Updated 11/14/2019 at 2:21 pm. That's "mm/dd/yyyy," by the way.
How to use this guide
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Appendix A: Athletic Facilities
Appendix B: Rensselaer Buildings
Appendix C: Colleges
Appendix F: Rensselaer Fraternities
Appendix S: Rensselaer Sororities
This guide is built to be as easily accessed as possible. Words in italics are used to show example usage, and e.g. means "for example."
Use the 15th Street footbridge on the first reference and the footbridge on subsequent references. Footbridge should be lowercase.
This construction is an adjective, so hyphenate it.
No hyphen.
See athletic facilities.
See athletic facilities.
This word is well-established in the English language and does not need to be italicized. See foreign language for more information.
A few universally recognized abbreviations are required (and preferred) in some circumstances, such as TA or RA. Some others are acceptable depending on the context. But in general, do not use abbreviations or acronyms that the reader would not quickly recognize.
Acronyms should be capitalized with no periods in front of the letters. There should be a period at the end of abbreviations, such as Dem. for Democrat.
Do not follow an organization’s full name with an abbreviation or acronym in parentheses or set off by dashes. If an abbreviation or acronym would not be clear on second reference without this arrangement, do not use the abbreviation or acronym.
For time references, use am and pm without periods. For more help, see time and date references.
See capitalization.
If mention of degrees is necessary to establish someone’s credentials, the preferred form is to avoid an abbreviation and use instead a phrase, e.g., Harry Styles, who has a doctorate in chemical engineering...
Use an apostrophe in bachelor’s and master’s degrees.
Use such abbreviations as BS, MS, PhD, etc. only when the need to identify many individuals by degree on first reference would make the preferred form unwieldy. Use these abbreviations only after a full name, never after just a last name.
Do not precede a name with a courtesy title for an academic degree and follow it with an abbreviation for the degree in the same reference; this is redundant.
See diacritics.
For famous addresses like 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., use the abbreviations Ave., Blvd., and St. In all other cases, fully spell out the street name.
For compass points used to indicate a city’s quadrants in numbered addresses, abbreviate the direction without periods, e.g., 20126 Eighth Avenue NW.
If there is no number, then do not abbreviate, e.g., West 57th Street.
Spell out and capitalize First through Ninth when used as street names; use figures with two letters for 10th and above.
Lowercase and spell out street names when used with more than one street name, e.g., 15th and Hoosick streets. See plural for more information.
Always use figures for an address number,e.g., 2 Union Square, 1999 Burdett Avenue.
Avoid, especially in headlines. This non-specific reference to a body at RPI is just that, non-specific. Try to get names on who approved what new policy, etc. Prefer administrator.
Preferred over administration.
The full name of this building is the Nancy Deloye Fitzroy ’49 and Roland V. Fitzroy Jr. Admissions Building, use Admissions Building on all references.
Although “advisor” and “adviser” are both correct, use “advisor” for consistency, unless it’s a direct quote from written material.
The school you graduated from, and, when capitalized, the song sung at formal ceremonies here at RPI.
A term used in linguistics as a metaphor for an abundance of abbreviations or acronyms, this phenomenon can be seen across campus. See CLASS.
See Heffner Alumni House.
See possessives.
The full name of this structure is the Louis Rubin Memorial Approach, use the Approach on all references. Completed in 1907, this 163-step staircase fell into disrepair until it was restored and rededicated in 1999.
Use the Arch on all references, never Summer Arch.
See also: semesters.
The Archer Center for Student Leadership Development is a student resource here at RPI. Prefer Archer Center on second reference over their acronym ACSLD.
See phone numbers.
See Appendix A.
For articles published by RPI students not on The Polytechnic staff, credit them with their class year after their full name, e.g., Bill Ni ’22.
“The Office of Auxiliary Services is responsible for the Campus Card, Catering, Conference Services, Dining Services, Laundry, Parking & Transportation, and Vending Machines.” See Campus Card, meal plan, and shuttles.
Avoid using this word, unless absolutely necessary, as in some sort of formal designation of the commencement ceremony.
Use Blitman Commons on first reference, Blitman on subsequent references.
From their bylaws:
"The Board of Trustees constitutes the body corporate and paramount governing authority of the Institute, and shall have and shall responsibly exercise all of the powers prescribed by the Act of Incorporation and other applicable law. These powers relate primarily to the establishment of educational goals and policy, conferring of degrees, and the development and management of financial resources."
Do not use boldface for individual words or lines within a paragraph. Boldface is used strictly as a layout element.
Best boy band since One Direction.
A student dormitory complex near ECAV reserved for upperclassmen.
Never abbreviate (bldg.) unless in a direct quote. Capitalize the proper names of buildings, including the word building if it’s an integral part of the proper name, e.g., the Troy Building.
bus, buses, bused, and busing.
See shuttle tracker.
The Campus Card (also called the RPI ID) is the official ID for RPI community members. It must be on you at all times to be prepared to be presented to any campus official at their behest.
Take your money and support a local business in Downtown Troy, I'll leave it at that.
Use Capital District on all references. This refers to the area around Albany and is more urban-focused than Capital Region. Use your best judgment when deciding between Region and District.
Use Capital District Transportation Authority on first reference when talking about the organization, CDTA subsequently. Otherwise, use CDTA as an adjective, e.g., CDTA bus. See also: bus.
Use Capital Region on all references. This refers to the more general area around the capital, which is all of Albany, Rensselaer, Schenectady, and Saratoga counties. The phrase Greater Capital Region is also unofficially used to refer to Columbia, Greene, Washington, Warren, Fulton, Montgomery, and Schoharie counties.
Capitalize the first word in a sentence.
Capitalize the first word of a quote when the quote begins a sentence or cites it in its entirety.
Capitalize all proper nouns, and common nouns when used as part of a proper noun, e.g. Congress Street and Hudson River. However, lowercase the common noun element in all plural uses, Congress and Ferry streets or the Hudson and Mohawk rivers.
Capitalize academic parties, administrative offices, programs, and centers only when using the official name, e.g. Department of Chemical Engineering, Office of Admissions, George M. Low Center for Industrial Innovation. Do not capitalize when not using the official name, e.g. chemical engineering department, admissions office, the center, etc. However, always capitalize proper nouns, e.g. English department.
Capitalize all official course names, e.g. Calculus II vs. calc.
Capitalize titles of works as they appear on the work.
Capitalize specific, unique documents, like Rensselaer Handbook.
Capitalize formal titles when used immediately before a name. See also titles of persons.
Do not capitalize seasons unless in reference to a specific semester, e.g. Spring 1976 semester, and do not capitalize class years, compass directions when spelled out, or non-official sports team names, e.g. the Rensselaer men's hockey team vs. the Rensselaer Engineers.
Capitalize acronyms.
Recently replaced by Degree Works.
When writing a caption, create a full sentence. Write in all caps up to and including the first verb of the sentence; write in lowercase after the verb. Include punctuation, e.g., EVERYONE KNOWS about that one Quad bench.
