Purpose of the Grossmont College
Style Guide
Grossmont College celebrates free speech, creativity,
independence, and an entrepreneurial spirit. All members of the
Grossmont community write email, memos, letters, brochures, posters,
invitations, fliers, booklets, catalogs, reports, magazines, web
pages, and newsletters. Every kind of written discourse produced at
Grossmont is more effective if it is clearly written, using accurate
and varied word choice, well-structured clauses and sentences, as
well as standard grammar and mechanics. With all due respect to the
variety of genres of writing on a college campus, we all agree on
the two basic principles of clarity and accuracy in any kind of
writing in any discipline or purpose. Achieving clarity and accuracy
in writing is for the sake of the readers. A clear message that is
accurately structured is easy to read and understand. For this
purpose, the Grossmont College Style Guide was written.
Program Review and Accreditation
Two of the most demanding documents produced at Grossmont are the
program review document and the accreditation self-study document.
Program review chairs and accreditation chairs have either taken a
laissez faire attitude toward form or created their own style guide.
Arlene Stone, for example, made a handy back-to-back style sheet
when working on the 2001 accreditation. Arlene and I have expanded
the style sheet; it is on the Internet: www.grossmont.edu/accreditation/self_study_guides.asp.
Arlene’s handy quick notes inspired us to write this more
comprehensive guide, which will help authors of program review
documents and the accreditation self-study. Marsha Raybourn,
director of instructional operations, has also endorsed the writing
of a college style guide. She consults it frequently when
proofreading, editing, and authoring the many documents and
publications that come across her desk.
Guidelines, Not Rules
The head noun and key word in the title of this document is
guide, a set of directions to help writers of college documents.
Grammarians love to argue and analyze certain propensities of the
language ad nauseam, and many of these debates end in a draw; no one
is absolutely right or wrong. What we can do is agree on a set of
guidelines and consistently use them; we can focus on form as well
as fluency and clarity of the message.
Resources
The guidelines stem from the Associated Press Stylebook, The New
York Times' Manual of Style and Usage, and The Chicago Manual of
Style--all excellent resources. Remember to consult the appropriate
guide for the kind of writing you do.
The Grossmont College Style Guide is for any writing done for the
Grossmont community and for the public. We greatly appreciate your
cooperation in using these guidelines. Consistency and clarity are
the keys to more effective written communication collegewide.
Consistency and clarity enhance our readers’ understanding of our
documents. If you have corrections, suggestions, or questions, email
me at
chuck.passentino@gcccd.net or call (619) 644-7566.
|
