever you refer to it: Robert Nye, George Lynn Cross Professor of History.

Engineering Lab

See university buildings.

E.T. Dunlap Clock Tower, the  The tower outside the Neustadt wing of Bizzell Memorial Library is named for E.T. Dunlap, a chancellor of the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education. He died in 1997.

Evans Hall

See university buildings.

Everest Training Facility

See university buildings.

ExxonMobil Lawrence G. Rawl Engineering Practice Facility  Engineering Practice Facility acceptable on all references.

See university buildings.

F

Facebook  Do not use the URL when referring generally to the networking site. If referring specifically to the web address, use facebook.com.

The Daily’s Facebook page is facebook.com/OUDaily.

Facilities Management, OU  Capitalize when referring to the department charged with maintaining the university’s physical structure. Facilities Management is the name of the department, not a specific building where the department is housed.

Facilities Management has offices in a series of buildings, called Facilities Management complex, at Jenkins Avenue and Felgar Street. Facilities Management is the entire physical structure of the university. Formerly named the Physical Plant.

Faculty-in-Residence Program  The program, run by Housing and Food Services, in which professors live in apartment suites inside the residence halls. 

Faculty Senate, the  The representative body for faculty members. Spell out as shown on first reference.

Use Faculty Senate or the senate on subsequent references. Do not call it the OU Faculty Senate, since its members represent only Norman campus faculty.

Farzaneh Hall Formerly Hester Hall. It was renamed after brothers and OU alumni Jalal and Mohammad Farzaneh donated $4 million to the David L. Boren College of International Studies (the college did not bear Boren’s name at the time of the gift).

See university buildings.

Fears Structural Engineering Lab, the

See university buildings.

fees  Capitalize the full, official names of fees: Academic Excellence Fee, Academic Facility & Life Safety Fee, Assessment Fee, Education Network Connectivity Fee, Library Excellence Fee, Security Services Fee, Special Event Fee, Student Activity Fee, Student Facility Fee, Transit Fee and International Programs Fee. Lowercase shorthand references to fees: the library fee.

Felgar Hall

See university buildings.

Field House, the

See McCasland Field House.

FIJI

See fraternities; Phi Gamma Delta.

Fine Arts Center

See university buildings.

Firehouse Art Center  Spell out as shown on first reference. Use the center on subsequent references. The address is 444 S. Flood Ave.

Fort Worth  The city in Texas where Texas Christian University is located. It stands alone in datelines. Note: Do not abbreviate “Ft.”

See Big 12; datelines.

fraternities  Do not refer to them as frats. Capitalize a fraternity’s name.

Interfraternity Council:

• Alpha Epsilon Pi, 900 Asp Ave. Suite 370
• Alpha Sigma Phi, 900 Asp Ave. Suite 370
• Alpha Tau Omega, 1310 College Ave.
• Beta Theta Pi, 800 Chautauqua Ave.
• Delta Tau Delta, 1320 College Ave.
• Delta Upsilon, 505 Emerald Way
• Kappa Alpha Order, 1501 Elm Ave.
• Kappa Sigma, 1100 College Ave.
• Lambda Chi Alpha, 904 College Ave.
• Phi Delta Theta, 1400 College Ave.
• Phi Gamma Delta (FIJI), 1200 S. College Ave.
• Phi Kappa Psi, 720 Elm Ave.
• Phi Kappa Sigma, 736 Elm Ave.
• Pi Kappa Alpha, 900 Asp Ave. Suite 370

         Note: Pi Kappa Alpha does not have its own house.

• Pi Kappa Phi, 500 Elmwood Ave.
• Sigma Chi, 1405 Elm Ave.
• Sigma Nu, 1300 College Ave.
• Sigma Phi Epsilon, 701 College Ave.

Multicultural Greek Council:

• Delta Epsilon Psi, 900 Asp Ave. Suite 370
• Gamma Delta Pi, 900 Asp Ave. Suite 370
• Lambda Phi Epsilon, 900 Asp Ave. Suite 370
• Omega Delta Phi, 900 Asp Ave. Suite 370
• Tau Kappa Omega, 900 Asp Ave. Suite 370

Note: All addresses listed are mailing addresses, not physical addresses, as Multicultural Greek Council fraternities do not have their own houses.

National Pan-Hellenic Council:

• Alpha Phi Alpha Inc., 900 Asp Ave. Suite 370
• Iota Phi Theta Inc., 900 Asp Ave. Suite 370
• Kappa Alpha Psi Inc., 900 Asp Ave. Suite 370
• Omega Psi Phi Inc., 900 Asp Ave. Suite 370
• Phi Beta Sigma Inc., 900 Asp Ave. Suite 370

Note: All addresses listed are mailing addresses, not physical addresses, as National Pan-Hellenic Council fraternities do not have their own houses.

See greek; Phi Gamma Delta; Sigma Alpha Epsilon incident.

Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art  OU’s art museum, located in the Fred Jones Jr. Memorial Art Center.

A 34,000-square-foot addition permanently houses the Weitzenhoffer Collection. It is named in honor of Mary and Howard Lester, who gave $2.5 million for the project. The wing also includes galleries, an orientation room, a classroom and a museum store.

See university buildings; Weitzenhoffer Collection.

G

Gallogly, James  OU’s 14th president; he succeeded former President David Boren in July 2018. Has donated millions of dollars to OU, mostly to engineering programs. Never refer to him as Jim, even though he sometimes goes by Jim socially.

See Gallogly College of Engineering; presidents, OU.

Gallogly College of Engineering  Named after OU President James Gallogly due to donations he made before he became president.

See colleges.

gardens

• Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher Garden
• Bailey’s Foundation
• Brandt Park
• David A. Burr Park
• Elaine Bizzell Thompson Garden
• Engineers Garden
• Harold G. Powell Garden
• The Oklahoma Canyon Garden
• Peggy B. Helmerich Garden
• Pitman Garden
• Reunion Park
• Rose Sharp Rose Garden
• The Unity Garden
• Wanda Winn Shi Memorial Garden

Gateway A letter-graded, two-credit-hour elective course for freshmen. The class is not required. It is designed to help students adjust to the transition between high school and college. Spell out as shown on all references.

Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication The H.H. Herbert School of Journalism and Mass Communication was elevated to college status in 2000 with a $22 million gift from Edward L. Gaylord on behalf of the Gaylord family of Oklahoma City. The gift is one of the largest ever made to a journalism program at any American public university. It is housed in Gaylord Hall.

See colleges; Gaylord Hall.

Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium

See Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.

Gaylord Hall  The $17-million, 61,000-square-foot building at Lindsey Street and Van Vleet Oval houses the Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication. A second phase of the building was completed in 2009.

See university buildings.

GED

See general equivalency diploma.

gender Not synonymous with sex. Gender refers to a person’s gender identity, while sex refers to biological characteristics. Not all people fall under one of two categories for sex or gender, so avoid references to both, either, or opposite sexes or genders as a way to encompass all people.

When discussing female or male individuals who are 18 or older, avoid using girls or boys. Instead use women or men.

It is important to note that many people whose gender identity does not match their biological sex may not be open about their identity to everyone. It is crucial to take extreme precaution not to endanger an individual by inadvertently outing them in a story — always ask the individual’s preference. Only identify a person’s gender identity unless it is pertinent to a story: Danica Roem is Virginia’s first openly transgender elected official.

• agender A person who identifies as genderless or lacking gender.
• bigender A person who identifies with a combination of two genders.
• cisgender A person whose gender identity matches their biological sex. Do not use without providing a definition. Generally, use of cisgender is only necessary when also writing about transgender people. Cisgender is not synonymous with heterosexual, as the former refers to gender identity and the latter refers to sexuality.
• gender fluid A person who fluctuates among gender identities or expresses multiple genders at the same time.
• gender nonconforming Hyphenate when used as an adjective. Acceptable as a term to refer to people who do not conform to the gender binary of male and female. Gender nonconforming, agender, bigender, gender fluid, genderqueer  and nonbinary are not necessarily synonymous. Be specific with how an individual identifies, and ensure that correct pronouns are used.
• genderqueer An umbrella term for a person who does not identify with the traditional gender binary.
• intersex Term for people born with genitalia, chromosomes, or reproductive organs that don’t fit typical definitions for males or females at birth. Do not use hermaphrodite.
• nonbinary A person who does not identify with either male or female.
• transgender Not transgendered. An adjective that describes people whose gender identity is different from their sex at birth. Only identify people as transgender if it is pertinent to the story. Trans is acceptable in headlines and on second reference. Transgender  and trans are adjectives, not nouns. Transgender  is not synonymous with terms like cross-dresser, drag queen, or drag performer. Do not use the outdated term transsexual or the derogatory terms tranny or transvestite. Always use the names and pronouns preferred by transgender individuals.
• dead name The name given at birth to a transgender individual who no longer goes by that name. Never use anyone’s dead name unless it is pertinent to the story: Caitlyn Jenner won a 1976 Olympic gold medal in decathlon, at which time she went by Bruce Jenner.

See 2SLGBTQ+.

Gender + Equality Center  Spell out as shown on first reference, per OU's site and common usage on social media. GEC is acceptable on second reference. 

gender nonconforming

See gender.

genderqueer

See gender.

general equivalency diploma  Certifies that a person who did not graduate from high school now has an education equivalent required to graduate from high school. The acronym GED is acceptable on all references.

George Lynn Cross Hall  Formerly called the botany-microbiology building. Do not call it the George Lynn Cross Botany-Microbiology Building.

See university buildings.

Goddard Health Center  Spell out as shown on first reference. Use Goddard on second reference. Goddard Health Center houses a pharmacy and the University Counseling Center. It provides various medical services, such as physical therapy and testing for sexually transmitted diseases.

See sexually transmitted diseases; University Counseling Center. 

Gould Hall

See university buildings.

grade point average  GPA is acceptable for all references.

Graduate Student Senate, the  The representative body for graduate students. Office in Oklahoma Memorial Union’s Conoco-Phillips Student Leadership Wing.

graduate assistant  Spell it out. Do not use GA on subsequent references.

Graduate Student Congress

See Student Congress.

greek  Do not capitalize when referring to fraternities and sororities. Do, however, capitalize North Greek and South Greek when referring to the two general areas of greek housing.

greenhouse  The OU campus has two greenhouses. The botany department greenhouse is located behind George Lynn Cross Hall and the Facilities Management greenhouse is in the Facilities Management complex.