The NSBE/SHPE Career Fair and the CCPD Spring Career Fair are annual events on the RPI campus. Refer to both events as above on the first reference. Use career fair (note capitalization) on subsequent references if there is no doubt as to which career fair you are referring to. Do not spell out NSBE, SHPE, or CCPD when used in the titles of the fairs. Spell out the organization's names on first reference as an entity.
Refers to both deaths and injuries.
Use CBIS Auditorium on all references.
Use Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies on first reference, CBIS subsequently.
Use Center for Career and Professional Development on first reference, CCPD subsequently.
Use figures for numbers 10 or higher, e.g., 21st century, fifth century.
Chairperson is the gender-neutral term for a chairman or chairwoman. Do not abbreviate to chair.
Use Chapel and Cultural Center on first reference. Located on Burdett Avenue, this building serves as a chapel for Christ Sun of Justice parish. It is used for a variety of artistic presentations, including plays and concerts. The abbreviation for this building is the C+CC.
On first reference of a character in a TV or movie review, if you want to let the audience know who a caracter is played or voiced by, list the character’s name and the voice actor in parentheses immediately after.
In the episode “Magnetic Lofty,” Lofty (Sonya Leite) removes train tracks using a magnet. Note, when specifying a character is playing themselves, do not use the parenthetical.
The only acceptable utensil with which to eat Flamin’ Hot Cheetos.
Chief Information Officer. Spell out CIO on first reference. Use CIO on all subsequent references. See DotCIO.
Avoid using this verb, especially in news stories. To claim implies doubt. Never say “so and so claimed…”
Capitalized when used as a proper noun. The class councils made a decision. The Class of 2022 Council disagreed with the rest of the councils.
Short for Clustered Learning Advocacy and Support for Students, use CLASS on all references.
When referring to an entire class, use "Class of" followed by the four-digit year, e.g., Class of 1999.
When referring to someone who graduated from RPI, indicate the year of their graduation by using a single closing quote and no commas, e.g. Harry Styles ’60.
When referring to someone who is a current undergraduate student at RPI, use their anticipated graduation date. A May 2020 graduate is referred to exactly the same as a December 2020 graduate; use ’20 for both. Do not preface their name with their class name (first-year, sophomore, junior, or senior). For example: Brookelyn Parslow ’20.
When referring to someone who is a current graduate or doctorate student at RPI, refer to them as a graduate or PhD student, respectively. If they graduated from RPI with some degree previously, indicate that as outlined above, e.g., graduate student John F. Kennedy ’63, or PhD student Rosa Parks. Note the lack of punctuation for “PhD”.
When referring to someone who graduated more than 90 years ago (before 1931 as of 2021), indicate the class year by following the person’s name with “Class of XXXX” preceded and followed by commas, e.g. Allen B. DuMont, Class of 1924, is considered the father of modern TV.
When referring to someone who graduated with multiple degrees from Rensselaer, choose the date of their earliest degree.
Located on the third floor of the Union, this is the only place on campus any undergraduates, regardless of age, are allowed to drink on campus.
See Union organizations.
Use CMS on subsequent references.
The College Media Association hosts the Spring National College Media Convention in New York City, which members of The Poly attend almost every year.
See Appendix C.
Has a variety of uses, often used to introduce a quote. See punctuation.
Located on Burdett Avenue, this complex has four buildings: Colonie A, Colonie B, Colonie C, and Colonie D. Use Colonie Apartments on first reference, Colonie subsequently, as long as it's clear you're not referencing the town of Colonie.
Generally, avoid using contractions in news articles. Otherwise, respect the author’s voice insofar as their use of contractions, unless it sounds awkward.
Though "cooperative" and "cooperation" are preferred to their hyphenated forms, use co-op when refering to the usually multi-term work assignment that some students start during their away semester.
The best department of The Polytechnic, find the copy guide here [link]
Official course names are always capitalized, e.g., Introduction to Differential Equations vs. differential equations.
See captions.
Use Darrin Communications Center on first reference, DCC subsequently. DCC is acceptable on first reference if the full form would create an unwieldy sentence, as long as the long form is used on the very next reference.
see en dash, em dash, figure dash, and hyphen.
See titles of persons.
Do not capitalize.
Can be referenced in a few ways. For news pieces and other formal writing, spell out the decade, e.g., the nineties. In other content, the ’90s would be acceptable, as would the 1990s.
Capitalize all RPI departments. Departments at other schools are capitalized if they are specific to that school.
Used to track graduation progress via SIS.
A weekly piece written by the President of the Union, published under our Opinion section.
Use diacritics whenever necessary, like in résumé, Ampère, Brontë, açaí, façade, entrée, crème brûlée, kālua, doppelgänger, and jalapeño.
RPI has four dining halls, Russell Sage Dining Hall, Commons Dining Hall, BARH Dining Hall, and Blitman Commons Dining Hall.
Capitalize north, south, etc., when referencing a specific region or the direction is a part of a proper name, e.g., East Campus Athletic Village, West Hall, the Northeast. Do not capitalize when using as a direction, e.g., take five steps to the north.
A contentious administrative staff position in the Union now held by Charlie Potts.
Use adjectives like homophobic and transphobic.
See also: racist.
See class years.
Italicize the name of documents, like the Union Annual Report.
Use Division of the Chief Information Officer on first reference, DotCIO on subsequent references.
When referring to Downtown Troy as an area, capitalize it.
In the admissions process, Early Action is used by an applicant to get an early response to their application and is nonbinding. RPI does not offer this type of early admission process.
In the admissions process, Early Decision is used by an applicant to identify the school they are applying to as their first choice. Early Decision is binding—if accepted, the applicant must go to that school. RPI offers both Early Decision I and Early Decision II, with EDII having a later due date than EDI.
Ground Zero often hosts events here. Although you can refer to the building by its full name, it’s more commonly known by its address, 2 Edgehill Terrace.
See athletic facilities.
Abbreviation for the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference, which should be used on first reference. ECAC should be used on subsequent references.
Used to correct an article after publication.
All Poly staff are required to write notebooks, which are typically vignettes of college life with a moral.
Use e-cigarette on all references, contrary to AP style.
See quotations.
Reference email addresses as follows: [email protected]. No underline should be used, for any internet reference.
Em dashes are used to separate a parenthetical comment or clarification, similar to parentheses. They are placed before and/or after the comment or clarification of interest, generally a comment of clarification stronger than parentheses would warrant.
En dashes are used in place of “to” or “through” to indicate a range of numerical times or other ranges, 5:30–6:30 pm, A–Z, the New York–London flight.
An en dash is also used in open hyphenated phrases like Grammy Award–winning.
Use Environmental and Site Services on first reference, E&SS subsequently. E&SS is responsible for building and landscape services, pest control, recycling, moving and transportation services, fleet operations, and mail services. This is the department in charge of FIXX.
Avoid references to these unless these are relevant to the focus of an article. When referring to a person’s or group’s ethnicity, never use constructions like Asian American, African American, Chinese American, or similar. The only exceptions to this is when authors of editorial pieces are referring to themselves alone, or when used in the name of a student group, e.g., Chinese American Students Association.
