Gender and cultural inclusivity

Inclusive terms

Avoid terms and language that are sexist, agist, culturally insensitive, or biased in other ways. Substitute with more open terms.

freshman students

first-year students

 

young, talented minds

talented minds

 

chairman

chair

chairperson

 

hostess

host [for any gender]

 

actress

actor [for any gender]

When using cultural references and examples, feature diversity of all kinds as much as possible.

Alumni terms

Alumni: plural gender-inclusive

Alumnae: plural feminine

Alumnus: singular masculine

Alumna: singular feminine

“Alum” or “alumnx” can be used for the gender-neutral singular, preferably for informal or internal settings. For gender-neutral singular cases in official university communications, adjust the sentence in question when possible to avoid using “alumnus/alumna” or “alum." If it is not possible to restructure, use “alum” or “alumnx” sparingly.

Replace “You are a Cornell alum” with “You are a Cornell graduate” or “You are a Cornellian”

Replace “We’ll choose one alumnus” with “We’ll choose one Cornellian” or “We’ll choose one of our alumni”

If someone has given a clear indication of their personal preference, use that when referring to them.

Personal pronouns

In most cases, use “he or she” for third-person, singular personal pronouns. If this proves cumbersome, turn your antecedent noun (i.e., what the pronoun is a substitute for) into the plural form and then subsequently use “they.”

A student Students can explore his or her their intellectual interests at Cornell. He or she has They have great flexibility in choosing majors and minors.

However, if the individual prefers it, “they” may be used to refer to that individual in the third person. This applies even to formal writing. Other gender-neutral personal pronouns (along with guidelines for their use) are listed in Cornell’s LGBT Resource Center's web page.

To capitalize or not to capitalize “black”

When referring to the cultural or ethnic group (particularly connected with the African Diaspora), you can choose to capitalize “Black”—especially if the context and audience of your piece calls for it.

Note, however, that the lowercased “black” (vis-à-vis the lowercased “white”) is also used.

Consult with your stakeholders, decide wisely, and be consistent within your piece.