H

Hal Niemann Field  The field outside Sarkeys Fitness Center near the corner of Jenkins Avenue and Timberdell Road.

handicapped

See disabled.

Health Sciences Center, the  OU’s branch campus in Oklahoma City for healthcare students. OUHSC is acceptable on subsequent references. The 15-block area near the Oklahoma Capitol houses eight colleges. It also has its own provost and student government.

Headington College

See residence halls; residential colleges; university buildings.

Headington Hall

See residence halls; university buildings.

Heisman Park  A park east of Oklahoma Memorial Stadium that has five statues of OU’s seven past Heisman Trophy winners. The statues are of Billy Vessels, Steve Owens, Billy Sims, Jason White and Sam Bradford. Baker Mayfield won the Heisman in 2017, but he does not yet have a commemorative statue, nor does Kyler Murray, who won the Heisman in 2018.

Henderson-Tolson Cultural Center  Spell out as shown on first reference. Refer to it as the center on subsequent references. Formerly the Black People’s Union.

See university buildings.

Hester Hall Now Farzaneh Hall.

See Farzaneh Hall; university buildings.

Highway 9

See State Highway 9.

Hispanic Someone from a Spanish-speaking country. Hispanic is not necessarily synonymous with Latinx.

See Latina, Latino, Latinx; race.

Holmberg Hall  This 750-seat auditorium reopened in 2004 after several years of renovations. OU’s ballet, modern dance, drama, musical theater and opera companies perform here. Note: This is not a building but an area within the Donald W. Reynolds Performing Arts Center.

See Donald W. Reynolds Performing Arts Center.

Housing Center Student Association  Formerly Housing Center Association. This organization oversees housing center student government, including the presidents of the individual residence halls and their presidents’ councils.

Housing and Food Services  Formed when two offices, Housing Programs and Food Service, merged in 1997. The office oversees food services and all residence halls and university-owned apartments. Their main offices are located on the ground floor of Walker Center.

Housing and Food is acceptable on second reference.

Housing Learning Center, the  Offers tutoring and a place for students to study and check out laptops and textbooks. On second reference, use the center. The center is located on the first floor of Adams Center’s Muldrow Tower, Room 105.

Howard McCasland Field House

See McCasland Field House.

Huston Huffman Fitness Center  

See Sarkeys Fitness Center.

I

iAdvise The program with which OU students can schedule appointments with academic advisers. Accessed at iadvise.ou.edu.

IBC

See Integrated Business Core.

Indigenize OU An activist group on campus that is “unapologetically critical of all peoples and institutions that perpetuate silence, erasure, & genocide of indigenous peoples,” according to its Facebook page.

Indigenous Peoples’ Day Holiday instituted by then-President David Boren in 2015 in place of Columbus Day. Note the apostrophe after the “s” in Peoples’.

Information Technology  Spell out as shown on first reference. IT is acceptable on subsequent references.

Integrated Business Core Spell out as shown on first reference. IBC is acceptable in subsequent references.

A Price College of Business program that divides students into teams where they develop and market their own products.

Interfraternity Council  Spell out as shown on first reference. IFC is acceptable on subsequent references.

International Advisory Committee An umbrella organization for all international student groups. IAC is acceptable for subsequent references. The office is in Oklahoma Memorial Union.

international and area studies Not international area studies. Do not use the abbreviation IAS.

International Student Services Oversees all international student activities and orientation. The office also handles immigration issues. It is part of Student Support Services. The office is located in Farzaneh Hall Room 144.

intersession  The period between two academic sessions during which courses are offered. Intersession is offered three times a year — December, May and August. Courses held during intersession are offered through the College of Continuing Education.

intersex

See gender.

interstates  Norman (and the state) is bisected from north to south by Interstate 35. Spell out Interstate 35 on first reference; use I-35  on subsequent references. Use this format for all interstates (I-235, etc.).

intramurals (n.), intramural (adj.)  Intramurals are games played by teams composed of non-student-athletes within the university community, including 40 sports. The office is in Sarkeys Fitness Center.

italics Do not italicize names of news organizations or book, movie or song titles.

See composition titles.

J

Jacobson Faculty Hall

See university buildings.

James Gallogly

See Gallogly, James; presidents, OU.

JCPenney Leadership Program A leadership development program for undergraduates who have declared a major in the Price College of Business. Students must apply with at least two semesters remaining before graduation. A center for the program is located in Adams Hall. Spell out as shown on first reference. Use the leadership program or the program on subsequent references.

Jefferson Hall  

See Sooner Housing Center.

Jenkins Avenue  There’s no need to say South Jenkins Avenue since there is no North Jenkins Avenue.

Jimmie Austin Golf Club  Use the full name on first reference. It is an 18-hole course straddling Constitution Street and the eastern edge of the south campus. Use the golf course on subsequent references.

Jim Thorpe Multicultural Center Spell out as shown on first reference. Use the center on subsequent references. It is located in the Oklahoma College for Continuing Education.

See university buildings.

John Jacobs Track and Field Complex  The outdoor track facility, northwest of the Duck Pond. The complex includes John Jacobs Track and a building that houses track and field locker rooms, a sports medicine room and a video teaching room.

Johnson Tower  One of four towers that make up Adams Center residence hall.

See Adams Center.

Jones Hall

See Sooner Housing Center.

K

Kathleen and Francis Rooney Family Residential Learning Center The epicenter of the OU in Arezzo program. The building can house 48 to 50 students as well as a faculty-in-residence.

See Arezzo, Italy.

Kaufman Hall

See university buildings.

KGOU A full service public radio station, licensed to the University of Oklahoma and operated by OU Outreach from Copeland Hall. The call letters for Norman are 106.3 FM. Call letters for additional towns the station services can be found at kgou.org/about-kgou.

KGOU became a National Public Radio station in 1982. Use National Public Radio on first reference; NPR is acceptable on subsequent references.

Kraettli apartments

See apartments; university buildings.

KXOU

See StudioU.

L

larceny

See burglary, larceny, robbery, theft.

Latina, Latino, Latinx The feminine, masculine, and gender-neutral, respectively, terms for a person from a country from Latin America. Latinx is not necessarily synonymous with Hispanic.

See Hispanic; race.

Lawrence  The city in Kansas where the University of Kansas is located. It stands alone in datelines.

See datelines.

law review  OU has three law publications — the Oklahoma Law Review, published quarterly since 1948; the American Indian Law Review (no hyphen), published twice a year since 1973; and ONE J: Oil and Gas, Natural Resources, and Energy Journal, published six times a year since 2015. The College of Law no longer produces the Oklahoma Journal of Law and Technology, which ran from 2003-2015 and was Oklahoma’s first online-only legal publication and the first journal devoted to the convergence of technology and the law.

legislature  Capitalize when preceded by the name of a state: The Oklahoma Legislature. Retain the capitalization when the reference is specifically to that state’s legislature: The Legislature voted against the bill. For plural and non-specific references, do not capitalize: the Oklahoma and Texas legislatures; a legislature.

L. Dale Mitchell Park  Home of Sooner baseball. Located on Imhoff Road, across the street from Lloyd Noble Center.

2SLGBTQ+ Acceptable in all references for two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and other non-cisgendered, non-straight people or communities. Some organizations or sources may use LGBTQIA or LGBTQIA+ with the “I” for intersex, “A” for agender, asexual or aromantic and the plus sign to include any persons who may identify with an identity not included in the acronym. Only use variations of the acronym, including the shortened LGBT and LGBTQ, if they are in the name of an organization or used in quotes.

"2S" stands for two-spirit, a Native American term used to describe persons who identify as having both a masculine and feminine spirit.

Avoid using queer unless the word is in the name of an organization or used in a quote. Queer is still considered a slur in many contexts.

See gender.

LGBTQ+ Ally (singular), LGBTQ+ Allies (plural) A program that links 2SLGBTQ+ students with faculty, staff members and fellow students who have been trained to better understand the 2SLGBTQ+ community’s needs. An LGBTQ+ Ally must go through a three-hour training session. The program dropped "Sooner" from its name in 2015.

libraries  The main library is Bizzell Memorial Library on first reference. Library collections include the History of Science Collection and the Bass Collection on the fifth floor of the main library, the Western History Collection in Monnet Hall and the Government Documents Collection on the fourth floor of the main library. Capitalize as shown.

Use the generic names for the branch libraries and do not capitalize them. The branches are the architecture library in Gould Hall, the chemistry-mathematics library in Felgar Hall, the fine arts library in Catlett Music Center, the geology library in Sarkeys Energy Center, the physics-astronomy library in Nielsen Hall, the law library in the Law Center and the journalism library in Gaylord Hall.

Refer to all of the libraries collectively as the OU library system.

See university buildings.

Lil Sis Spell out as shown for the auxiliary organization of the RUF/NEKS.

Lindsey Street  A main street that runs east to west through campus.

Lin Hall

See university buildings.

Lissa and Cy Wagner Hall  Houses the University College, the Writing Center, Project Threshold and the Graduation Office. Wagner Hall is acceptable on second reference.

See university buildings.

Little Red  OU’s mascot from 1940 to 1970. He was a Native American with a full headdress and performed stereotypical Native dances at football games. The mascot was discontinued after protests from the Native American community and activists including now-OU Professor Emeritus George Henderson.

See mascots, Native-American themed; mascots, OU.

Lloyd Noble Center  Spell out as shown on first reference. Lloyd Noble is acceptable on subsequent references. The Lloyd Noble Center hosts sporting events, mainly basketball, gymnastics and wrestling, as well as other event such as the Rah Rally. Students can park for free in the Lloyd Noble parking lot and then take a free shuttle to campus.

See university buildings.

M

majors  When naming a major, use the briefest, most specific term, usually the term the subject uses: Christina Leonard, journalism senior, has graduated. Capitalize a major only if it is a proper name (English, Russian, Native American studies).

mascots, Native-American themed  We do not publish sports team nicknames widely considered to dehumanize minority groups through stereotyping, appropriation and caricature. To that end, do not use Braves, Chiefs, Indians or Redskins for the teams in Atlanta (MLB), Kansas City (NFL), Cleveland (MLB) or Washington (NFL). Use the team locator instead.

