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College Style Guide: F

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faculty/staff

These are singular nouns, referring to groups en masse: The faculty is granted certain privileges under the charter. To make them plural, or to refer to individual professors, use “faculty members”: Faculty members expressed concern over the proposal. The same is true of staff: “the staff is,” but “staff members are.”

fellow, fellowship

See also awards.

Capitalize when the formal name of the award is used; otherwise lowercase: “Diana Shandy, professor of anthropology, was named an Executive Leadership Fellow for 2015. Other fellows named were…” “The fellowship is awarded by the Center for Integrative Leadership.” (8.31)

foreign words

Use italics for words not listed in Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary. Use italics only on first use of word.

fractions

See also numbers, percent.

Spell out simple fractions: A two-thirds majority is required. (9.14)

For whole numbers plus fractions, numerals are often better: The instructions are printed on 8½″ x 11″ paper.

full time/part time

When used as a two-word noun: “Full time is 38.75 hours per week.”

full-time/part-time

When used as an adjective or adverb: “I have a full-time job.”