Content Guidelines

The University Name

Use the complete name of the University, “University of North Carolina Asheville,” on first reference. “UNC Asheville” is appropriate on second reference.

Do not hyphenate UNC Asheville, and do not use UNCA (written or spoken) unless it’s the only version of the name that will fit – for example, social media posts. On social media, #UNCAVL is preferred, as AVL identifies the place.

To refer to the University in general, without using the complete name, uppercase University. (Example: The University is located in Asheville.)

The University used “at” as part of the name through 2019. The “at” should be removed on all references moving forward to adhere to the University of North Carolina Asheville name.

 

Social Media Names

Please include “UNC Asheville,” “uncavl,” or “unca” when creating social media handles. For example, the Admission Instagram handle is @uncavladmission.

Official university social media accounts and hashtags:

  • Facebook: @UNCAsheville
  • Instagram: @unc_asheville
  • Twitter: @UncAvl
  • General university hashtag: #UncAvl
  • Admission hashtag: #AvlBound

Please contact us at communication@unca.edu before establishing new social media accounts so we can help you create a social media strategy.

 

Department Names

UNC Asheville departments, programs and centers may use the & as part of their official name. (Examples: North Carolina Center for Health & Wellness, Office of Admission & Financial Aid).

Note that the Office of Admission & Financial Aid does not use an “s” on admission, and the Office of Communication & Marketing does not use an “s” on communication.

 

Building Names

University buildings should be referred to by their namesakes last name and hall. E.G. Whitesides Hall, Ponder Hall, Mullen & James Humanities Hall. An & is appropriate in the case of the last example.

Note: Rhoades Robinson Hall does not use a hyphen or slash.

When referring to residence halls, the terminology is residence halls, not dorms or dormitories.

Residence halls have individual names, but some that are grouped together may be referred to collectively, such as the Ridges, the Woods, and Governors Village.

See maps.unca.edu for more information about buildings on campus.

 

Room Names

Several of the event spaces on campus have sponsors, and names should be used in full on first reference in news stories, invitations, and event posts.

Highsmith Student Union (Highsmith on second reference)

  • Blue Ridge Room

Wilma M. Sherrill Center (Sherrill Center on second reference)

  • Arby’s Scholarship Deck
  • Rocky’s Doghouse — retail space operated by our bookstore
  • Ingles Mt. View Room — SHE417
  • Concourse —  walkway surrounding arena, including the area from Rocky’s Doghouse to Ingles Mt. View Room

Titles

Faculty and staff titles can be found in the online directory and individual department pages.

Titles should be used in full as space allows. For instance, “Assistant Professor” should not be abbreviated to “Professor.”

Titles may be lowercase following a name to adhere to AP Style, but should be capitalized preceding a name. Endowed professorships, named professorships and Chancellor are always capitalized.

Prepositions should correspond to the title. Professor of a subject. Lecturer in a subject. Administrator for an area.

Times

  • Use figures except for noon and midnight.
  • Avoid unnecessary ciphers. Use 1 p.m., not 1:00 p.m.
  • Use a colon to separate hours from minutes.
  • Use lower case letters with periods to designate a.m. and p.m.
  • Follow this format when writing time frames: 8 a.m.-5 p.m.; 2-6 p.m. (if both times are within the same 12-hour period).
  • Avoid such redundancies as 10 a.m. this morning.

Dates

  • Always use numbers without st, nd, rd or th.
  • Capitalize the names of months in all uses
  • When a month is used with a specific date, abbreviate only the following months:
    Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov. and Dec.
  • Spell out the names of all months when using alone or with a year only.
  • Use year as often as possible to avoid confusion for the reader.

Examples: January 2011, Jan. 2, 2011, Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2011, March 3, 2012, Mon.-Fri.

Prices

  • Use numbers and the $ sign.
  • Do not use the decimal for even dollar amounts.

Examples: $1, $10.50

Telephone Numbers

  • Use area code on all listings.
  • Use European-style format online.

Example: 828.251.6500

Tech Words

  • The following are correct: “website” and “email.”