Tribal-specific logos, mascots, and nicknames are accepted when the team has consent from the tribe. In the NCAA, five schools have that distinction: Catawba College (Indians), Central Michigan University (Chippewas), Florida State University (Seminoles), Mississippi College (Choctaws) and the University of Utah (Utes).

mascots, OU  Boomer and Sooner are the university's costumed mascots. They are played by students wearing pony costumes and appear at athletic events.

See Boomer Sooner.

Master of Arts, Master of Science  A master’s is acceptable in any reference.

See academic degrees.

Max Westheimer Airpark  This is OU’s airfield at 1700 Lexington Ave. on the north campus, northeast of Robinson Street and 24th Avenue Northwest. Spell out as shown on first reference.

May Fair  This annual Norman arts festival began in 1974. It is sponsored by the Norman Assistance League and occurs in Andrews Park on the weekend that includes the first Sunday in May.

McCasland Field House  Full name is Howard McCasland Field House, but McCasland Field House is acceptable on first reference. Houses OU’s volleyball and wrestling programs.

See university buildings.

McCasland Tower  One of four towers that make up Adams Center residence hall.

See Adams Center.

Meacham Auditorium  References to Meacham Auditorium as a location of an upcoming event also should indicate that the auditorium is in Oklahoma Memorial Union. Example: Oklahoma Memorial Union’s Meacham Auditorium.

See Oklahoma Memorial Union.

media Takes a plural verb: President Donald Trump says the media are printing fake news.

See press.

Medieval Fair  An event that takes place every April. The free fair is hosted by OU’s College of Continuing Education and the city of Norman. Spell out as shown on first reference. Use the fair on subsequent references.

mental health

See mental illness.

mental illness Do not describe an individual as mentally ill or having mental health issues unless it is clearly pertinent to the story. When used, identify the source for the diagnosis. Do not rely on hearsay or anonymous sources. The best source is the individual being reported upon; other reliable sources are family members, mental health professionals or court records.

Mental illness is a general term. Use specific conditions whenever possible: He was diagnosed with schizophrenia, according to court documents. He was diagnosed with anorexia, according to his parents. He was treated for depression.

Some common mental health disorders (all lowercase):

• Bipolar disorder (not manic-depression)
• Depression
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Schizophrenia

Avoid derogatory terms like insane, crazy, nuts or deranged, unless part of a quote that is essential to the story.

Avoid saying someone is afflicted with, suffers from or is a victim of a mental illness. Instead, say someone has a mental illness: He has depression. She has post-traumatic stress disorder.

Do not assume that mental illness leads to violence or is connected with violent behavior. Sometimes a first responder may be quoted as saying that a crime was committed by a person with a “history of mental illness.” Such comments must be attributed to someone with knowledge of the mental health of the suspect or perpetrator (see above for acceptable sources). If there is no evidence suggesting that mental health played a role in the crime, add a disclaimer that a link between the crime and mental health has yet to be established.

Metro Transit/CART  This is the metropolitan Oklahoma City bus service, which serves Norman and the campus area.

Use Cleveland Area Rapid Transit on first reference and CART on subsequent references.

The university bus service began as Campus Area Rapid Transit, changed its name to Cleveland Area Rapid Transit in 1985, when it became part of the federally funded Central Oklahoma Transit and Parking Authority, and fully merged with the Oklahoma City system to become Metro Transit in 1993.

The local Metro Transit routes are supported by a mix of student activity fees, rider fares and government grants.

Mex the Dog The university mascot from 1915-1928. The university closed for his funeral May 2, 1928, and he is buried in a small casket underneath the Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.

See mascots, OU.

Michael F. Price Hall

See Price Hall; university buildings.

minorities  Do not identify someone by ethnic group unless specifically relevant to the story.

Molly Shi Boren Ballroom Spell out as shown on first reference. Use the ballroom on subsequent references. Indicate that the ballroom is in Oklahoma Memorial Union. Example: Oklahoma Memorial Union’s Molly Shi Boren Ballroom.

See Oklahoma Memorial Union.

mom  Uppercase only when the noun substitutes for a name as a term of address: Hi, Mom!

Monnet Hall

See university buildings.

Morgantown  The city in West Virginia where the University of West Virginia is located. It stands alone in datelines.

See Big 12; datelines.

Muldrow Tower  One of four towers that make up Adams Center residence hall.

See Adams Center.

Murray Case Sells Swim Complex  Both an indoor and an outdoor pool are part of the complex, located at Asp Avenue and Timberdell Road. Formerly housed the OU men’s (1973-86) and women’s (1975-86) Division I swim teams; now the home of Norman High and Norman North High’s swim teams, as well as the Sooner Swim Club swim teams.

See university buildings.

Museum of Art

See Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art.

Museum of Natural History

See Sam Noble Museum of Natural History.

N

National Pan-Hellenic Council  Spell out on first reference. Established in 1930 at Howard University in Washington, D.C., as a national coordinating body for the nine historically Black fraternities and sororities that had evolved on American college and university campuses by that time.

At OU, the National Pan-Hellenic Council oversees the following organizations:

• Alpha Phi Alpha
• Alpha Kappa Alpha
• Delta Sigma Theta
• Iota Phi Theta
• Kappa Alpha Psi
• Omega Psi Phi
• Phi Beta Sigma
• Sigma Gamma Rho
• Zeta Phi Beta

See fraternities; sororities.

National Public Radio Spell out as shown on first reference. NPR is acceptable on second references.

See KGOU/KROU.

National Weather Center  The $67 million center built on south campus is the largest weather-research center of its kind in the nation. It was completed in late 2005/early 2006. It houses:

• OU School of Meteorology
• Center for Analysis and Prediction of Storms
• Center for Spatial Analysis
• Cooperative Institute for Mesoscale Meteorological Studies
• Environmental Verification and Analysis Center
• Oklahoma Climatological Survey
• Natural Hazards and Disaster Research
• NOAA’s National Severe Storms Laboratory, Storm Prediction Center, National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office, Radar Operations Center and Warning Decision Training Branch

See university buildings.

Native American Acceptable for those in the U.S. Do not use Indian or American-Indian. Follow personal preference. When possible, be precise and use the name of the tribe: He is a Navajo commissioner.

See race.

Neustadt International Prize for Literature  A biennial award sponsored by OU and World Literature Today. The prize consists of $50,000, a replica of an eagle feather cast in silver and a certificate. An endowment from the Neustadt family funds the award.

Established in 1969 as the Books Abroad International Prize for Literature and renamed the Books Abroad/Neustadt Prize before assuming its present name in 1976.

It is the first international literary award of this scope to originate in the U.S. and is one of the few international prizes for which poets, novelists and playwrights are equally eligible.

Spell out as shown on first reference; Neustadt Prize is acceptable on subsequent references.

newspapers  Do not italicize or put in quotation marks any names of newspapers and news organizations.

See composition titles.

Nielsen Hall

See university buildings.

nonbinary

See gender.

Norman Art Walk  Officially known as 2nd Friday Norman Art Walk. It is held monthly from 6 to 9 p.m. in the Walker Arts District of downtown Norman.

Norman City Council  Use full name on first reference. Subsequent references should be city council or council. Note the lowercase.

Norman Music Festival  Spell out as shown on first reference. Norman Music Fest is acceptable in headlines and social posts to keep them short. Use festival rather than NMF on subsequent references. A free, independent music festival in downtown Norman. The festival spans two days and one night and is generally held in April.

Norman Police Department, the  Spell out as shown on first reference. Use NPD on subsequent references. The offices are located in the Norman Municipal Complex at 201-B W. Gray St.

Norman Public Library, the  Spell out as shown on first reference. Do not use Pioneer Multi-County Library unless referring collectively to all the libraries in central Oklahoma that are part of that system. The library is at 225 N. Webster Ave.

Norman Regional Hospital  Spell out on first reference. The hospital is at 901 N. Porter Ave.

North Greek  This refers to the cluster of greek houses north of Lindsey Street.

North Oval, the  The oval campus street on the north half of campus off Boyd Street. The official street name — only used when listing a mailing address — is Parrington Oval, named for Vernon Louis Parrington, a Pulitzer Prize-winning Harvard graduate who organized the OU English department.

Nuclear Engineering Laboratory, the

See university buildings.

numerals In general, spell out one through nine and use figures for 10 or above. Use figures when referring to a unit of measurement or the ages of people, animals, events or things.

USE FIGURES FOR: academic course numbers; addresses; ages; centuries; court decisions; court districts; dates, years and decades; decimals, percentages and fractions with numbers larger than 1 (3 ½ laps); measurements; distances; highway designations; mathematics; monetary units (with the exception of millions/billions/trillions: $1 million); rank (No. 1); school grades; political districts; speeds; sports scores; temperatures; times; votes.

SPELL OUT: numbers at the start of a sentence; in indefinite and casual uses (Thanks a million. He walked a quarter of a mile.); proper names (Fab Four); formal language (the twelve apostles); in fractions less than one that are not used as modifiers (reduced by one-third).

ORDINALS: Spell out first through ninth; use figures starting with 10th.

For more examples, see the full AP Stylebook.

N-word Do not use the racial slur this refers to. If it is said in a quote and the quote is absolutely crucial to the story, censor it with hyphens: The SAE chant included the line “There will never be a n----- in SAE.” Always ask a managing editor before using the censored slur, as it is necessary in only extremely rare circumstances. Note that the N is capitalized.

See obscenities, profanities, vulgarities.

O

obscenities, profanities, vulgarities Do not use them in stories unless they are part of a direct quote and there is a compelling reason for them. If used in a quote, replace the letters after the initial letter with hyphens: f---, s---. Some obscenities, such as ass or damn are acceptable to use without censorship. When in doubt, ask an editor. When referring to a slur, try to find a way to give the reader a sense of what was said without using the specific word or phrase: an anti-gay or racist slur. Any use of slurs must be approved by an editor.

See N-word.

O’Connell’s Irish Pub and Grille O’Connell’s is acceptable on all references. The original O’Connell’s, 120 E. Lindsey St., closed in 2011 after the university purchased the land to build residence halls. O’Connell’s moved to Campus Corner at 769 Asp Ave.