Capitalize ethnic groups when they are associated with a specific place, e.g. Greeks, Turks, Chinese, or Native American. When referencing race, use "Black," "Black people," "white," or "white people". Avoid using "brown/Brown" or as a race, instead further specify ethnicity.
The full name of this building is the Curtis R. Priem Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center. Use Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center on first reference, EMPAC subsequently. EMPAC is acceptable on first reference if the full form would create an unwieldy sentence, as long as the long form is used on the very next reference.
Use EMPAC on first reference only when referring to the body/organization, not the building.
Rooms in EMPAC are the EMPAC Concert Hall, the EMPAC Theater, Studio Beta, Studio 1, and Studio 2. Rooms do not follow the first reference rule regarding spelling out EMPAC.
Use EMPAC Hill on all references to refer to the hill next to EMPAC.
Also known as esports or e-sports, eSports is how we refer to organized, multiplayer video game competitions.
A latin expression meaning “and so forth,” use etc. (note punctuation) in all necessary instances. Do not use &c., &c, or etc with no period.
This is the governing body of the Rensselaer Union. Its members include representatives from every class, as well as club, intercollegiate athletics, Greek, and independent representatives. It is run by the President of the Union.
E-Board or Union Executive Board may be used on any reference. Executive Board and the Board may also be used on any reference when it is clear there are no other boards being referred to.
This is a person who represents clubs in the Executive Board. If it references a specific person then representative is capitalized, e.g., "Executive Board Representative John Doe". If it references someone generally then representative is lowercase, e.g., "an Executive Board representative's job is to..."
Generally avoid unless in quotes or otherwise absolutely neccessary.
The members of the academic staff, i.e. professors, lecturers, etc.
Reconstituted in March 2012.
The Troy Waterfront Farmers Market is held every Saturday in Downtown Troy. The words farmers market are neither capitalized nor possessive on non-specific references.
Used in sports scores and vote tallying. Similar to the em dash, but different. Such is life.
In a file photo caption, work in a phrase to the effect of "in this file photo..."
Finals week happens the week after the end of classes. It is not capitalized.
Hyphenate.
When using an ordinal (first, second, third, etc.) and "year," typically hyphenate.
A lesson in the complexities of hypenation. The Office of First Year Experience is NOT hyphenated, and neither is their acronym, FYE. Sorry.
Capitalized in reference to a specific year, e.g. Fiscal Year 2019. This can be abbreviated as FY 19, but a nonspecific reference is not capitalized: fiscal year.
This acronym doesn’t actually stand for anything; it is officially short for facilities work request. Use FIXX to refer to the organization a student, club officer, or faculty member requests to repair facilities on campus.
See also: Environmental and Site Services.
The official snack of The Polytechnic.
Use Flex on all references to refer to the allowance on a meal plan.
Use Folsom Library on first reference, library may be used on subsequent references if it’s clear there are no other libraries being referred to, like the Architecture Library.
Do not italicize familiar foreign words in common English like a cappella and deja vu.
Unfamiliar foreign words, such as those not used in common phrases, are italicized only the first time they appear in an article.
Translations of foreign words go in brackets and quotes when directly following the foreign word.
Spell out if under one, with hyphens in between words, e.g., two-thirds, nine-twelves, twenty-seven-sixty-fourths. Use figures for amounts larger than one, using a space between the whole number and fractional characters, e.g., 1 ½, 6 ⅘, 9 ⅞. The exception to this is recipes, when numerical fractions should always be used, e.g., ⅓ cup, ½ Tbsp. For fractions without a fractional character, convert to decimals, e.g., 1.9, 8.7, 420.69.
See Appendix F.
This is not the proper term for a first-year undergraduate student at RPI instead use first-year. In describing a group of first-year students, use first-years. Never use freshperson, freshpeople, freshwoman, freshwomen, freshman, or frosh. Use freshman ONLY when in a quote.
Includes the Freshman Five (except for Nason Hall), Commons Dining Hall, and Barton Hall.
Includes Crockett, Bray, Cary, Nason, and Hall Halls. Each of these dorms is nearly identical in layout.
Includes the Freshman Five, and Warren, Nugent, Davison, and Sharp Halls.
Use a person's preferred pronouns. "They" is an acceptable gender-neutral pronoun.
Not capitalized, so do not shorten to GBM on second reference; use meeting.
You are here.
Google Docs is the application, Google docs are documents made in said application. You can also make slides and sheets.
See class years.
The Grand Marshal is the highest elected official, equivalent to a student body president. The first Grand Marshal, Albert Harper, was elected in 1866. Always capitalize Grand Marshal, and use GM on subsequent references. The Grand Marshal only votes in Student Senate matters to break a tie. As the representative and the leader of the students, the Grand Marshal is a useful source of information and story leads.
Use Grand Marshal Week on first reference, GM Week on subsequent references. It’s designed to spark interest in student government elections. It usually starts on a Friday early in April and ends the following Friday night. Primary and final voting take place during the week. GM Week is organized by the GM Week Committee, a sub-committee of the Rules and Elections Committee of the Student Senate. However, most of the events are sponsored by various campus clubs and organizations.
A student organization that hosts mostly music shows, often at 2 Edgehill Terrace.
Capitalize. Something about quality points...
Use gray on all references, never grey.
Capitalize.
RPI's annual 24-hour hackathon, hosted by the eponymous student organization.
When referring to a specific hashtag, use the pound sign (#) followed by the specific hashtag. Capitalization and spelling of hashtags should not be altered from their original appearance.
Wrong: hashtag #ThePoly
Wrong: hashtag The Poly
Right: #ThePoly
Short for Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences.
Capitlize only the first word and any proper nouns (club names included).
Use Heffner Alumni House on first reference, Alumni House subsequently.
"six feet three," "six-foot-eight-inches," "6'3" (no spaces) are all acceptable. Do not say "six foot three".
A forgotten Rensselaer tradition.
The horseshoe is the informal term for the semicircular loop of pavement in front of the Union, where shuttles arrive.
See athletic facilities.
When linking to another article, website, or resource within a text, The Poly prefers links to be multi-word; often, whole sentences can be found linked in our articles.
Hyphens are used in compound phrases that are treated as individual entities and used as adjectives but are not formally recognized as words in their own right. When the first word ends in -ly, a hyphen is not generally used, e.g., Union-funded vs. newly elected.
Hyphens are also used if a prefix ends in a vowel and the word that follows begins with the same vowel, e.g., re-enter vs. readmit. There are a few exceptions to this rule such as cooperate and coordinate.
See also: co-op.
If using creating a list with multiple hyphenated phrases sharing a common second half, like on- and off-campus, keep the trailing hyphens.
Often abbreviated ITWS, which is acceptable only after referencing the entire name. ITWS is under the umbrella of the School of Science but maintains status as its own school.
See also: schools.
Use initials when a person prefers that they be used or when they provide better identification of the person, e.g., George M. Low and G. Gordon Liddy.
Interfraternity Council on first reference, IFC on subsequent references.
