CGCC Writing Styles

Spell out Columbia Gorge Community College followed by (CGCC) the first time it appears on page. Do not capitalize college when preceded by "the." Capitalize "M" and "CGCC" and use lower case "y" when referring to MyCGCC.

Examples:

• Columbia Gorge Community College (CGCC) the first time, thereafter CGCC
• the college
• MyCGCC

However, "College" should be capitalized when referring to items or areas belonging to CGCC.

Examples:

• College resources
• College personnel

CGCC has one campus in The Dalles and a satellite center in Hood River. Locations should be referred to by their full name the first time they appear, followed by their abbreviation in parentheses, and subsequently by their abbreviation only. Example: The Dalles Campus (TDC). See below for specific cases. Specific buildings or sites may be referred to by their name or building number, as appropriate and necessary.

• The Dalles Campus (TDC)
• Hood River Center (HRC)
• The Ft. Dalles Readiness Center - CGCC Workforce Development Center
• Building 2
• Crates Way

Capitalize formal titles only when they precede an individual's name (President Cronin).

If the title falls after a name, do not capitalize it (Dr. Marta Yera Cronin, president, attended the meeting).

If no name is referenced, capitalize the title (Please send copies to the Vice-President of Instructional Services).

Use italics when available. Otherwise, put quotation marks around the names of all composition titles except books that are primarily catalogs of reference material (Webster's New World Dictionary).

Composition titles include:

• Books

• Movies

• Plays

• Poems

• Album and songs

• Radio and television programs

• Lectures and Speeches

• Works of art

Do not use ampersands (&) when writing; always use "and."

Exception: Ampersands may be used in website navigation menus, titles, and graphics. 

When a month is abbreviated, abbreviate only Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov. and Dec. Write out March, April, May, June, and July.

Always spell out when using alone (January), or with a year alone (December 2021).

When a phrase lists only a month and a year, do not separate the year with commas. When a phrase refers to a month, day and year, set off the year with commas

Use the three letter form (without periods) in tabular material.

Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec

Multiple years should be listed with the full year first, followed by a hyphen and the last two digits of the subsequent years.

• The 2025-26 academic year

Electrical Inspector's License (Oregon), 2011
Oregon Inspector Certification (OIC), 2011

Teaching Certification (Oregon, Washington)
ESOL Teaching License (Washington)

Spell out days of the week. Monday, Tuesday.

Abbreviate days of the week in tabular material using the three-letter abbreviation.