OK, OK’d, OK’ing, OKs  Not okay or O.K.

Oklahoma  Not abbreviated within text of story.

Oklahoma Center for Continuing Education, the  Spell out as shown on first reference; use OCCE on subsequent references.

See university buildings.

Oklahoma City bombing

A timeline of events:

April 19, 1995 — An explosion at 9:02 a.m. destroyed the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. One hundred and sixty-eight people died. Ninety minutes later, Timothy McVeigh was stopped for driving without a license tag and jailed after he was found carrying a concealed weapon. Before he was to be released April 21, McVeigh was named a bombing suspect and later charged in the bombing.

May 23, 1995 — The wreckage of the building was brought down.

June 3, 1995 — The site of the Alfred P. Murrah Building no longer was a crime scene, according to the FBI.

Aug. 10, 1995 — McVeigh and Terry Nichols were indicted on 11 counts each for the bombing.

June 3, 1997 — McVeigh was found guilty. He was later sentenced to death by lethal injection.

May 25, 2001 — McVeigh’s execution date was thrown into doubt when the FBI revealed it failed to turn over more than 4,400 pages of documents to McVeigh’s defense.

June 11, 2001 — McVeigh was executed in Terre Haute, Ind. It was the first federal execution since 1963.

Oklahoma Daily, the Do not italicize. This is the original name of what is now OU Daily. Note The is not capitalized with OU Daily unless at the start of a sentence. To avoid confusion with The Oklahoman, use the Daily or OU Daily.

• Always lowercase the when referring to the OU Daily or the Daily. (Changed in summer 2022)
• The word The is not part of OU Daily’s name in its flag and broader branding. As such, do not use it, capitalized, as part of the organization’s name. When needed for conversational flow, the (lowercase) can be used before our name. I’m a reporter for the OU Daily. Or, As previously reported by the Daily.
• Photo captions should read photographer/OU Daily, rather than photographer/The Daily.

Oklahoma Journal of Law and Technology

See law review.

Oklahoma Law Review, the

See law review.

Oklahoma Memorial Stadium  The structure that surrounds Owen Field. The full name is Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Use the full name on first reference. Oklahoma Memorial Stadium and the stadium are acceptable on second reference.

Oklahoma Memorial Union  Spell out as shown on first reference; use the Union on subsequent references. The Union used to be a private corporation, but the university took over operation in 1993.

Do not use the abbreviation OMU. 

Union rooms:

• Alma Wilson Room
• Associates Room
• Beaird Lounge
• Clarke-Anderson Room
• Courtyard
• Crimson Room
• Crossroads Lounge
• David L. Boren Lounge
• Dr. David F. Schrage OU Traditions Room
• Frontier Room
• Governors Room
• Henry W. Browne Sr. Game Room
• Heritage Room
• John Houchin Room
• LGBTQ Lounge
• Louise Houchin Room
• Meacham Auditorium
• Molly Shi Boren Ballroom
• Pioneer Room
• Presidents Room
• Regents Room
• Scholars Room
• Sooner Room
• Stuart Landing
• Sutton Foyer
• Weitzenhoffer Room
• Will Rogers Room

See university buildings.

Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, the  Governing body for all state colleges and university in Oklahoma. There are nine regents; each serves a nine-year term. They are nominated by the governor and approved by the Legislature. The state regents act through the chancellor of higher education. The state regents’ office is in the Oliver Hodge Building in the State Capitol Complex in Oklahoma City. On subsequent references, use the state regents to avoid confusion with the OU regents.

Oklahoma State University  Spell out as shown on first reference; use Oklahoma State, not OSU, on subsequent references. In sports stories, Oklahoma State should be used on first reference. Oklahoma State’s mascot is the Cowboys; use Cowgirls in all references to women’s sports. Oklahoma State is located in Stillwater and is a member of the Big 12 Conference.

Old Science Hall  The building’s full name is Beatrice Carr Wallace Old Science Hall. Old Science Hall is acceptable on all references.

See university buildings.

ONE The one portal where students can access their grades, schedules, unofficial transcripts, financial aid, bursar payments, and other academic information. It replaced oZone.

See oZone.

ONE J: Oil and Gas, Natural Resources, and Energy Journal

See law review.

Otis Sullivant Award, the The late Edith Kinney Gaylord of Oklahoma City established the $500,000 endowment before her death in January 2001. The award, which carries a $20,000 prize, honors the late Otis Sullivant, a longtime Oklahoma journalist. The award is presented to a faculty or staff member at OU who exhibits “keen perceptivity.” The award is acceptable on second reference.

OU  This abbreviation (no periods) is acceptable in all references to the University of Oklahoma and its athletic programs. Avoid using OU to modify proper names that are probably in a context where it would be understood that the name is associated with OU: Health Sciences Center, not OU Health Sciences Center.

OU Athletic Communications  Use as shown on first reference; use athletic communications on subsequent references. This office handles all public relations, statistics, records, interviews and photographs for OU athletics. In titles, never capitalize: Mike Houck, assistant athletics director for strategic communications.

OU Board of Regents, the Responsible for governing OU, Rogers State University and Cameron University. There are seven regents; each serves a seven-year term. The regents are nominated by the governor and approved by the Legislature. The regents act through their executive secretary, who maintains an office in Evans Hall. Use the regents on second reference.

OU Chant  Since 1938, the “OU Chant” has been part of OU football pre-game activities. It was written by Jessie Lone Clarkson Gilkey, who directed the OU girl’s glee club from 1936 to 1938 and, in 1937, was voted Outstanding Faculty Woman. The lyrics:

O-K-L-A-H-O-M-A

Our chant rolls on and on!

Thousands strong join heart and song

In alma mater’s praise

Of campus beautiful by day and night

Of colors proudly gleaming red and white

’Neath the western sky

OU’s chant will never die

Live on, University

OU Cousins  A program created in 1995 by then-President David Boren and his wife, Molly Shi Boren. OU Cousins matches international and exchange students with American students in an effort to foster social and academic interaction between the two. Students are paired annually at a matching party held in the fall. More than 50 countries are represented in the program.

oudaily.com

OU Foundation, the

See University of Oklahoma Foundation, the.

OU Golf Course, the  

See Jimmie Austin Golf Club.

O.U. Improv!  The periods are necessary, as the group’s official title is Obviously Unrehearsed Improv!. Note the exclamation mark.

OU Innovate An app that allows students to access information about their Sooner Cards, find parking and order a SafeRide, among other things.

See SafeRide; Sooner Card.

OU in Arezzo

See Arezzo, Italy.

OU in Puebla

See Puebla, Mexico.

OU in Rio

See Rio de Janeiro.

OU Nightly  Student-run daily news broadcast show. Airs on Cox 124, Campus Cable 76 and ATT UVerse 99 at 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday during the academic year.

OU Public Affairs  In charge of the university’s public relations. Public Affairs is the acceptable second reference. Public Affairs sends press releases to media throughout the state and the country. Public Affairs is run by the senior associate vice president for public affairs, who reports directly to the president.

OUPD  You may refer to OUPD generically as police or university police. The offices are at 2720 S. Monitor Ave., on the south campus.

OU-Texas  Not OU/Texas or Texas-OU. Refers to athletic competitions between OU and the University of Texas, most notably the Red River Showdown, a football game held in the Cotton Bowl in Dallas.

See Red River Showdown.

OU Unheard Founded in 2015, OU Unheard is a “movement dedicated to enact change and address various grievances aimed towards Black students at the University of Oklahoma,” according to its Facebook page.

Owen Field The natural grass football field inside Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.

See Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.

oZONE The former online portal where students could access their grades, schedules, unofficial transcripts, financial aid, bursar payments, and other academic information. It was replaced with ONE, or one.ou.edu.

See ONE.

P

Panamerican Student Association  Use the full name on first reference; Pan Am is acceptable on second reference.

Panhellenic Association  Use the full name on first reference; Panhellenic is acceptable on subsequent references. Governs sororities on campus.

See greek; sororities.

parking garages  OU has four parking garages:

• Elm Avenue Parking Facility
• Asp Avenue Parking Facility
• Oklahoma Memorial Union Parking Garage
• Jenkins Avenue Parking Facility

parks  Norman maintains 55 neighborhood and community parks. Some of the major ones are listed here:  

• Griffin Community Park
• Reaves Park
• Lions Park
• Andrews Park

For a full list, consult the city of Norman’s website.

Parrington Oval

See North Oval, the.

Passion Pit, the

See Unity Garden.

PE-ET Honor Society  Spell out and capitalize as shown. Pronounced "pay-et."

Peggy V. Helmerich Collaborative Center  Located on LL1 of Bizzell Memorial Library. The center offers spaces with technology for students to work and study together, including study rooms and classrooms that can be reserved in advance.

See Bizzell Memorial Library.

Pell Grant  A Federal Pell Grant, unlike a loan, does not have to be repaid. Generally, Pell Grants are awarded only to undergraduate students who have not earned a bachelor’s or professional degree. (A professional degree is usually earned after earning a bachelor’s degree in a field, such as medicine, law or dentistry.) In some cases, one might receive a Pell Grant for attending a post-baccalaureate teacher certificate program. One can receive only one Pell Grant in an award year.

people of color  Acceptable use as a synonym for minorities. Check with an editor to decide which term best suits the tone of a story. May also use to describe groups such as journalists of color or women of color. Do not use the abbreviation POC. Do not use people of color when a group is of all one race or ethnicity: Black people, Latinx people.

See race.

percent, percentage, percentage points  Spell out percent. Figures should always be used: The president has a 50 percent approval rating.

Phi Gamma Delta  Spell out as shown on first reference. FIJI is acceptable only on second reference to the fraternity or one of its members. A story using the term FIJI should explain that FIJI is what the fraternity prefers to call itself.

See fraternities.

Physical Plant, the

See Facilities Management.

Physical Sciences Center, the  Tall building on Elm Street that houses various Arts and Sciences department offices and many classrooms and auditoriums. Do not use PSC or the blender.