Do not capitalize.
Typically, an internship lasts for one term. Contrast with a co-op.
Use italics for the name of any publication, movie, journal, news programs, software program, video game, TV show, book, play, album, lecture series, or works of art.
Use italics to indicate emphasis; do not use boldface or uppercase for this purpose. If the surrounding text is already in italics, use normal type for what would otherwise be italicized text.
See also: titles of works.
Joint Board hears appeals of Judicial Board decisions. Use Joint Board on all references.
The Judicial Board is a seven-student body which adjucates cases of violation of the Grounds for Disciplinary Action. See Rensselaer Handbook for more information on the judicial process.
This is the term for a third-year undergraduate student. Use the term juniors in reference to a group of such students.
Juul is a noun and to juul is a verb (juul, juuled, juuling). #JuulGang.
See also: hashtag.
Use Ctrl, Alt, Shift, Cmd, etc., noting capitalization. To indicate a combination of keys, use plus signs between key names, with letters capitalized: Ctrl + Alt + Delete is a common way to open Task Manager in Windows.
See the list of kickers.
The first thing a reader reads. Make it count.
Letters to the Editor should always end in the following construction:
[Firstname Lastname]
[4 letter major code, all caps]
If an author has multiple degrees from Rensselaer, list them after the first degree in their signature. Their author job should only read the year of their first degree.
Examples:
Harrison Todd
GEOL ’22
Jessica Reichard
MECL and STSO ’01, M.S. MGMT ’07
Though there are many sexual orientations, The Poly uses LGBTQ to refer to the entire spectrum. If it is referred to by another organization (i.e. the Senate or E-Board) as LGBTQIA or LGBTQ+ in their policies or procedures, use that term in describing their policies and procedures.
Like is preferred over such as.
The Rensselaer Learning Management System is a BlackBoard portal used by some professors to provide electronic materials for classes. It’s been known to go offline at inopportune times, such as immediately before a quiz, or during finals week. Use Learning Management System on first reference for news, LMS subsequently. LMS can be used on any reference in opinion and features pieces.
Except in official contexts, do not capitalize village, town, or city.
Wrong: We drove through the Town of Colonie.
Right: We drove through the town of Colonie.
Right: The City of Troy has cracked down on illegal drug use.
Separate lines by a " / " construction, e.g., "Keep a gold chain on my neck / Fly as a jet, boy, better treat me with respect." Note capitalization and punctuation.
Currently in Commons Dining Hall, the RPI mailroom will be moved to the bookstore.
Do not capitalize the names of majors, unless it is a title specific to an RPI program, e.g., Science, Technology, and Society vs. computer science, civil engineering, or geology. A list of undergraduate and graduate major codes can be found here.
A nice way to format and write plain text documents, like this style guide.
The McNeil Room is the official name for the large room in the center of the second floor of the Rensselaer Union. Use McNeil Room on all references.
Use the dollar sign ($) rather than the word dollar, but use the word cents rather than the cent sign (¢). Always use figures for monetary references. Insignificant digits should be omitted.
Wrong: one dollar, $1.00, $one
Right: $1
Wrong: $0.75
Right: $.75, 75 cents
Wrong: one hundred thousand dollars
Right: $100,000
Wrong: 2.25 million dollars
Right: $2.5 million
For foreign currencies, change the currency symbol when necessary, or write out the currency if that’s unclear: It cost me ¥5,000 for a ticket to the Tokyo Sky Tree. A loaf of bread was 20 lira.
For foreign countries that use the dollar sign to denote their currency, use their currency abbreviation, or spell out the currency: I bought a Canada Goose jacket for CA$600. My SCUBA lesson was 50 pesos.
For reference to a piece of currency, use the numerical value of the currency and its name, unless it has a specific name like quarter: A $100 bill, A €1 coin.
Be careful when referencing currency, especially foreign. For example, a Russian ruble is referenced with the ruble symbol after the number: The taxi ride to the Kremlin cost 100₽.
Aim for clarity, and, when in doubt, Google for correct use (Wikipedia is helpful).
Capitalize, never abbreviate.
The Multicultural Leadership Council is part of the Executive Board. They host events like I-Fest and oversee the X and Lavender lounges.
Now called the X Lounge.
See titles of persons.
Use Navigating Rensselaer & Beyond on first reference, NRB subsequently. NRB is “the official continuation of the orientation program...designed to help students get to know one another,” and although not meant for recruiting, many of The Poly’s most dedicated staff have come from our yearly NRB event, including the author of this style guide.
Use New York City on first reference, NYC subsequently. New York, New York or its derivatives should never be used. New York should only be used to reference the city when it’s clear that the State of New York is not the intended subject.
Note capitalization. Use New York state in all instances except when it’s included in the title of an organization or building, like the New York State Center for Polymer Synthesis, the New York State Education Department, or the State of New York.
The National Society of Black Engineers is one half of the annual NSBE/SHPE Career Fair. Use NSBE on subsequent references.
Always spell out numbers, no matter how large, at the beginning of a sentence. If you don’t want to write out the number, rearrange the sentence.
Spell out numbers from zero to nine, and use figures for numbers 10 and larger. For very large numbers, use words like million.
Place a comma around every group of 1,000.
Wrong: 123456789
Wrong: 123.456.789
Right: 123,456,789
Numbers are sometimes preferred in fractions.
Exceptions when numbers are always prefered are dates, times, ages, percentages, monetary amounts, or in recipes.
See also: percentages, time and date references, and money.
Also called a “serial comma,” this is the comma immediately before the coordinating conjunction (often “and” or “or”) in a series of three or more terms. Use it.
The Panhellenic Council is in charge of “overseeing primary recruitment, sponsoring community service opportunities, social events, and educational programs throughout the year” for all sororities and women’s fraternities at RPI. Use Panhel on subsequent references.
See quotations.
Union Room 2424. Use Patroon Room on all references.
Do not use the % symbol; spell out the word "percent," e.g., Stocks jumped by 12 percent.
See this Union website.
Union Room 3502. Use Phalanx Room on all references.
The website for The Polytechnic.
When referencing two things with the same, normally capitalized title, lowercase the title, e.g., 15th and Hoosick streets.
Use Polytech Apartments on first reference, Polytech subsequently.
The official name of the student-run news organization of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is The Rensselaer Polytechnic. However, use The Polytechnic or The Poly on all references. Aligning with our mission to remain separate from the Institute, do not use the full name on any reference. As with all newspapers, capitalize and italicize all words in the name of the paper.
When using the word Poly or Polytechnic as an adjective, do not italicize or capitalize the leading the.
Editorial Board and Senior Board are to be capitalized. To pluralize Poly, italicize the name of the paper, but do not italicize the ‘S.’ Do not use “ies” or remove the ‘Y.’
A possessive ending in s should not have an ’s, just an apostrophe.
Also called a number sign or hash, this symbol (#) is derived from the once-common ℔. See hashtag.
Not capitalized, unless in a title.
