Student Government Records

Collection

Identifier: LU-RG06-001

Staff Only

This collection consists of the records of the bodies of student government preceding the establishment of the Lawrence University Community Council (LUCC) in 1968. These bodies included the Student Senate, the Student Executive Council, as well as women's student government organizations. Records primarily date from about 1910 to the early 1970s. Materials include constitutions and by-laws, handbooks, meeting minutes, correspondence, and reports.

Dates

1910-1988

Creator

Lawrence University (Organization)

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Lawrence University does not hold the copyright for all materials in this collection. Uses beyond those allowed for fair use under U. S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) require the researcher to secure permission from the copyright holder.

Extent

2.58 Linear Feet (5 boxes)

Additional Description

Biographical or Historical Information

The Student Senate was established by Samuel Plantz in 1908, in an effort to improve student discipline. It became the Student Executive Council in 1951, then changed its name back to Student Senate in 1965. During these years, the student government was composed of men and women student representatives. It met weekly to maintain a constitution and by-laws for the student body, discuss student activities fees, and meet with student committees. All aspects of student life, both academic and non-academic, were ultimately controlled by the faculty and administration. Students began seeking more influence in the daily operations of Lawrence in the mid 1960s, and a committee was created by the Student Senate in 1967 to explore the possibility of establishing a community government at Lawrence composed of both faculty and students. The Lawrence University Community Council (LUCC) superseded the Student Senate in 1968. Women students at Lawrence maintained their own governmental bodies, primarily to deal with rules and regulations for women's housing, from the early 1900s until the 1970s. These groups went through a series of names: the Student House Government Association (about 1910-1919), the Women's Student Government Association (1919-1929), the Lawrence Women's Association (1930-1967), the Downer Women's Association (1967-1970), and the Downer Women's Council (early to mid 1970s). When campus housing transitioned toward becoming coeducational in the early-mid 1970s, the group's charge for regulating women's housing became obsolete. The Downer Feminist Council, a student organization dedicated to promoting feminism on the Lawrence campus, grew out of these changes in the mid-1970s.

Arrangement Note

This collection is arranged in 3 series: Series 1: Student Senate records, 1938-1968 Series 2: Student Executive Council records, 1951-1965 Series 3: Women's student government records, circa 1910-1988

Method of Acquisition

Materials acquired prior to July 2005.

Related Materials

Related materials can be found in the Lawrence University Community Council (LUCC) Records collection (LU-RG06-002), Lawrence University Archives.

Processing Information

Preliminary processing completed prior to 2005, date and processor unknown. Processed by Julia Stringfellow, 2010. Final processing completed by Erin Dix, 2011.