See university buildings.

pool

See Murray Case Sells Swim Complex.

presidents, OU

The list, tenure of OU presidents is as follows:

• David Ross Boyd, 1892-1908
• A. Grant Evans, 1908-1911
• Stratton D. Brooks, 1912-1923
• James S. Buchanan, 1923-1925
• William Bennett Bizzell, 1925-1941
• Joseph A. Brandt, 1941-1943
• George Lynn Cross, 1943-1968
• J. Herbert Hollomon, Jr., 1968-1970
• Paul F. Sharp, 1971-1978
• William S. Banowsky, 1978-1984
• Frank Horton, 1985-1988
• Richard Van Horn, 1989-1994
• David L. Boren, 1994-2018
• James Gallogly, 2018-2019
• Joseph Harroz Jr., 2019-present

President’s Community Scholars  The freshmen scholarship/community service group was designed to cultivate students’ proven leadership abilities. Spell out as shown on first reference; PCS is acceptable on subsequent references.

President’s Leadership Class  Established in 1961 by the late David Burr, former vice president of University Affairs. The freshmen scholarship/leadership group was designed to cultivate students’ proven leadership abilities. Spell out as shown on first reference; PLC is acceptable on subsequent references.

press  The university operates OU Press, which prints several textbooks and scholarly works by OU professors and researchers and others, has two presses. The Daily used to print on the Journalism Press, which was sold in 1997. In spring 2007, printing switched from the Edmond Sun to the Norman Transcript.

Because the media today involves much more than printed publications, refer to news gathering and publication companies collectively as the media instead of the press. Media always requires a plural verb: President Donald Trump said the media are printing fake news.

See media.

Price Hall  The 55,000-square-foot, $19 million addition to Adams Hall opened in the summer of 2005. Use Michael F. Price Hall if space allows on first reference. Price Hall is always acceptable.

See university buildings.

Pride of Oklahoma, the  The OU marching band. Spell out as shown on first reference; on subsequent references, use the Pride or the band.

profanities

See obscenities, profanities, vulgarities.

professor  Do not abbreviate or use prof. Do not capitalize, unless it is part of a formal title preceding a name; informal use, such as law professor Andrew Coats, should not be capitalized.

Although there is a hierarchy of professorships — full professors, associate professors, assistant professors, et. al. — use the simplified professor in all references except in reference to visiting professors.

Avoid using OU professor unless necessary to avoid confusion with other schools.

projects.oudaily.com  The projects site houses longer enterprise pieces produced in the mid 2010s. As of 2019, most enterprise work is presented within the TownNews content management system.

Public Affairs

See OU Public Affairs.

Puebla, Mexico  OU's Mexican study center and study abroad destination. The program offers semester and summer study abroad options. In 2019, OU President James Gallogly cut the faculty-in-residence program to save money.

R

race Do not use race as a descriptor unless it is relevant to the story. When referring to a group of people, none of whom are Caucasian/white, use people of color. Do not abbreviate as POC. Never use the offensive phrase colored people.

See African American; Black; Hispanic; Latina, Latino, Latinx; Native American; people of color.

racism, racist The terms racism and racist can be used in broad references or in quotations to describe the hatred of a race, or assertion of the superiority of one race over others. Do not use language such as racially charged to describe situations that are racist.

Identifying people by race and reporting on actions that have to do with race go beyond simple style questions. Think broadly about racial issues before making decisions on specific situations and stories. Race is often an irrelevant factor; it is imperative to be clear about the role of race before including racial identifiers. In some situations, using race as an identifier can reinforce stereotypes. When in doubt, ask your editor.

Reaves Park

See parks.

Red River Showdown  Formerly Red River Shootout or Red River rivalry; references the football rivalry between OU and the University of Texas. Also acceptable in references to the rivalry in other sports. Avoid the use of shootout.

See OU-Texas.

redshirt  Used to denote the common practice of withholding a player for a season to save a year of eligibility, distinguishing players from true freshmen. Redshirt freshman running back Kennedy Brooks is averaging 11.2 yards per carry.

Red-White spring game  Refers to the football open scrimmage that takes place in the spring at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Not Red/White. Spring game acceptable on all references.

reflecting pool

See senior gifts.

Reflection Room  Originally located in Oklahoma Memorial Union; now housed in Bizzell Memorial Library. The room sponsored by the religious studies program to “provide a space for private contemplation by individuals of all faiths.”

regents  Do not capitalize, except in a formal name: The regents voted. The OU Board of Regents meets Tuesday.

See Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education; OU Board of Regents.

religion  Do not identify someone by their religious affiliation unless it is specifically relevant to the story.

research campus  The term for the university buildings at State Highway 9 and Jenkins Avenue.

residence halls  Don’t call them dormitories or dorms.

OU has eight residence halls:

• Walker Center
• Couch Center
• Adams Center
• Cate Center
• David L. Boren Hall
• Headington Hall
• Headington College
• Dunham College

The latter two are residential colleges.

See residential colleges.

resident adviser RA acceptable on second reference. Note: adviser, not advisor.

residential colleges The residential colleges, Headington College (not to be confused with Headington Hall) and Dunham College, are upperclassmen on-campus living. They are meant to foster community and traditions, similar to residential colleges at universities like Yale.

See residence halls.

restaurants

• Amicus Cafe (law school)
• Baja Fresh Express (Oklahoma Memorial Union)
• Bedrock Cafe (Sarkeys Energy Center)
• Bookmark Cafe, The (Bizzell Memorial Library)
• Chick-fil-A (Oklahoma Memorial Union; Couch cafeteria)
• Couch Express (Couch Center)
• Couch Restaurants (Couch cafeteria)
• Crossroads (Oklahoma Memorial Union)
• Flying Cow Cafe (National Weather Center)
• Freshens (Sarkeys Fitness Center; Couch Restaurants; National Weather Center)
• HSC food court (Health Sciences Center)
• Laughing Tomato, the (Oklahoma Memorial Union)
• Quiznos (Oklahoma Memorial Union) Note: No apostrophe
• Raising Cane’s (Adams Center)
• Redbud Cafe (Sam Noble Museum of Natural History)
• Starbucks (Oklahoma Memorial Union)
• Union Market (Oklahoma Memorial Union)
• Xcetera! (Walker Center) Note: exclamation point

Rhodes Scholar  The oldest international fellowships; began after the death of Cecil Rhodes in 1902, and they fund students from many countries to attend Oxford University. The first American Scholars were elected in 1904.

American Rhodes Scholars are selected through a decentralized process by which regional selection committees choose 32 scholars each year from among those nominated by selection committees in each state. Rhodes Scholars are elected for two years of study at Oxford. All educational costs are paid on the scholar’s behalf by the Rhodes Trustees.

Rhodes Scholars are selected based on their home state, not their university.

Richards Hall

See university buildings.

Rio de Janeiro OU's Brazilian study center and study abroad destination. The program offered spring break, summer, and semester study abroad options before OU President James Gallogly closed the study campus in 2019 to save money.

robbery

See burglary, larceny, robbery, theft.

Robertson Hall

See university buildings.

room numbers Use figures and capitalize room when used with a figure and without a building name: Room 244.

See numerals.

Roy T. Oliver Walk and Gardens This is the official name for the area north of the stadium. Do not use unless formal name is needed. Use the generic north of the stadium for clarity.

RUF/NEKS  Spell out, capitalize and punctuate as shown on all references.

Rupel J. Jones Theatre  Spell out as shown on first reference. Note the nonstandard spelling of the word theatre in the proper name. Go along with it in the proper name, but always use theater in the generic sense. Note: this is not a building but an area within the Fine Arts Center.

S

SafeRide  Free program designed to provide OU students with a safe ride anywhere within Norman city limits Thursday through Saturday evenings from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. OU students can request rides using the OU Innovate app.

See Comprehensive Alcohol Program.

SafeWalk  Campus escort service from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. seven days a week.

See Comprehensive Alcohol Program.

Sam Noble Museum of Natural History, the  The museum located on Stovall near the intersection of Chautauqua Avenue and Timberdell Road. Formerly the Stovall Museum. Do not use its full name, the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, as it would be cumbersome.

See university buildings.

Sam Viersen Gymnastics Center

See university buildings.

Sarkeys Energy Center No apostrophe. It’s the tallest building between Oklahoma City and Dallas. It was built taller than Oklahoma Memorial Stadium to place an emphasis on academics.

See university buildings.

Sarkeys Fitness Center No apostrophe.

See university buildings.

SAT  The Scholastic Assessment Test. This college entrance exam used to be called the Scholastic Aptitude Test, but the name was changed in 1993. SAT is acceptable on first reference.

seasons, semesters  Lowercase without commas: the fall 1989 semester, the spring 1992 semester. Use summer session, not summer semester.

In sports stories, use the following style: the 2000-01 season or the 1999-2000 season. Football seasons are referred to only as the year it started, even if the team competed in a postseason bowl game in the next calendar year. For example, OU football won the national championship at the end of the 2000 season, even though the title game actually was played Jan. 3, 2001.

senior gifts  A list of gifts. Where there is no gift listed for a class, the gift was either not given or is unknown.