Use on first reference, PU subseqeuntly. The President of the Union has three roles: representative for the Rensselaer Union, chair of the Executive Board, and the highest elected representative of the students in the budgetary branch of student government. The PU appoints students to serve on the E-Board.
See also: Executive Board.
This group is made up of the vice presidents, the provost, and selected deans.
Note apostrophe and spelling. Use Proctor’s Theatre on first reference, Proctor’s subsequently.
Use he or she when prefered by the referenced individual, "they" is an acceptable gender neutral pronoun and can be used to avoid awkward constructions like "he or she."
This is an acceptable abbreviation for the Department of Public Safety on all references. It is also an acceptable way to refer to the Public Safety Building on subsequent references, as long as there is no confusion between the department and the building. Use Pub Safe to refer to the department only in opinion pieces, if at all.
This building at the end of the 15th Street footbridge houses the Department of Public Safety.
RPI's mascot, and SIS Man's biggest rival.
Use the oxford comma.
When pluralizing an acronym, do not use an apostrophe. Similarly, you do not need an apotrophe for references to a decade.
Wrong: TA's in the ’80's
Right: TAs in the ’80s
If two punctuation marks are called for in the same location, use only the stronger mark. Do not use an interrobang (‽) as an alternative.
Wrong: What the hell?!
Right: What the hell?
Right: What the hell!
Use commas in large numbers, e.g., 1,234,567,890.
Avoid contractions in news articles.
See the AP Stylebook for more precise punctuation particulars.
Note the capitalization and ampersand. This directly contrasts the AP Stylebook’s preferred usage: Q-and-A.
Use Quad on all references. The Quadrangle Residence Hall is located on 15th Street across from the Union.
Use double quotes (“) and (”) to enclose words and phrases. Use single quotes (‘) and (’) to enclose single letters.
Right: He got an ‘A’ on his Earth Materials exam.
Right: The sign read “Do Not Enter.”
See titles of works for more rules on quotes.
Use partial quotations when possible, since too many full quotation marks makes the article appear to have been written by the interviewee, rather than the interviewer. Also, partial quotations allow for a smoother article.
Use quotations to get the source's reactions to the facts; hard facts can be paraphrased.
Commas and periods go inside closing quotation marks; semicolons and colons go outside closing quotation marks, e.g., "I hope to have a long a productive life under Mao's rule," the peasant said. See punctuation for more information.
If a question mark or exclamation point ends a quote, the symbol will go inside the closing quote, e.g., "What should be done about the deteriorating building?" the villager asked. Chairman Mao proclaimed, "Aquire it for the people!"
When identifying the source of a quotation, specify the person's source of expertise if it has not been previously explained in the article, e.g., I think the drop in peasant labor is only temporary," an advisor to Chairman Mao, Hu Bao, said. "I fully expect it to recover following our Great Purge."
When attributing quotations, use said. You can also use words like remarked, added, or explained. Do not use words like stated or ejaculated.
An indirect quotation is a paraphrase of the speakers ideas and opinions rather than a verbatim report. Quotation marks are not used for indirect quotations, e.g., According to Mao, the building's collapse was due to the workers' ineptitude, not the cramped and hazardous living conditions.
When a quotation is continued into another paragraph, do not end the first paragraph with a quotation mark, but place a quotation mark at the beginning of the second paragraph.
Quotation marks are sometimes used around titles of works.
If something is racist, it can be called so. Be careful with this designation, however.
Rensselaer Advantage Dollars is a declining balance account associated with the Campus Card. Use RAD on all references.
RAS syndrome (where RAS stands for “redundant acronym syndrome”) is the use of a word in an acronym in a phrase using that acronym. Examples include ATM machine, PIN number, and please RSVP. See Student Government Suite.
The food court in the center of the 1000-level of the Rensselaer Union. Currently home to Thunder Mountain Curry, The Halal Shack, Collar City Grill, and Cusato's Pizza, numerous establishments have come and gone over the years, including Chester's Chicken, Fire & Spice, and SubConnection.
Short for Rensselaer Computing System Userid (note that "userid" is one word). Use RCS ID on all references.
See fractions for how to refer an amount of ingredient. Use the common abbreviations for measurements, e.g. cup, Tbsp., tsp., oz. See the Bon Appétit website for all things recipe formatting.
See recursion.
When referencing r/RPI, use RPI’s subreddit, or Rensselaer’s subreddit if coincident with the first reference of the Institute.
To refer to a subreddit, do not capitalize. Use the [subreddit name] subreddit. Do not use r/[subreddit name].
To refer to a Reddit user, use Reddit user [username]. Do not use u/[username].
This is the proper name for the bookstore. Use Rensselaer Collegiate Store on first reference, and the bookstore or the store subsequently.
This document outlines the rules for students. Use Rensselaer Handbook (italicized) or the handbook.
Use Rensselaer on first reference, RPI and other variations subsequently.
Use RPI or Rensselaer as an adjective; use RPI, Rensselaer, or the Institute as a noun. Never use the University.
Avoid overusing any one name in a story, especially in sports articles.
See Rensselaer Handbook for a good history of the Institute. If you need additional historical material, go to the Institute Archives in the Folsom Library.
Use on first reference, use the Union subsequently. Do not use Student Union.
Unless a room has a specific name (e.g. the McNeil Room), when referring to rooms within the Union, use the construction Union Room XXXX in isolated instances, or RU XXXX if listing a number of rooms.
East Lobby is the lobby facing Freshman Hill. West Lobby is the lobby facing Quad, the lobby clubs usually set up in. Welcome Lobby is the lobby on the north side of the building with study tables, couches, and formerly a saltwater fish tank.
A document outlining the guidelines and procedures of the Union. Always italicize.
Now called Student Living and Learning.
The annual reunion weekend held in early October. Use Reunion & Homecoming weekend or Reunion & Homecoming on first reference, noting punctuation and capitalization. Use an alternate title like reunion or the weekend on subsequent references.
When referring to a particular room, do so in the following form: XX NNN where XX represents the building abbreviations listed in Appendix B and NNN represents the room number.
Short for Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, use ROTC on all references. RPI has Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps, or Army ROTC; Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps, or Navy ROTC; and Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps, or Air Force ROTC. Note the pluralization and apostrophe placement on the word “Officer” in the long form of each branch.
RPI's emergency notification system.
The Web Techproject allowing students to file petitions to be responded to by the Student Senate.
RPI Playhouse on first reference, the Playhouse subsequently. Do not use Rensselaer Playhouse.
Use on first reference, R&E subsequently.
Not capitalized.
Use on first reference, Sage Dining Hall subsequently. Do not use Faculty-Staff Dining Hall, this is a separate facility.
Use on first reference, Sage Lab subsequently. Never use Russell Sage Building.
Use Student Activities Resource Person on first reference, SARP subsequently.
Use of quotation marks when not strictly neccessary, often used when refering to non-standard terms. Often, this implies doubt, so be careful.
RPI hosts five schools under the Institute's umbrella: the School of Architecture, the Lally School of Management, the School of Engineering, the School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences, and the School of Science. IT & Web Science is within the School of Science but often considered a separate entity.
