CONTENTS FEATURE: Graduate to mastery of commencement terminology GRAMMAR COACH: Fielding your questions NET NOTES: Captivating web sites FINDER'S FEE: Recommend a friend—and earn up to $500 FEATURE: Before commencements, graduate to mastery of terminology      During the coming weeks, hundreds of thousands of people will be returning to high schools and colleges—not to attend classes, but to witness graduation ceremonies. With the attention of so many turning to educational institutions, a review of the meanings and proper uses of school-related terminology is timely.      Although many members of the senior classes may say, "I can't wait until I graduate college," perhaps they should spend more time in English class first. Most lexicographers maintain that schools graduate students, but students do not graduate schools. Graduation is not something that students can do to a college; they may, however, graduate from college.      "Commencement" is the name for the ceremony at which academic diplomas are conferred. The speakers at a commencement include the valedictorian, who is typically the graduate of highest academic standing. He or she delivers the "valedictory"—a term meaning a farewell address (also known as a "valediction").      The academic degree that two-year colleges confer is called an associate's degree. Such degrees include the associate in arts (A.A.), associate in science (A.S.) and associate in applied science (A.A.S.).      The certificate awarded by four-year colleges and universities is called the bachelor degree or bachelor's degree (note the apostrophe). It's also known as a baccalaureate, but in such references the word "degree" should be dropped. A person who has received such a degree may be called a bachelor. The term "bachelor" in reference to academic credentials is likely derived from the Latin "baccalaria," a designation for a partition of land on which a "baccalarius"—a tenant farmer—toiled. In feudal England, a young knight who was a squire in service to an elder knight was called a "bacheler." That word eventually took on the connotation of apprenticeship—of initial training.      Institutions offering postgraduate education programs may confer the master's degree. The word "master" descended from the Latin "magister," which meant "chief, director or teacher." By the 14th century, the master's degree was regarded as authorizing certification to teach at the university level.      The highest degree awarded by an academic institution is the doctoral degree, also known as a doctorate. Do not use the word "degree" after the term "doctorate." Such degrees include the doctor of philosophy (Ph.D.), doctor of theology (Th.D.) and doctor of education (Ed.D.). The term "doctor" is derived from the Latin word for "teacher," while "philosophy" has Greek origins and refers to "pursuit of wisdom." Although the formal title "Dr." may be used in connection with anyone who holds a doctoral degree in any field, a significant proportion of the public associates that title with medical doctors. To avoid potential confusion, clearly identify the field of any such individual. Rather than saying "Dr. Sylvia Jones is our new director of government affairs," say "Sylvia Jones, who has a doctorate in political science, is our new director of government affairs."      Names of degrees and fields of study are lowercased as in: "Vincent has a master's degree in art." When using an abbreviation for a degree, drop the word "degree." Don't say "he has a B.A. degree in history"; say "he has a B.A. in history."      The land occupied by a school is called a "campus"—the Latin word for "field." Some, but not all, American colleges are "land grant" institutions. Land-grant colleges are those built on land allocated by the federal government under authority of the Morrill Acts of 1862 and 1890. The National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges explains that the acts were intended to encourage establishment of institutions to teach agriculture, military tactics, the mechanical arts and classical studies for "members of the working classes." Today each state has at least one land-grant institution, and several Midwestern and Western states have land-grant tribal colleges.      Agriculture and mechanics were the mainstays of many collegiate academic programs in the 19th century. Indeed, their initials remain appendages to the names of several colleges today, including Texas A&M University, Florida A&M and Alabama A&M.      Traditional designations for class years of high school and undergraduate college students have come under scrutiny in recent years. In response to complaints charging gender bias, some colleges have abandoned the term "freshman" and instead refer to entry-level students as "first-year students." The term "fresh-man," referring to a novice, originated in the 16th century at Cambridge University in England. For schools retaining the traditional nomenclature, the singular form is "freshman" and the plural is "freshmen." Regardless of the number of students involved, the adjectival form is "freshman," as in "five freshman classes."      Most dictionaries say that the term "sophomore"—used in reference to the second year of college or high school—is derived from the Greek words "sophos" (meaning "wise") and moros ("foolish" or "dull"). But some etymologists trace the term to 17th century Britain, where second-year university students became known as "sophists" or "sophumers" as they participated in requisite intellectual debates. When the term migrated to American colleges, it became "sophomore."      The term "junior," from the Latin word for "young," took on the connotation of "lesser standing" by the 18th century.      "Senior," the Latin word for "older," became synonymous with elevated rank during the 16th century.      