• 1906 — The ’06 Rock found after falling from a train between Norman and Oklahoma City. It was so heavy it buried wagon wheels during the first attempt to carry it. When it eventually arrived on campus, a stonemason chiseled “06” into it. It sits near Old Science Hall.
• 1910 — Spoonholder. The original spoonholder lasted from 1910 until the 1980s. It was replaced by a gift of the classes of 1949 and 1999. It resembles a spoonholder, but its name also comes from an old-fashioned dating custom called “spooning.” It is said that if a couple kisses in the Spoonholder, they are destined to get married.
• 1915 — The arches at Boyd Street at the North Oval and Asp Avenue.
• 1917 — The arches at Boyd Street at the North Oval and Asp Avenue.
• 1919 — The arches on Jenkins Avenue at Brooks Street.
• 1920 — The arches on Jenkins Avenue at Brooks Street.
• 1924 — Stadium Memorial Tower reflecting pool. The original reflecting pool was lost with the expansion of the football stadium in 1949, when the north end zone was bowled.
• 1932 — The arches on Elm Avenue at Brooks Street.
• 1933 — The arches on Elm Avenue at Brooks Street.
• 1934 — “A Sooner Covered Wagon,” a sculpture that depicts a scene from the Oklahoma land run. It features a Conestoga wagon with a frontier woman and child riding across the prairie. Native Americans on horses, a figure representing Will Rogers, and cattle are also part of the sculpture. It is nearly 40 square feet and weighs 3,000 pounds It was originally placed in the clock tower on the north end of the Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, near the stadium’s original reflecting pool. In 2003, the sculpture was relocated.
• The reflecting pool was also a gift from the class of 1934. The classes of 1960 and 2000 both helped restore the pool.
• 1935 — Fountain and pool located between Oklahoma Memorial Union and Monnet Hall. The plaza is now dedicated to the members of the Class of 1950, who were among the first university graduates who returned from service at home and abroad during World War II.
• 1950 — The Union Plaza, an outdoor space in the Oklahoma Memorial Union with tables and chairs.
• 1990 — The arches on the Van Vleet Oval, also known as the South Oval, at Lindsey Street.
• 1998 — The university seal located on the Stuart Landing of Oklahoma Memorial Union. The seal was completed by artist-in-residence Paul Moore and features a seedsower beneath the words “CIVI ET REPUBLICAE.”
• 1999 — Reunion Park, located on the west side of the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art. It was created on behalf of the classes of 1948 and 1949 as a symbol of their reunion.
• 2001 — Oklahoma Memorial Union Plaza Fountain. Constructed as part of the Archie W. Dunham Conoco Student Leadership Center.
• 2002 — Purchase and installation of “The Guardian,” a replica of the sculpture that sits atop the State Capitol building. Designed by Native American artist Kelly Haney, a state senator.
• 2003 — Chant Park, located west of Dale Hall Tower.
• 2004 — The Flag Plaza, located on the northwest corner of the Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, honors those who have served the United States of America.
• 2005 — Standing clock on the Walker-Adams Mall.
• 2006 — Replica of the 1906 rock, but this was instead placed at the south research campus.
• 2007 — The Disc Ruin, a commissioned sculpture by Jesus Moroles celebrating the 100th anniversary of Oklahoma’s statehood. It is located in front of Bizzell Memorial Library.
• 2013 — The brick and stone entrance sign on the corner of Highway 9 and Chautauqua Avenue.
• 2015 — Headington Park, located on the south side of Headington Hall.
• 2016 — Pocket Park, located on the east side of Bizzell Memorial Library.

Sexpert A peer educator who presents in residence halls, classrooms and sororities/fraternities through a program offered through the Health Promotion Department. They have a one-hour presentation that covers the facts of STDs and pregnancy prevention in a game-show style format.

sexually transmitted diseases Spell out on first reference. STD or STDs is acceptable for subsequent references.

school  Use the informal reference to an academic division known as a school, and do not capitalize it: the art school, the music school. In formal references, which are necessary in mailing addresses, and in long school names, capitalize: the School of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering.

sheriff’s office

See Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office.

Sigma Alpha Epsilon incident

Spell out as shown on first reference; SAE incident  is acceptable for subsequent references.

A timeline of events:

March 7, 2015 — A video was filmed on a bus showing SAE fraternity members participating in a racist chant, which used a racial slur to say Black students could not sign with the fraternity. The chant also alluded to lynchings.

March 8, 2015 — The Daily received an anonymous tip about the video. SAE’s national organization tweeted that they were investigating the details and would “sanction” those who were responsible. The national president of SAE tweeted that OU’s chapter of SAE had been placed on a cease and desist order.

March 9, 2015 — Then-President David Boren said in a statement that OU would conduct an investigation to see if the video involved OU students. OU Unheard was one of many student organizations that led a protest on the North Oval. SAE’s national organization disbanded OU’s chapter, suspended all fraternity members and said the members responsible could have their membership permanently revoked. The organization also said SAE could reestablish a chapter at OU in the future. Later, Boren updated his statement, calling the SAE members responsible “disgraceful.” He severed all ties and affiliations between OU and its SAE chapter and directed that the house be closed and members remove their belongings from the house by midnight the next day without university help.

March 10, 2015 — Boren identified two students, who subsequently left the university, as playing a leadership role in the chant. As a result, people began to debate the First Amendment rights of the members in the video, as Boren said the students had been expelled, though they were not. Parker Rice, one of the students identified as a leader, issued an apology. The parents of Levi Petitt, the other student identified as a leader, issued a statement.

March 11, 2015 — Then-Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt issued a statement saying the attorney general’s office would work with the university to see if any state laws were broken.

March 12, 2015 — OU’s SAE chapter announced they planned to sue OU and possibly Boren, hiring prominent attorney Stephen Jones, who was the attorney for convicted Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh

March 13, 2015 — Investigations into racism at SAE chapters extended to campuses in Louisiana and Texas.

March 24, 2015 — The OU Staff Senate issued a statement commending the response of Boren and the university to the incident.

March 25, 2015 — Pettit apologized for his actions in a press conference. Boren held a mandatory “family meeting” with various fraternity councils to encourage members to stand against racism.

March 27, 2015 — An OU investigation found that the chant in the video was learned at a national leadership cruise for SAE in 2011. Boren announced that all 25 students involved in the video would face disciplinary action.

June 3, 2015 — Jabar Shumate started his position as OU vice president for university community in the newly created office of University Community.

July 2, 2015 — SAE’s national organization hired a director of diversity and inclusion.

July 8, 2015 — OU announced that the former SAE house would be converted into the University Community Center and would be used by the Southwest Center for Human Relations and the Disability Resource Center.

Aug. 27, 2015 — OU introduced mandatory diversity classes.

Feb. 12, 2016 — SAE’s national chapter found in an investigation the five chapters across the nation acknowledged hearing the chant, but they could not confirm that SAE originated the chant.

Feb. 17, 2016 — The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education named OU as one of the 10 worst colleges for free speech due to the alleged expulsions of Rice and Pettit.

Aug. 24, 2016 — The OU Student Veterans Association opened a lounge area in the former SAE house.

July 24, 2018 — Shumate resigned his position as OU’s associate vice president for university community.

July 25, 2018 — Shumate said he was a victim of “high-tech lynching” following his resignation and said the university planned to reinstate the SAE fraternity on campus. Erin Yarbrough, acting vice president for public affairs, refuted Shumate’s claim and said the fraternity would not be reopening a chapter at OU.

See fraternities; obscenities, profanities, vulgarities; Oklahoma City bombing; OU Unheard; University Community, Office of.

slurs

See obscenities, profanities, vulgarities.

Sooner  The yearbook was discontinued in 1990 but later revived for the 1996-97 school year. The office is located in Copeland Hall. Use Sooner yearbook if its identity is unclear. Student Media has reorganized the yearbook staff into the features staff.

Sooners, the (n.), Sooner (adj.) Acceptable for all uses in any references. Do not use OU or Oklahoma with Sooner as an adjective: the Sooner baseball team, not the OU Sooner baseball team. Never refer to a women’s athletic team as the Lady Sooners.

Sooner Ally (singular), Sooner Allies (plural)  

See LGBTQ+ Ally (singular), LGBTQ+ Allies (plural). 

Sooner Card Acceptable on all references for OU student IDs. Also serves as a library card, Sooner Sense card and meal card. Additionally functions as swipe-card access to certain buildings or rooms. The Sooner Card office has two locations: in the Oklahoma Memorial Union and in Stubbeman Place, west of Adams Center.

Sooner Hotel

See university buildings.

Sooner Housing Center The center was replaced by Headington Hall. It formerly housed Bud Wilkinson Hall, Jefferson Hall, and Jones Hall.

Sooner Schooner, the  The wagon made its debut at a football game against Southern Cal in 1964, but it was not made the official mascot until Oct. 6, 1980. It is pulled by two ponies, Boomer and Sooner, and operated by the RUF/NEKS.

Sooner Sense  A function of Sooner OneCard students can use at restaurants, laundry facilities and vending machines on campus. Students can deposit money into their accounts and draw upon the funds by presenting their ID cards at participating locations.

SoonerSports.com  Spell out as shown in all references.

Sooner Suites Located on Maple Avenue. Houses conference participants, students, parents, families, faculty, staff, alumni and the public.

Sooner Theatre Located in downtown Norman. OU, the Norman Ballet Company and various schools perform there. Note: Nonstandard spelling of theater.

SoonerVision  Refers to the athletic department’s in-house production studio that produces coaches’ TV shows, video displays in the football stadium and Lloyd Noble Center and live streaming webcasts on SoonerSports.com.

sororities

Panhellenic Association:

• Alpha Chi Omega, 1115 College Ave.
• Alpha Gamma Delta, 930 Chautauqua Ave.
• Alpha Omicron Pi, 1411 Elm Ave.
• Alpha Phi, 1401 College Ave.
• Chi Omega, 820 Chautauqua Ave.
• Delta Delta Delta, 1611 S. College Ave.
• Delta Gamma, 744 Elm Ave.
• Gamma Phi Beta, 1105 S. College Ave.
• Kappa Alpha Theta, 845 Chautauqua Ave.
• Kappa Kappa Gamma, 700 College Ave.
• Pi Beta Phi, 1701 Elm Ave.

Multicultural Greek Council:

• Alpha Kappa Delta Phi, Inc., 900 Asp Ave. Suite 370
• Delta Phi Omega, Inc., 900 Asp Ave. Suite 370
• Kappa Delta Chi, Inc., 900 Asp Ave. Suite 370
• Lamba Delta Psi, Inc., 900 Asp Ave. Suite 370
• Phi Delta Alpha, Inc., 900 Asp Ave. Suite 370
• Sigma Lambda Gamma, Inc., 900 Asp Ave. Suite 370
• Theta Nu Xi, Inc., 900 Asp Ave. Suite 370

Note: All addresses listed are mailing addresses, not physical addresses, as Multicultural Greek Council sororities don’t have their own houses.

National Pan-Hellenic Council:

• Delta Sigma Theta, 900 Asp Ave. Suite 370
• Sigma Gamma Rho, 900 Asp Ave. Suite 370
• Zeta Phi Beta, 900 Asp Ave. Suite 370

Note: All addresses listed are mailing addresses, not physical addresses, as National Pan-Hellenic Council sororities don’t have their own houses.

See greek.

south campus, the  Technically refers to the area south of Lindsey Street. However, use this term instead to refer to the area at State Highway 9 and Jenkins Avenue. This includes the Stephenson Research Center and the National Weather Center. This term is synonymous with research campus, but for purposes of clarity, use south campus.