Not capitalized unless in reference to semesters or in an event title or proper noun.
Founded in 1934, the State Employees Federal Credit Union has a branch on the bottom floor of the Union. Use SEFCU on all references.
Use Fall, Spring, Summer, and Arch semester. Note capitalization. For the mandatory semester away in the fall or spring after Arch, use Fall semester away or Spring semester away.
Not capatalized unless used as a title.
This is the term for a fourth-year undergraduate student. Use the term seniors in reference to a group of such students.
Located in Union Room 3606, this is where many student and community artworks are displayed throughout the year. It is also used, on occasion, as a meeting room. Use Shelnutt Gallery on all references.
The Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers is one half of the annual NSBE/SHPE Career Fair. Use SHPE on subsequent references.
On weekdays, there are three shuttle routes, the North, South, and West routes which are served by the North, South, and West campus shuttles. On weekends, there are two shuttle routes, the East and West routes which are served by the East and West campus shuttles.
The Rensselaer Student Information System (also known as the Self-Service Information System; both are found on the website) can be accessed by current and former students to view their progress through Degree Works, request transcripts, schedule classes, and more. Student Information System should be used on first reference in a news piece, SIS should be used subsequently. SIS can be used on any reference in an opinion or features piece.
Long live the king.
A messaging platform used by The Polytechnic.
Required for all staff members of The Polytechnic.
Slander is spoken; libel is written.
Generally avoid. Use a forward slash (/) to create constructions like and/or, either/or, greater than/less than if necessary. No spaces go before or after a slash, e.g., Japanese/Romanian flair. The exception to this is lyrics.
In media, a slug is a term for a short-form name given to an article for internal use. In web publishing, like on Pipeline, a slug is the part of the URL which identifies a page. Find it under the “Promote” tab while making a draft.
This is the term for an undergraduate student who is in their second year of earning a bachelor's degree. Use sophomores to describe a group of these students.
See Appendix S.
Use only one space after sentences. Never use more than one space to separate anything. Do not use spaces around dashes or hyphens. There are to be no blank lines in the text of an article.
When writing sports stories, avoid using RPI excessively when referring to RPI or its sports teams. Try to alternate among Engineers, Rensselaer, and the Institute.
Note that some varsity sports teams from other universities use the nickname “The Engineers,” like MIT. See colleges for proper nicknames.
Sports stories should analyze the why of the results; avoid play-by-play accounts of games. Try to get the reactions of players, coaches, and fans (including those of the opposing team) rather than simply giving a chronology of the game. Sports stories should present objective reporting, rather than the reporter’s opinions.
For styling sports articles, reference the AP Stylebook sports guidelines section.
All RPI teams are known as Engineers. Do not use Red Hawks as that name has been phased out.
Use a figure dash.
Capitalize.
This is the dorm complex behind ECAV. To refer to a specific building in the complex on first reference, use the following construction: the Rousseau Residence Hall in the Stacwyck Apartments. One subsequent references, the name of the building is acceptable, e.g. Rousseau.
All the members of an organization. Do not confuse with faculty.
Use full names on all references and post office abbreviations, e.g. MA, NY, IN sparingly, if at all.
An abbreviation for science, technology, engineering, and math, STEM is acceptable on all references. Do not use STEAM unless in a direct quote.
Some stock exchanges report stock prices in fractions of a dollar. Round these to the nearest cent.
Specified each year in the Union Annual Report. Always capitalize and use Student Activity Fee on first reference. Subsequent references may use Activity Fee. If referring to “an activity fee,” do not capitalize.
Hyphenate.
Capitalized when used as a proper noun. StuGov is acceptable on subsequent references in opinion and features pieces.
Use Student Government Suite on first reference, SGS subsequently. Never use SGS Suite (see RAS syndrome).
The Student Health Services include the Student Health Center and the Counseling Center.
Always refer to this body as the Student Senate on first reference. Use Senate on second reference only if it’s clear that it’s not in reference to the Faculty Senate or the United States Senate.
The Poly only uses baseline text; never use superscripts or subscripts.
Avoid references to suicide unless absolutely neccessary. Never use the word “commit” in reference to a suicide, as it implies a crime.
A term applied to clubs and other organizations to designate inactivity.
Greek houses can be suspended...
Short for Sport Utility Vehicle, use SUV on all references.
Use T-shirt on first reference, tee may be used subsequently.
Capitalize only when referencing a specific instance, e.g., Greek Life Task Force, Arch Task Force, the Greek Life and Arch task forces.
Places on campus where old electronics are discarded and often scavenged by students. See this Imgur album for maps to all the tech dumps on campus.
Never use just a campus extension; always give the full seven- or ten-digit phone number. Put the area code, if used, in parentheses, with a space in between it and the rest of the number. The number itself should not have any spaces surrounding the hyphen in the middle.
Wrong: x6770
Right: (518) 276-6770, 276-6770
Capitalized.
They is a gender-neutral pronoun, and is preferred to binary phrases like his/hers, and he or she.
Time is based on the 12-hour clock, do not use 24-hour or military time unless in direct quotes. When using am and pm, use lower case; do not separate them with a space, and do not use periods. Note that this is different from the AP Stylebook. Always use figures, insignificant minutes are omitted.
Wrong: 2pm, 2 p.m., 2 o’clock, two pm
Right: 2 pm
See en dash for correct formatting of date ranges. Never abbreviate the names on months.
When referring to noon and midnight, do not say 12 noon or 12 midnight, this is redundant.
For date references, avoid such constructions as last Tuesday or next Monday when referring to days within a week before or after the date of publication. The use of the past or future tense should make such constructions redundant.
For example, if the date of issue is Wednesday, November 6, write time references as follows: At a surprise meeting Monday, the Senate voted against the new parking proposal. The movie Jurassic Park will be the UPAC Cinema offering on Friday.
On first reference, an individual's full title should be used, e.g. First Chairman of the People's Republic of China Mao Zedong. On subseqeunt references, use only the last name, e.g. Mao. For a listing of individuals and their current titles, refer to the campus directory
Titles should be capitalized when preceding a name, but not when following. Department names should still be capitalized if they are part of a title following a name, e.g. First Chairman of the People's Republic of China Mao Zedong and Shirley Ann Jackson, president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, discussed leadership over the masses.
A good rule of thumb for determining whether to italicize or put in quotations is the following: short works are put in quotes, long works are italicized.
Use italics when refering to the title of any publication, movie, journal, software program, video game, TV show, book, play, album, lecture series, or works of art.
Names of documents, like the Rensselaer Union Guidelines & Procedures are always italicized.
Use quotation marks to enclose the titles of songs, short stories, poems, TV episodes, Poly columns, theses, symphonies, board games, newspaper and magazine articles, or lecture titles.
From the Grammarly blog, "Proper names of ships and other vessels should be italicized just as titles are," e.g. the Enola Gay, Challenger, Super Chief, and Orient Express. Prefixes like H.M.S. and U.S.S are not italicized, e.g. the U.S.S. Indianapolis.
A weekly opinion piece written by the Grand Marshal.
