a2.1. Academic departments titles are not capitalized in text, except in the case of languages (department of mathematics, history department, English department). However, the names of area studies programs are capitalized (Jewish Studies, Environmental Science, Black Studies). The "p" in "program" is not capitalized when used after "Jewish Studies."
The names of majors and minors are not capitalized in text, except in the case of proper nouns (psychology major, history major, French major, English major, American studies major, Jewish studies minor.) The "m" in "major" is not capitalized when used after the name of the major.
a2.2. Course titles are capitalized according to general capitalization rules (Integrated Circuit Processing, Calculus II, Italian Renaissance Art). An exception is the title of a First-Year Seminar or Values and Science/Technology Seminar. In that case, the title is given in quotation marks. Example: In the First-Year Seminar "Mathematics and Society," Heather Jones is studying the important role that a knowledge of numbers plays in society.
First-Year Seminar and Values and Science/Technology Seminar are always capitalized because they are the names of programs. Technology Clinic is always capitalized because it is the name of a specific course.
a2.3. Capitalize titles when used directly before a name;
elsewhere do not capitalize (Professor Elmer Frothingslosh; Elmer
Frothingslosh, professor of deconstructive fashion design; Dean of Student
Affairs Humbert Humbert; Sue Lyon made an appointment with Humbert Humbert,
dean of student affairs). (See also Titles.)
Exception: When a professorship has an endowed title, it is capitalized
in every situation (Bernard Fried, Gideon R. Jr. and Alice Kreider Professor
of Biology).
a2.4. Names of offices and committees, when "office" or "committee" is the first term used in the name, are capitalized when used in full. "Office" or "committee" used outside of that context is not capitalized (the Committee on Student Life; the committee's decision is final); neither is any reference to an office or committee in which the term is not first (the Office of Development and College Relations; the development office).
a2.5. The College. It is generally not appropriate to capitalize
the common noun "college" when used separately from Lafayette.
History here, however, has mandated otherwise. The following guidelines
may help to establish a proper use of this capitalization.
*In formal documents that establish the College as a specific institutional
entity to be defined to a given known audience, capitalization is warranted.
Such documents would include the President's Report, the Code of Student
Conduct, the Faculty Manual, the Parents' Handbook, and other similarly
devised communications. Also capitalize "college" when referring
to Lafayette College in Alumni News, Lafayette Magazine, and the Lafayette
College Catalog. Use lower case in newsletters, general informational brochures,
and news releases.
*"The college" should never be capitalized when used in
a direct quotation. ("I think the college has the best library in eastern
Pennsylvania," said Lafayette senior Angela Cartwright.)
*In many cases, it is just as easy to use Lafayette or Lafayette
College, thereby avoiding this whole debate. (See also
Institutional Identity.)
a2.6. Capitalize the organizational name of political parties: Democratic Party, Republican Party, Labor Party. Capitalize such terms as Communist, Republican, Social Democrat, Libertarian, etc., when they refer to the activities or members of a specific organization. Do not capitalize names of political philosophies unless derived from a proper noun: Hungary, a nation formerly guided by the principles of communism, turned away from its Marxist ideals in 1988; The Conservative Party tumbled to defeat despite Margaret Thatcher's denunciations of socialism and of Labor leader Neil Kinnock.
a2.7. When used in text without a specific name, all honorific titles should be lowercase: The general disagreed violently with the senator, and only the chaplain or Sam Smith, professor emeritus of biology, could prevent them from coming to blows. (See also Titles.)
a2.8. In text, the term dean's list should not be capitalized (Annie made the dean's list first semester).
a2.9. Scholars. In text, the following titles should have both words capitalized: EXCEL Scholar, Marquis Scholar, McKelvy House Scholar, Trustee Scholarship recipient.
a2.10. Headlines. Capitalize the first and last words, all nouns, pronouns, adjectives, adverbs, and subordinating conjunctions (if, because, as, that, etc.). Lowercase articles (a, an, the), coordinating conjunctions (and, but, for, or), and prepositions, regardless of length. The "to" in infinitives is also lowercased.
a2.11. Specific words-Holocaust.