Editorial Style — Plurals and Gender

Alumni

Use alumnus when referring to a man who has attended a school. Use alumna for similar references to a woman. Use alumni when referring to the plural form of both sexes and alumnae when referring to the plural form of women.

Chair

Use the term chair to designate the head of an academic department rather than chairman, chairperson, or chairwoman. Capitalize chair when used as part of a formal title before a name: "Academic Senate Chair Dr. Louise Professor said …" but lowercase all other instances. "The chair of the Academic Senate, Dr. Louise Professor, said …"

Gender

Avoid using he, she, his or her except where gender is essential to meaning. When copy applies to both sexes, write it so that no gender bias is suggested. Do not use s/he, he/she, or his/her to avoid gender bias; instead, rewrite your sentence.

A plural construction often avoids problems, but make sure all elements of the sentence agree:

Right: Students should take their SAT tests.
Wrong: The student should take their SAT test.