Use the following spellings for The Poly: traveled, traveler, traveling. Although there are several acceptable spellings for the tenses of the verb, The Poly uses the above for consistency.
Use “toward” instead of “towards” for consistency in The Poly. Both are grammatically correct.
Either of the biannual meetings hosted by the president of the Institute. Depending on the season, use Fall Town Meeting or Spring Town Meeting. Note capitalization. Use meeting (no caps) or a similar word subsequently.
A productivity platform used by The Polytechnic.
The Clubhouse Pub hosts trivia, usually for those 21 and over.
When referring to the city, Troy is all that is necessary. When an adjectival form is needed, use Troy as well. Troy residents believe that Rensselaer is good for the community.
Do not use Trojan or Troylet as an adjective or in reference to the residents of Troy. See Rensselaer Handbook for a good brief description of the city. See also Downtown Troy.
See Union Annual Report.
Use on first reference as seen above. Abbreivate as "UP" on subsequent references.
Omit the subdomain www. from web addresses. Do not use http:// or trailing slashes unless neccessary to access the site.
Specified each year in the Union Annual Report. Only capitalize Union and use Union activity fee on first reference. Subsequent references may use activity fee.
Use Union Admin Office on all references.
Comprehensive document detailing the Rensselaer Union’s annual budget. UAR is acceptable on subsequent references, always in italics.
Do not italicize. May use UAR Committee on subsequent references.
Clubs part of the Rensselaer Union (more properly known as “organizations”) are grouped into two main categories.
Union-recognized organizations can be either funded or unfunded, with the former known as Union-funded. This subgroup consists of organizations with a budget—whether they receive a subsidy or not. An example of a funded, no-subsidy organization is The Polytechnic.
Union-affiliated organizations, the other category, are groups sponsored by other, out-of-Union organizations. They have access to Union facilities, web space, and more. An example of an affiliated organization is the RPI American Nuclear Society.
When referring to the United States of America, the abbreviation U.S. (no spaces) is acceptable on all references, except in headlines, when it should be referred to as the US, note punctuation.
The Union Programs and Activities Committee. Formerly contained UPAC Cinema, Comedy, Concerts, Lights, and Sounds. Use UPAC on all references.
Use upstate New York (note capitalization) when describing the area of New York state north of the New York City metropolitan area. There is no official boundary between upstate and downstate New York.
A verb and a noun, vape, vaped, vaping. See also: electronic cigarettes.
Use versus always in news stories, vs. is acceptable in features and opinion. Always use v. in reference to court cases.
The other way around. Do not hyphenate.
Now called the Public Safety Building.
See characters.
Use Voorhees Computing Center on first reference, VCC subsequently. VCC is acceptable on first reference if the full form would create an unwieldy sentence, as long as the long form is used on the very next reference.
When detailing the result of a vote, such as those from a Student Senate meeting, use figure dashes, identical to sports scores. List votes for, votes against, and abstentions. The exception is when all members vote the same, when the word unanimous is preferred to figures.
Wrong: The Grand Marshal counted the vote incorrectly, reading 17 to three instead of 16 to four.
Wrong: After discussion, the members voted four in favor and 13 against.
Right: The third motion of the night passed with a vote of 17‒0‒1.
Refer to this Senate committee as Web Technologies Group on first reference. Web Tech and WTG can be used subsequently.
Also referenced as WiFi, Wifi, and wifi, use Wi-Fi on all references.
Capitalize.
WRPI 91.5 FM is RPI’s student-run radio station, use this name when referencing the actual station. For the organization, WRPI is acceptable on all references.
www.
Never use this subdomain in a URL unless it’s necessary to get to the website, or if the website uses www1. or www2. (these are all super rare!) In all other cases, just use the root domain.
See also: URL.
Formerly the Multicultural Lounge, this space will be in the current Patroon Room.
Believe it or not, ZIP Code is a trademark owned by the USPS, use zip code instead.
’86 Field
- Use ’86 Field in all references. This is the field in the center of campus.
’87 Gym
- Use ’87 Gym in all references. This was a class gift by the Class of 1887 on the 25th anniversary of their graduation from Rensselaer.
Anderson Field
- Use Anderson Field in all references. This is the field next to North Lot.
Armory
- Use Armory in all references. The full name of this building is the Alumni Sports and Recreation Center. Do not use the abbreviations AS+RC or AS&RC unless in direct quotes.
Doris Robison Field
- The softball team plays on this field next to the Armory. Must specify “Doris” on each reference when discussing both baseball and softball.
East Campus Athletic Village
- Use East Campus Athletic Village on the first reference, ECAV subsequently.
- Use East Campus Arena on the first reference, ECAV Arena subsequently.
- Use East Campus Stadium on the first reference, ECAV Stadium subsequently.
Harkness Field
- Use Harkness Field in all references. This is the field and surrounding track adjacent to the Houston Field House. Its full name is the Ned Harkness Track and Field.
Houston Field House
- Use Houston Field House on first reference and Field House subsequently. The full name of this building is the Livingston W. Houston Field House.
Mueller Center
- Use Mueller Center in all references. This is the fitness center which is an annex off the north side of the Armory. It’s named in recognition of a gift by Nancy S. Mueller honoring her late husband, Glenn M. Mueller ’64.
Renwyck Field
- Use Renwyck Field in all references. This field, next to Harkness Field, is home to the men’s and women’s soccer and women’s lacrosse team.
Robison Gym
- Use Robison Gym in all references. This is the gym inside the Armory.
Robison Field
- Use Robison Field in all references. Formerly known as the 17th Street Field, this field, located near Samaritan Hospital, is home to the baseball team.
Robison Pool
- Use Robison Pool in all references. This is the pool which is an annex off the south side of the Armory. The full name is the Doris and Ellis Robison Memorial Pool.
Sharp Hall Tennis Courts
- Use Sharp Tennis Courts on first reference. This court is home turf for the tennis teams. Sharp Courts may be used on subsequent references.
Willie Stanton Field
- This is the field behind ECAV.
'87 Gymnasium - Abbreviate to '87 Gym
2021 15th Street - Spell in Full
2144 Burdett Avenue - Known as Parking and Transportation Office, spell in full
41 Ninth Street - Black Cultural Center, spell in full. https://www.rpi.edu/dept/union/bsa/public_html/bcc.html
Academy Hall - Spell in Full
Admissions Building - Use Admissions Building on all references. Title: Nancy Deloye Fitzroy ’49 and Roland V. Fitzroy Jr. Admissions Building
Alumni House (Heffner) - Heffner Alumni House on first reference, Alumni House subsequently
Alumni Sports & Recreation Center - Use Armory on all references
Amos Eaton Hall - Spell in Full
Barton Hall - Spell in Full
Blaw-Knox 1 & 2 - Spell in Full. Houses Risk Management & Loss Prevention and Radiation & Nuclear Safety.
