Student Activities Office: subject folders, 1933-1964
Collection context
Summary
- Creator:
- University of Rochester. Student Activities Office
- Extent:
- 1.39 cubic feet (4 containers)
- Language:
- English .
- Preferred citation:
-
[Item title, item date], Student Activities Office: Subject Folders, 1933-1964, UA293, Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation, River Campus Libraries, University of Rochester
Background
- Scope and content:
-
This collection contains material from the Student Activities offices of the College for Men and the College for Women, and, starting in 1955, their merged office. The material dates from 1933-1964. The collection covers a variety of organizations and topics such as theater groups, community service organizations, student government, and organization finances. These files were the offices' records on clubs and other activities, and the material in the folders primarily reflects what the groups themselves collected. They also contain records from the Student Activities offices themselves. Materials include correspondence, meeting minutes and agendas, notes, budgets, press releases, programs, and newsletters.
- Biographical / historical:
-
The College of Arts and Science Bulletin for 1931-1932 described "extra-curricular activities . . . as a means of promoting the education and developing the character of all students." While pointing to their potential value in "the development of a rounded individual," the University noted that student activities should not be compulsory because they depend on students' interest, available time, and academic work (page 45).
This collection bridges the period when the University was coordinate—with a separate College for men and College for Women—and after it became coeducational in 1955. Student activities for men were housed in Todd Union, one of the original buildings on the River Campus that opened in 1930. During the period from 1930 to 1955, the College for Women continued to remain on the Prince Street Campus, where their Student Activities Office was located in Cutler Union. When the Colleges for Men and Women integrated in 1955 on the River Campus, their activities offices consolidated as well. Todd Union was redesigned at this time to suit its new coeducational role. Several offices, such as the Dietary Office, were moved out of the building to accommodate the larger student body that would use the space. Kitchen facilities were also downsized in Todd Union as two new dining halls were added on the River Campus, and this created more room for activities.
Cornelis de Kiewiet was the president of the University at the time of the merger, having been inaugurated in 1951. The 1955-1956 issue of the College of Arts and Science Bulletin noted that, "Under [his] leadership there has been a sharpening of educational purpose at Rochester based on the conviction that 'we must concentrate on the coordination and efficiency of all those activities which constitute each student's total educational experience'" (page 18). Therefore, in 1955 Todd Union became a center of student activities for all students. Residence Hall governments provided activities as well, but these were often limited to the residents of those buildings and were not coeducational for the most part. At Todd Union, men's and women's groups often merged into a single entity; for example, The Campus newspaper from the men's college and The Tower Times newspaper from the women's college merged into the Campus Times.
- Acquisition information:
- Received before 1968.
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Indexed terms
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
For access to this collection, please contact the University of Rochester Archives (archives@library.rochester.edu) at least two business days prior to your planned visit.
Please note: Some materials may be restricted or require permission for use.
- Terms of access:
-
To request reproductions or permission to publish materials from the collection, please contact the University of Rochester Archives (archives@library.rochester.edu). Researchers may be responsible for determining any copyright questions.
- Preferred citation:
-
[Item title, item date], Student Activities Office: Subject Folders, 1933-1964, UA293, Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation, River Campus Libraries, University of Rochester
- Location of this collection:
- Contact:
- (585) 275-2121archives@rochester.edu