South Greek  This refers to the cluster of greek houses south of Lindsey Street.

South Oval, the  The rectangular yard and walkway surrounding south of Bizzell Library. Officially, it is the Van Vleet Oval.

Southwest Center for Human Relations and the Disability Resource Center Located at 730 College Avenue, where the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity was formerly housed.

See disability resource center; Sigma Alpha Epsilon scandal.

Speakers’ Bureau

See CAC Speakers’ Bureau.

Spoonholder, the

See senior gifts.

spring break  Not capitalized.

spring game

See Red-White spring game.

staff  The OU staff comprises everyone working for the university who is not on the faculty. All staff members are represented by the Staff Senate, which in turn is made up of these groups: Hourly Employees Council, Informational Staff Association, Organizational Staff Council, Administrative Staff Council.

Staff Senate, the

Stafford Loan  Direct and FFEL Stafford Loans are either subsidized or unsubsidized. One can receive a subsidized loan and an unsubsidized loan for the same enrollment period.

A subsidized loan is awarded on the basis of financial need. The recipient will not be charged any interest before you begin repayment or during authorized periods of deferment. The federal government “subsidizes” the interest during these periods.

An unsubsidized loan is not awarded on the basis of need. Recipients will be charged interest from the time the loan is disbursed until it is paid in full. If one allows the interest to accumulate while in school or during other periods of nonpayment, it will be capitalized — that is, the interest will be added to the principal amount of one's loan and additional interest will be based upon the higher amount.

State Highway 9 Runs east-west across Oklahoma, intersecting I-35 in Norman. Highway 9 is accepted on all references.

statute  When citing a state statute, refer to its name if it has one: the Oklahoma Open Meeting Act. If you must give a complete citation, use this style: Title 7, Oklahoma Statutes, Sections 16-119.

Stephenson Research and Technology Center  This $27 million facility is located at the corner of Jenkins Avenue and David L. Boren Boulevard. It opened in 2004.

See university buildings.

Stillwater  The city in Oklahoma where Oklahoma State University is located. It stands alone in datelines.

See datelines.  

streets  Use complete street addresses. Only the words street, boulevard and avenue are abbreviated, and only then with a specific address. For numbered streets in Norman, use this style: 24th Avenue Northwest, 12th Avenue Southeast, 48th Avenue Northeast.

The dividing line for north and south is Main Street in the west, Alameda Street in the east. The dividing line between east and west is Jenkins Avenue north until it ends, Front Street north through downtown and the railroad tracks north for the rest of town.

See addresses.

Stuart Landing  Not Stewart Landing. Located on the second floor of Oklahoma Memorial Union.

See Oklahoma Memorial Union.

Student Congress  The Undergraduate Student Congress is the governing body of undergraduates and the Graduate Student Congress is the governing body of graduate students. Clarify which body of congress is being referred to. Both fall under the legislative branch of OU’s Student Government Association.

Spell out as shown on specific references; try to use Undergraduate Student Congress or Graduate Student Congress on every reference. If that becomes cumbersome, congress is an acceptable subsequent reference. Note the lowercase.

Student Government Association Spell out on first reference. SGA is acceptable for subsequent references.

Student Life  This office includes Campus Activities Council, McNair Scholars, Sooner Upward Bound, Camp Crimson, Sooner Orientation Weekend, Transfer Student Services, fraternity and sorority student life, student organizations, the Women’s Outreach Center and the four major ethnic minority groups on campus. This office answers to Student Affairs.

Student Media, OU This department includes the OU Daily and oudaily.com, Crimson Quarterly magazine and an advertising department. (Sooner yearbook, previously published by Student Media, ceased operations in 2019.)

Student Organization Resource Office The office is acceptable on second reference.

StudioU A student-run radio station that functions out of Gaylord College. Formerly known as KXOU. The station is digital only and can be accessed at ou.edu/kxou.

Sutton Hall

See university buildings.

swim complex

See Murray Case Sells Swim Complex.

T

Tarman Tower  One of four towers that make up Adams Center residence hall.

See Adams Center.

theft

See burglary, larceny, robbery, theft.

Thurman J. White Forum Building

See university buildings.

time  Follow AP style.

When describing an event, use the “time-date-place” format: The meeting will be at 9 a.m. Tuesday in Copeland Hall, Room 160. Never use tomorrow.

See today, tonight, tomorrow, yesterday.

titles  Place the title before a person’s name if it is three words or fewer; when the titles preceding the name is formal, it is capitalized except for sports titles: Director of Bands Gene Thrailkill, but OU athletic director Joe Castiglione. If the title is informal, it isn’t capitalized: band director Gene Thrailkill. If the title is longer than three words, place it after the name as an appositive: Nick Jungman, director of OU Student Media.

Use the specific gender term when available. Do not use courtesy titles.

today, tonight, tomorrow, yesterday  Do not use today, tonight, tomorrow or yesterday. Using these terms is confusing in both online stories and in print stories. Always use the date.

TOEFL, the  The Test of English as a Foreign Language. The acronym is appropriate in passing reference. The test is used in certifying teaching and graduate assistants.

Top Daug  A former OU basketball mascot, a big brown dog. The mascot originated from a claim by former basketball coach Billy Tubbs, who vowed to make OU “top dog” in the Big Eight Conference. Top Daug was discontinued after the introduction of horse mascots Boomer and Sooner.

See mascots, OU.

track fields

See Mosier Indoor Track Facility; John Jacobs Track and Field Complex.

Traditions East

See apartments; university buildings.

Traditions West

See apartments; university buildings.

transgender

See gender.

Tulsa campus  Also referred to as OU-Tulsa. It is home to the OU School of Community Medicine. 

Tulsa Race Massacre   The historical event in which white rioters destroyed the Greenwood District of Tulsa, known as Black Wall Street. Over 800 people were injured and at least 36 — but as many as 300 — died as a result of the racially charged violence. Historically it has been referred to as the Tulsa Race Riot, but was changed to reflect the killings of dozens of innocent people.

U

V

vice presidents  At the university, people are vice presidents for departments, not of departments: Clarke Stroud, vice president for Student Affairs.

visitor center  Note: visitor is singular.

vulgarities

See obscenities, profanities, vulgarities.

W

Waco  The city in Texas where Baylor University is located. It stands alone in datelines.

See datelines.

Wagner Hall   

See Lissa and Cy Wagner Hall; university buildings.

Walker-Adams Mall  The lawn between Walker Center and Adams Center. Includes volleyball courts, basketball courts and the 2005 senior gift, a clock.

Walker Center  No longer Walker Tower. The building is divided into an east and west half, and each floor is numbered from one to 12. Identify the floor this way: Mike Smith lives in Walker Center 12-West.

See residence halls; university buildings.

Weitzenhoffer Collection  In 2000, Clara Weitzenhoffer, an art collector and long-time OU supporter, left her collection of French Impressionist art to the university. The gift included 22 paintings and 11 works on paper by artists such as Degas, Gaugin, Monet, Pissarro, Renoir, Toulouse-Lautrec, Van Gogh, Vuillard and others. It also includes a collection of Weitzenhoffer’s 18th-century decorative arts, including furniture, porcelain and silver.

A Camille Pissarro painting, “Shepherdess Bringing in Sheep,” or “Bergère Rentrant des Moutons,” was included in the Weitzenhoffer Collection. In 2012, it came out that the painting was stolen by Nazis during the Holocaust, and after a lawsuit settlement with the original owners’ adopted daughter in 2016, the painting now hangs in the Musée d’Orsay in Paris. After 2021, the painting will be displayed in three-year intervals at the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art and an art museum of the original owners’ adopted daughter’s choice in France.

See Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art.

Whitehand Hall

See university buildings.

Will Rogers World Airport Airport in Oklahoma City. Located at 7100 Terminal Dr., Oklahoma City, OK, 73159.

See airports.

Wilson Center

See university buildings.

women’s and gender studies  Not capitalized when used as a major. Home of the Center for Social Justice and the social justice minor.

Women’s Outreach Center  Spell out as shown on first reference; use the center on subsequent references.

Z

Zarrow Hall      

See Anne and Henry Zarrow Hall.

Sports

baseball The Big 12 Conference has nine baseball teams. Iowa State is the only school without a baseball team.

The College World Series is hosted each year in Omaha, Nebraska.

basketball All 10 schools in the Big 12 Conference have men's and women's basketball programs. Baylor's women's team is referred to as the Lady Bears, Texas Tech's as the Lady Raiders and Oklahoma State's as the Cowgirls.

cross country OU has men's and women's cross country teams. Do not use the abbreviation "XC" for cross country. OU's cross country teams compete in the NCAA Midwest Region.

Note: Not hyphenated when referring to OU's programs, contrary to AP style.

football All 10 teams in the Big 12 Conference have football programs.

football coaches, OU The list of football coaches is as follows:

• John Harts, 1895
• Vernon Parrington, 1897-1900
• Fred Roberts, 1901
• Mark McMahon, 1902-03
• Fred Ewing, 1904
• Bennie Owen, 1905-26
• Adrian "Ad" Lindsey, 1927-31
• Lewie Hardage, 1932-34
• Lawrence "Biff" Jones, 1935-36
• Tom Stidham, 1937-40
• Dewey "Snorter" Luster, 1941-45
• Jim Tatum, 1946
• Bud Wilkinson, 1947-63
• Gomer Jones, 1964-65
• Jim Mackenzie, 1966
• Chuck Fairbanks, 1967-72
• Barry Switzer, 1973-88
• Garry Gibbs, 1989-94
• Howard Schnellenberger, 1995
• John Blake, 1996-98
• Bob Stoops, 1999-2017
• Lincoln Riley, 2017-present

golf OU has men's and women's golf teams that compete in the Big 12 Conference.

gymnastics The Big 12 Conferences has two women's gymnastics teams: Iowa State and OU. The Big 12 Conference does not formally recognize its members' men's gymnastics teams, so the OU men's gymnastics program is a member of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation.

mascots, Native-themed We do not publish sports team nicknames widely considered to dehumanize minority groups through stereotyping, appropriation and caricature. To the end, do not use Braves, Chiefs, Indians or Redskins for the teams in Atlanta (MLB), Kansas City (NFL), Cleveland (MLB) or Washington (NFL).