Blitman Commons - Spell in Full for first, Blitman on subsequently
Boiler House, 11th Street - Spell in Full
Boiler House, Sage Avenue - Spell in Full
Bray Hall - Spell in Full
Bryckwyck - Spell in Full
Burdett Avenue Residence Hall - Abbreviate to BARH
Carnegie Building - Spell in Full
Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies (CBIS) - Use title on first, CBIS on subsequently
Chapel + Cultural Center - Use title on first, C+CC on rest
Cogswell Laboratory - Spell in Full
Colonie Apartments - Spell in Full, specify if applicable
Commons Dining Hall - Spell in Full
Darrin Communications Center - Use title on first, DCC subsequently
East Campus Athletic Village Arena (ECAV) - Use title on first, ECAV subsequently
East Campus Athletic Village Stadium - Use title on first, ECAV Stadium subsequently
Empire State Hall - Spell in Full
Experimental Media & Performing Arts Center (EMPAC) - Use Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center on first, EMPAC subsequently
Folsom Library - Use title on first, library subsequently only if no ambiguity exists with another library
Graduate Education - Spell in Full
Greene Building - Spell in Full
Greenhouses and Grounds Barn - Spell in Full
H Building - Spell in Full
Hall Hall - Spell in Full
Houston Field House - Use title on first, Field House subsequently
J Building - Spell in Full
Jonsson Engineering Center (JEC) - Spell in Full, abbreviate to JEC subsequently
Jonsson-Rowland Science Center - Use title on first, JROWL subsequently
LINAC Facility (Gaerttner Laboratory) - Spell in Full
Lally Hall - Spell in Full
Low Center for Industrial Innovation (CII) - Use title on first, Low Center subsequently
Materials Research Center (MRC) - Use title on first, MRC subsequently
Mueller Center - Spell in Full
Nason Hall - Spell in Full
North Hall - Spell in Full
Nugent Hall - Spell in Full
Parking Garage - Spell in Full
Patroon Manor - Spell in Full
Pittsburgh Building - Spell in Full
Playhouse - RPI Playhouse on first, subsequently Playhouse
Polytechnic Residence Commons - Spell in Full
Public Safety Building - Spell in Full
Quadrangle Complex - Spell in Full
Radio Club W2SZ - Spell in FUll
Rensselaer Apartment Housing Project A - RAHP A on all references, prefer building name
Rensselaer Apartment Housing Project B - RAHP B on all references, prefer building name
Rensselaer Union - Spell on first, the Union subsequently
Ricketts Building - Spell in Full
Robison Swimming Pool - Spell in Full
Rousseau Apartments - Say a construction of the form "the Rousseau Residence Hall in the Stacwyck Apartments" on first and "Rousseau" on subsequently
Russell Sage Dining Hall - Use title on first, Sage Dining Hall subsequently
Russell Sage Laboratory - Use title on first, Sage Lab subsequently
Service Building - Spell in Full
Sharp Hall - Spell in Full
Stacwyck Apartments - Spell in Full
Troy Building - Spell in Full
Voorhees Computing Center (VCC) - Use title on first, VCC subsequently
Walker Laboratory - Spell in Full
Warren Hall - Spell in Full
West Hall - Spell in Full
Williams Apartments - Spell in Full
Winslow Building - Spell in Full
The following is a list of colleges RPI regularly interacts with:
University’s name (first reference)
Location
University’s name (subsequent reference)
Team’s name
-
Quinnipiac University
Hamden, C.T.
Quinnipiac
Bobcats -
Boston University
Boston, Mass.
BU
Terriers -
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
Dartmouth, Mass.
UMass Dartmouth
Corsairs -
Hamilton College
Clinton, N.Y.
Hamilton
Continentals -
University of Massachusetts Amherst
Amherst, Mass.
UMass Amherst
Minutemen/women -
Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green, Ohio
Bowling Green
Falcons -
University of Massachusetts Lowell
Lowell, Mass.
UMass Lowell, Lowell
Riverhawks -
Harvard University
Cambridge, Mass.
Harvard
Crimson -
Rochester Institute of Technology
Rochester, N.Y.
RIT
Tigers -
Brown University
Providence, R.I.
Brown
Bears -
Russell Sage College
Troy, N.Y.
Sage, Sage College
Gators -
Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburg, Pa.
CMU
Tartans -
University of New Hampshire, The
Durham, N.H.
UNH
Wildcats -
Hudson Valley Community College
Troy, N.Y.
HVCC
Vikings -
Siena College
Loudonville, N.Y.
Siena
Saints -
Clarkson University
Potsdam, N.Y.
Clarkson
Golden Knights -
University of Vermont, The
Burlington, V.T
Vermont, UVM
Catamounts -
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, Mass.
MIT
Engineers -
Skidmore College
Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
Skidmore
Thoroughbreds -
Colgate University
Hamilton, N.Y.
Colgate
Red Raiders -
Vassar College
Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
Vassar
Brewers -
Niagara University
Lewiston, N.Y.
Niagara
Purple Eagles -
St. Lawrence University
Canton, N.Y.
St. Lawrence
Saints -
College of the Holy Cross
Worcester, Mass.
Holy Cross
Crusaders -
William Smith College
Geneva, N.Y.
William Smith
Herons -
Michigan State University
East Lansing, Mich.
MSU, Michigan State
Spartans -
University at Albany
Albany, N.Y.
SUNY Albany, UAlbany
Great Danes -
Cornell University
Ithaca, N.Y.
Cornell
Big Red -
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Worcester, Mass.
WPI
Engineers -
Princeton University
Princeton, N.J.
Princeton
Tigers -
Yale University
New Haven, C.T.
Yale
Bulldogs -
Dartmouth College
Hanover, N.H.
Dartmouth
Big Green -
United States Military Academy
West Point, N.Y.
Army
Cadets, Black Knights -
Union College
Schenectady, N.Y.
Union
Flying Dutchmen/women, Skating Dutchmen/women -
Providence College
Providence, R.I.
Providence
Friars
The following Greek organizations are part of the Interfraternity Council.
- Acacia
- Alpha Chi Rho (Crows)
- Alpha Epsilon Pi
- Alpha Phi Alpha
- Alpha Sigma Phi
- Chi Phi
- Delta Kappa Epsilon (Dekes)
- Delta Phi
- Delta Tau Delta (Delts)
- Lambda Chi Alpha
- Fiji
- Phi Iota Alpha (Phiotas)
- Phi Kappa Theta (Ski Lodge)
- Phi Mu Delta (Phi Mud)
- Phi Sigma Kappa (Phi Sig, Church)
- Pi Delta Psi
- Pi Kappa Alpha
- Pi Kappa Phi (Castle)
- Pi Kappa Theta (Pikes)
- Pi Lambda Phi (Pilam)
- Psi Upsilon (Psi U)
- Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE)
- Sigma Chi
- Sigma Phi Epsilon (SigEp)
- Tau Epsilon Phi (TEP)
- Tau Kappa Epsilon
- Theta Chi (Zoo)
- Zeta Psi (Zetes)
- Alpha Gamma Delta (AGD)
- Alpha Omega Epsilon (AOE)
- Alpha Phi
- Pi Beta Phi (Pi Phi)
- Sigma Delta