Is alumni an inclusive term?

“Alumni” refers to a group of male-identifying graduates or a mixed-gender group and is not considered inclusive in all spaces but is still commonly used. For non-gendered, inclusive language, use “alum” and “alums.”

Is alumni a gendered term?

Traditionally, "alumnus" refers specifically to a singular male graduate and "alumni" is the plural form for a group of male graduates and for a group of male and female graduates. Meanwhile, the term for singular female graduates is the lesser spotted "alumna", and "alumnae" refers to a group of female-only graduates.

What is the proper term for alumni?

Alumni and alumnus are the preferred plural and singular terms of alumni of any gender. The feminine terms—alumna (singular) and alumnae (plural)—may be used in the context of the publication or the preferences of the subjects. Do not shorten to “alum” or “alums” except in informal communications.

What is the inclusive language for alumni?

However, to simplify the gender-inclusive terminology, Westtown adopted the convention of using 'alum/alums. ' These terms are accepted by Merriam-Webster and the AP Style Guide (among others) as gender-neutral alternatives to 'alumni.

Is alumni a sensitive word?

In English, Alumni generally is used as a gender neutral word meaning a graduate, usually from a college/university. So something like “She is an alumni of Boston College” is accepted. Alumni is actually a Latin word.

Edinburgh Napier University | Alumni | What does alumni mean?

What is the non gendered term for alumni?

For an individual graduate, an alumnus is a single male, an alumna is a single female, and an alum is the gender neutral term. For the plurals, alumni refers to multiple male or gender neutral graduates, alumnae is for multiple female grads, and alums is the gender neutral plural.

Can I just say alumn?

If you are speaking of someone who is a graduate of an educational institution, it is alumna, alumni (plural) and alumnus (single). Alumn would be a slang way to refer to that person, but it really isn't standard English.

How is alumni non inclusive?

“Alumni” refers to a group of male-identifying graduates or a mixed-gender group and is not considered inclusive in all spaces but is still commonly used. For non-gendered, inclusive language, use “alum” and “alums.”

What phrases to avoid in inclusive language?

Terms like “bipolar,” “OCD” and “ADD” are descriptors of real psychiatric disabilities that people actually possess. They are not metaphors for everyday behaviors. Also, avoid derogatory terms that stem from the context of mental health, for example, “crazy,” “mad,“ “schizo,” or “psycho.” “Guys” is not gender neutral.

What not to say in inclusive language?

These reflect the principles of inclusive language: use gender-neutral terms; avoid ableist language; focus on people not disabilities or circumstances; avoid generalizations about people, regions, cultures and countries; and avoid slang, idioms, metaphors and other words with layers of meaning and a negative history.

Is alumni gender neutral?

“Alumni” is plural, used for multiple men or for a mixed-gender group (so it does not make sense to refer to an individual as “an alumni”). The shortened, gender-neutral forms “alum” and “alums” can be used in less formal contexts. There is no such thing as “former alumni”; use simply “alumni” or “former students.”

Do I say I am an alumni or alumna?

Alumni is the plural noun for a group of male graduates or male and female graduates. An alumnus is one male graduate. An alumna is one female graduate. And for a group of female graduates, you can use the plural alumnae.

Am I an alumni if I didn't graduate?

The term is not synonymous with "graduates": people can be alumni without graduating (Burt Reynolds, alumnus but not graduate of Florida State University, is an example). The term is sometimes used to refer to former employees, former members of an organization, former contributors, or former inmates.

What is female alumni called?

Alumni is a plural noun referring either to a group of male graduates or to a group of both male and female graduates. The singular “alumnus” refers to one male graduate, “alumna” refers to one female graduate, and the plural “alumnae” refers to a group of female graduates.

Is alumni a proper noun?

No. It's an English word that comes from the Latin. It's not a proper noun any more than a word like “focus.” Obviously, if there's an organisation with the word alumni its name, then every word gets capitalised.

What is the difference between alma mater and alumni?

It's not really possible for a non-person to be an alum, so the neuter forms of 'alumnum' (singular) and 'alumna' (plural), are unlikely to be used much. Alumni refers to people who have graduated from an institution (most commonly a university) while alma mater is the institution from which a person has graduated.

What are the four rules for inclusive language?

Linguistic Society of America's Guidelines for Inclusive Language: Promotes the use of inclusive language that acknowledges diversity, conveys respect to all people, is sensitive to differences, and promotes equal opportunities.

What is an example of an inclusive phrase?

Inclusive ways to address a group include “folks,” “people,” “you all, “y'all,” and “team.” Recognize the impact of mental health language: “Bipolar,” “PTSD,” “OCD,” and “ADD” are real mental health diagnoses that people possess.

What is an example of non inclusive phrasing?

“Bible beater” is a negative term people use to describe religious people who follow Christianity. And, “Heathen” is used to describe someone who strays from a religion. Both are non-inclusive and might offend people who have certain religious beliefs.

What is a gender neutral word for human?

If a gender-neutral term is desired, first-year student is acceptable. — humanity, humankind, humans, human beings, people Not mankind. — human-made, human-caused, artificial, synthetic Not man-made.

What is a word for gender neutral?

synonyms, antonym ▲ Synonyms: gender-inclusive, genderless, (slang, Australia) gendy nooch, non-gendered, ungendered, unisex Antonym: gender-specific.

What is a gender neutral word for man and woman?

humanity, humankind, humans, human beings, people.

Is it correct to say my alma mater?

Your alma mater is your old school, college or university. It's generally used as a positive term, implying reverence and loyalty for the nurturing qualities of the institution.

Are current students considered alumni?

Generally speaking one must graduate to be called alumnus but each institution is different. Some say, some that attended but not graduated are also called alumni. Someone once said that if you matriculated into that school, but didn't graduate, you're still considered an alumnus of that institution.