Tribal-specific logos, mascots and nicknames are accepted when the team has consent from the tribe. In the NCAA, five schools have that distinction: Catawba College (Indians), Central Michigan University (Chippewas), Florida State University (Seminoles), Mississippi College (Choctaws) and the University of Utah (Utes).

mascots, OU Boomer and Sooner are the university's costumed mascots. They are played by students wearing pony costumes and appear at athletic events.

soccer The OU women's soccer program was created in 1996 under Title IX. All 10 schools in the Big 12 Conference have women's soccer teams.

softball The Big 12 Conference has seven women's softball teams. Kansas State, TCU and West Virginia do not field teams.

Sooners Always takes a plural verb. The team and Oklahoma always take a singular verb.

student-athlete

tennis The Big 12 Conference has six men's tennis teams: Baylor, OU, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas Tech and TCU. All 10 schools in the Big 12 Conference have women's tennis teams.

track and field OU has men's and women's teams, both with an indoor and outdoor season each year.

volleyball The Big 12 Conference has nine volleyball teams. Oklahoma State is the only school without a volleyball team.

wrestling The Big 12 Conference only has four teams: Iowa State, OU, Oklahoma State and West Virginia.

Ethics and Policies

Student Media mission statement

Our mission is two-fold: To administer publications, activities and services that strengthen the education experience for students interested in journalism and related fields.

And to enhance the sense of community and the overall quality of campus life for a diverse student body by providing an unrestricted student forum for the exchange of ideas.

Ethics and Policies

This ethics manual does not attempt to describe every circumstance that could pose a problem; it does not answer every question that might arise. Instead, it is designed to establish general rules that editors, reporters and photographers are to use in reporting news and producing the news report each day. Violations of these standards can be grounds for dismissal.

For all ethical questions, follow this rule: When in doubt, consult your editor.

Conflicts of interest

The first obligation of staff members is to perform their assigned duties. To do so, staff members, or anyone who writes for the Daily, must be free from any obligation or the appearance of any obligation to any interest other than the public's right to distribution of news and enlightened opinion.

Other publications  Staff members may not work as a staff member, editor or contributor for any other news service or publication without the consent of the editor. One of the primary goals of the OU Daily is to offer OU students experience in journalism, but our staff must remain free from conflicts of interest. Any staff member found hiding his or her affiliation with another publication will be dismissed.

Political involvement  Staff members should exercise great care before becoming involved in any political context beyond voting. Under no circumstances should a staff member work — for pay or as a volunteer — in political organizations or campaigns that overlap with any of the staffer's assigned duties at the Daily. Before becoming involved in any political context, think about the ramifications of the involvement. Even if the involvement does not appear immediately to cause a conflict of interest, consider what our readers might think of the connection between the campaign and the news organization. Staff members are responsible for maintaining the integrity of the news organization. The appearance of bias is as devastating to the news organization's credibility as is actual bias.

Because of the nature of the Daily and its readership, similar precautions should be taken in any involvement with student politics at OU. Student politics and campus political organizations are even more likely to create the appearance of partiality than traditional political organizations.

If a relative of close friend is involved in any political activity, a staff member should tell the editors and refrain from covering or making any news or editorial judgments about such a campaign or organization.

Other enterprises  Staff members should not conduct any form of private enterprise on newsroom equipment without the clearance of the director of Student Media.

Accepting gifts

Simple economics prohibit the Daily from adopting an ethic of paying its own way. The Daily receives music, tickets for shows and sporting events and media passes for various events. We do not have the budget to purchase tickets and items for critical review for our staff. However, to avoid the appearance of any impartiality, we must adhere to a few guidelines.

Reviewing merchandise, events  Staff members may accept music digitally or via mail for critical review as news releases; they then become property of the Daily. Editors should recycle the merchandise by donating it afterward.

Free tickets or access to events may be accepted, but only when special arrangements for the press have been made or are necessary. The press box at sporting events is an example. Editors are responsible for making certain that advantage is not being take of certain situations.

Gifts: Staff members do not accept business-related gifts or favors, either at home or at the office. Staff members should not accept free rooms, sample equipment or free trips. Staffers should not accept free meals or drinks. This does not mean that staffers cannot accept a cup of coffee or something that can be repaid later. However, reporters should not be wined and dined while pursuing a story. The cost of meals incurred in the course of gathering stories may be paid by the Daily. Generally, however, it is difficult to take notes while eating.

Travel: Travel expenses must be approved by the editor, adviser and director IN ADVANCE of the trip. Expenses will be reimbursed upon return and presentation of accurate receipts.

Police news

Naming suspects  The Daily does not identify suspects in crime stories until they have been arrested or arrest is imminent. The word "alleged" should be used with care.

A person's race or ethnicity should not be mentioned in a story unless it is relevant to the story or it is part of a detailed description including other vital statistics.

The names of juvenile suspects should only be published with the editor's approval.

Naming victims  Here are some guidelines to use in determining whether a victim's name should be used:

• Rape/sex crimes. A rape victim's name should not be used unless the person consents.
• Suicide. If a story is written, the name should not be used unless the person is a notable figure. No story should be written about a suicide unless it happens in a public place or the person is a notable figure. Consult the editor.

Sources

Identify yourself  Staff members must identify themselves when covering any event for the Daily unless the editor has given approval for reporters or photographers not to disclose their identity.

On/off the record  Reporters are not to grant an interview off the record without the consent of the supervising editor or editor. There almost always is another way to obtain the information. In the course of an on-the-record interview, a source may preface one statement or set of statements to be off the record. If the source calls the statement off the record prior to issuing the statement, then it is off the record. If the source calls off the record after the fact, consult the supervising editor or editor.

Off-the-record information can be useful for backgrounding, but once you've committed to being off the record, you cannot publish the information. Sources often will say material is off the record, although they very much want to see the information published — without their names attached to it. They often mean that information is not for attribution. If the reporter can confirm the information on the record from another source, then the information can be used. Unless a specific agreement is made before the interview, the interview is on the record. In most cases, reporters will not say an interview is on the record. The assumption is that if someone is talking with a reporter, the information is for the record.

Anonymous sources  Consult with the editor before agreeing to conceal the identity of a source.

Advance review  Outside review of photographs or copy before publication is not permitted unless approved in advance by the editor. There is a difference, however, between advance review and double-checking detailed information. A good reporter always double checks specific facts and quotations whenever possible before putting them in a story.

Reporting

Cultural sensitivity  Be sensitive to the concerns of members of minority groups. Realize that not everyone celebrates the same holidays or has the same values. The Daily will not tolerate prejudice from its staff. Racial slurs, sexual harassment and similar discriminatory conduct will be grounds for dismissal. Race, ethnic origin, sexual orientation and religion should not be mentioned in a story unless such information is relevant to the news or is part of a detailed description of a fugitive. For local crime stories, age, weight, height, race, attire and distinguishing characteristics will constitute a detailed description.

Fairness  The cardinal rule of reporting is to report all sides of a story. People or groups that have been criticized in a story must have a chance to respond in the space. A reporter should not dig up or create controversy in the quest for the opposition. If thousands march down the South Oval to protest an administrative decision, and only a handful of students in support of the administration show up, the story should not inflate the administrative support at the march to appear equal to the opposition. The reporter's obligation is to present a true reflection of the situation. Do not tarnish the reputation of the Daily by acquiring information through questionable means. If, in an extreme case, the editor approves an extraordinary way to get information, the story will explain how the information was obtained and why it was gathered in the unusual manner.

Direct quotations  Quotations are not to be altered. Either quote the person precisely or paraphrase the information.

Verification  Do not quote from press releases, other news organizations' stories or news broadcasts or the internet without verifying the information or attributing it. Reporters are expected to verify information and quotes in news releases and then rewrite the news releases. Reporters almost always will get better information and quotes directly from the source. When covering a speech, reporters should try to get a copy of the text to quote the speaker accurately and talk with the speaker afterward to elaborate on specific points. Reporters, however, should not rely completely on speech texts because speakers often will deviate from the text.

Obscenities  Obscenities and vulgarities should not be used simply to add color or humor to a story. Obscene words should not come from the reporter. If an obscene word is in a direct quotation and is not a frivolous usage, use the word with the permission of the editor.

Appearance  Dress appropriately for interviews or for covering events. For example, do not attend a meeting in a T-shirt and shorts or a state funeral in jeans.

Photography and video

Editors should take great care in reproducing photography and videography to effectively communicate the news. The Daily does not alter photographs or video. Our images must tell the truth. Only established norms of standard visual editing techniques are acceptable. Images should not be inverted.

News photographs in advertisements  The editor and student ad manager will review each advertiser request to use a news photograph on a case-by-case basis following these general guidelines:

A. Use of the photograph must not imply the publication's endorsement of the product or service.

B. While editors will give greater consideration to the requests of on-campus groups and nonprofit organizations, they will also consider the requests of off-campus and for-profit organizations.

C. Editors will follow all relevant federal and state laws as well as the regulations of the university and university-related organizations in deciding whether to allow the use of a photograph in an advertisement.

D. The publication will give photo credit to the photographer if the photographer is currently on staff and wants credit.

Copies of photos and video  Student Media owns all rights to photographs and video that journalists for the department take using Student Media cameras on assignment. If a campus organization or other entity asks to use a Student Media-owned photograph in a university-related publication or for university-related reasons, Student Media will provide the file for one-time use. Either the adviser or the director of Student Media must approve all requests of this sort. Use requires appropriate photo credit in the document in which the Student Media-owned photograph appears. Groups and individuals not affiliated with the university may request permission to use Student Media-owned photographs. Depending on the nature and goal of the use, the director of Student Media will approve or disapprove that request. Student Media will not provide visuals to groups or individuals for personal use.

Letters to the editor  The Daily accepts letters to the editor for the expression of fact or opinion from those not on the newsroom staff. (Employees of Student Media may not submit letters to the editor.) The letters will be edited for the style and space and presented in a manner to encourage constructive contributions from students, faculty, staff and members of the university community.

Letters should concentrate on issues rather than personalities and should be signed by the author(s). The signator of the letter needs to be verified. Students must list their major and classification. OU staff and faculty must list their title. Guest columns are accepted at the editor's discretion.

If the author purports certain facts, the editor should check the accuracy of these facts.