All class-year designations, from freshman to senior, should be lowercased.      People who have graduated from—or merely attended—a school are called alumni. A male is an alumnus; a female is an alumna. Use "alumnae" to describe a group of females. Although the term "alumni" is the plural of the male form "alumnus," it also is appropriate when referring to a group consisting of males and females.      The certificate of graduation, the diploma, is typically presented in a ceremonial scroll—which belies the origin of the word. Descended from the Greek word "diploos" (meaning double), the word "diploma" literally means "folded paper" in Greek.      While new graduates may properly refer to their institution as their alma mater (Latin for "nourishing mother"), they may be surprised to learn that former classmates of theirs who left school before graduating may also properly claim the school as their alma mater. An alma mater is a school that someone has attended—regardless of whether or not they graduated from it. The term alma mater also refers to the song or anthem of a school. Yes, graduates can sing their alma mater's alma mater.      EditPros congratulates the graduates of 2004, and encourages them to make learning a lifelong pursuit. Yes! EditPros can help you choose appropriate terminology for your newsletters, brochures, reports and Web site content. GRAMMAR COACH: Fielding your questions Is 'irregardless' acceptable? Randy Crabtree submitted this month's question:      "My friends and I are having a huge argument over the word 'irregardless.' One says it is proper because it is listed in Webster's Online Dictionary; others say 'regardless' of that, it is improper. Help." The grammar coach replies to Randy:      Your friends who use the term "irregardless" are saying precisely the opposite of what they intend to convey.      Although 'irregardless" is frequently heard in casual speech, linguistic authorities—including the usage panels of the American Heritage and Merriam-Webster dictionaries—consider it a nonstandard term. Both dictionaries attribute "irregardless" to a blending of the words "irrespective" and "regardless."      An entry about "irregardless" in the American Heritage Dictionary says "it has never been accepted in standard English, and is usually changed by editors to 'regardless' before getting into print."      "Irregardless" is incorrect because it is a double-negative term. The word "regardless" means "without regard." The prefix "ir-" is also used to negate; it means "not." Therefore, when Bill says, "I'll make my decision irregardless of what Tom thinks," he literally is saying, "My decision will not be made without regarding Tom's opinion." In other words, Tom WILL influence the decision—precisely the opposite of what Bill tried to say.      Thanks for submitting your question, Randy!      Are you perplexed by some aspect of grammar or word usage? Don't be shy! Ask the "grammar coach" at EditPros and we'll try to help—at no charge, just for the sport of it. NET NOTES: Captivating Internet resources MuseumStuff http://www.museumstuff.com      Satisfy your intellectual curiosity using this database, which lets you search among thousands of listed museums by location or subject matter—including a category for "unusual and strange collections." So along with links to conventional museums of art, industry and science, you'll find the Museum of Coat Hangers, the Gallery of Obscure Patents, the Frontier Telephone Museum, the Virtual Museum of Cigar Box Art and Melvyn Wright's World of Vintage Slot Machines. Search by geographic coordinates http://wayhoo.com/index/a/view/      Greetings from 38° 32' 50" N, 121° 44' 36" W. Those are the geographic coordinates for EditPros. This Web site can identify the geographic coordinates for your location, in formats usable in Geographic Information Systems or Global Positioning System receivers. Simply enter your ZIP code or other identifying information. Most results give you the option to refine the location by listing identified "waypoints" within the area of your search. If you already know geographic coordinates but want to find out where they intersect, the site will display a map of the location you've entered. Keep in mind that longitude is a measurement east or west of the Greenwich meridian, while latitude is a measurement north or south of the equator. Fact Monster http://www.factmonster.com      The publisher of the Information Please almanac sponsors this educational site that's purportedly for kids, but useful—and fun—for adults as well. It includes an atlas, almanac, dictionary, encyclopedia and other resources. FINDER'S FEE: Recommend a friend—and earn a finder's fee of up to $500      Do you know of a friend or colleague whose office can benefit from EditPros services? If you do, EditPros may reward you with a "finder's fee" of up to $500.      EditPros performs writing, editing and publication management services for newsletters, sales literature, brochures, Web sites and other informational and marketing materials.      If you recommend our services to a friend or business colleague, and that introduction leads to an assignment for EditPros, we will award you a "finder's fee" equaling 10 percent of the amount we earn on the first assignment for the new client, up to a maximum finder's fee of $500. Naturally, the finder's fee is applicable only to clients for which we have not worked previously.      This offer will remain in effect until further notice. YOUR TURN: Ask the "grammar coach" or subscribe      We invite you to submit your questions to the "grammar coach," and we welcome you to subscribe to this monthly newsletter—which we'll send to your e-mail address at no charge. 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