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D

dates
Do not use all-numeral style (3/10/03). Instead, convert it to March 10, 2003. When spelled out, write the day, month and year.

Only abbreviate months when they used with a specific date. Months that are abbreviated are Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov. and Dec. Don't abbreviate March, April, May, June and July. Do not abbreviate any months when they stand alone in text or with just a year.

Jan. 12; Jan. 12, 2003; January 2003

The year is set off with commas when used in mid-sentence.

Groundbreaking will be Oct. 29, 2003, on the Laurel campus.

When only month and year are given, no comma is used.

The October 2003 event marked the start of construction.

days of the week
Do not abbreviate unless used in a graphic element. Do not use when referring to past events.

The class will meet every Thursday in the auditorium.
The groundbreaking occurred on Oct. 29, 2003.
Commencement will be next week, Saturday, May 15.

dean's list
Always lower case with an apostrophe

decades
Do not use an apostrophe after the year - 1990s; the '90s

director
Capitol College has directors of various offices.

Director of Administration and Human Resources
Director of Admissions
Director of Career Services
Director of Communications
Director of Development and Alumni Services
Director of Finance
Director of Financial Aid
Director of Library Services
Director of Online Education
Director of Professional Development
Director of Registration and Records

Follow the capitalization rules for titles. If a title is mentioned without any name, do not capitalize. Do not capitalize if a title is given after a name. (see also capitalization)

Contact the director of development to update your information.
Darnell Edwards, director of admissions, will speak at the open house.
Director of Communications Megan Campbell will attend the conference.

District of Columbia
Abbreviate as DC when the context requires that it be used with Washington. Spell out when used alone. (see also Washington, DC)

dormitory
Do not use. Residence hall or housing is preferred.

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E

Earth
Capitalize when used as the proper name of the planet.

The astronauts saw Earth from a distance.
Students operate four earth science satellites.

e.g.
Means "for example." Follow by a comma: e.g., the deadline is Thursday.

email
No hyphen

extension
For phone extensions, use the abbreviation ext.

301-369-2800, ext. 3015

extracurricular
One word

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F

faculty
To avoid confusion, use faculty when referring to the group. Use faculty members when referring to individuals.

The faculty received accolades for its enthusiasm and expertise.
Some faculty members couldn't attend the ceremony.

fax

Federal Work-Study Program
(see also work-study)

fiber optics (n.), fiber-optic (adj.)
Fiber optics is a growing sector in the telecommunications industry.
The house is wired with fiber-optic cables.

flier
An advertising poster or handbill. Used instead of flyer.

full-time (adj.), full time (n.)
Hyphenate as a compound modifier before a noun.

He is a full-time student.
She works full time.

fund-raising (n., adj.), fund-raiser (n.)
Never one word.

The fund-raising for the new building is going well.
The college began its new fund-raising campaign.
A professional fund-raiser will help with the project.

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