Morgan Jones, Graduate Assistant – History on the Hill

Memorial Day

While Memorial Day might traditionally mark the beginning of the Summer Season for vacationers, it is also an important day of remembrance for the United States. Every year, we remember everyone who has died in the service of our country. … Continue reading →

College for War Training brochure, 1942. From the Records of the Vice President for Finance, #40011, University Archives.

Order of Gimghoul, 1944. From the Records of the Order of Gimghoul, #40262, University Archives.

Established in the wake of the Civil War, Memorial Day was set aside as a day of remembrance for both Union and Confederate soldiers who had died in the conflict. However, as time went on, Memorial Day was extended in order to honor all Americans who had died in armed conflicts since the Civil War.

We are proud of all of Carolina’s students and their family members who gave their lives in service to their country.

Do you remember anyone special on Memorial Day?

Swim to Graduate

We’re so proud of everyone who graduated yesterday! Congratulations! But did you know that up until 2006, all undergraduates were required to pass a swim test in order to graduate? Well, the swim test was not unique to Carolina. It … Continue reading →

“Intramural: swimming, group of ten,” 5 October 1961. From the UNC Photographic Laboratory Collection, P00031.

The legend at UNC, and many other campuses, starts with the death of a student by drowning. The student’s family decided to give a large endowment to the University after the incident but with the condition that all students know how to swim. This theory is nothing more than a myth though since many colleges and universities established swim tests during WWII when campuses became designated training programs.

In 1942, UNC was designated as a pre-flight training program by the US government, and the university was awarded funds to construct several structures on campus including the ROTC building, the outdoor pool, and the indoor track. Of course, the midshipmen who were a part of the pre-flight training program had to learn to swim. During and after the war, national debates and discussions centered on whether America’s youth were fit enough to defend our country. So a compulsory swim test was implemented at UNC for men in 1944 and women in 1946.

The swim test remained unchanged until the 1970s when it was altered so that undergraduates had to swim 50 yds and tread water for 5 minutes. The test remained in place through the spring of 2006 when it was officially ended as a requirement for the fall semester.

“Swimming Physical Education,” 31 October 1960. From the UNC Photographic Laboratory Collection, P00031

Did you have to take the swim test? We’d love to hear about your experience!

SOHP Interns’ Performance

On Wednesday, April 30 at 3:00 pm on the front porch of the Love House and Hutchins Forum, four undergraduate interns with the Southern Oral History Program will share a live performance based on their collected oral histories from this spring semester. Their project focused on gay and lesbian student activism and life at UNC-Chapel Hill from the 1970s onward, and their interviewees shared many remarkable stories.

The announcement ran in the Daily Tar Heel on 10 September 1974.

The interns conducted research in the University Archives while preparing for their oral histories. We’re excited to see them share the stories of Carolina students and staff!

A Sudden Ending and a New Beginning: The Assasination of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Birth of UNC’s Black Student Movement

On April 4th, 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was shot and killed at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. As the nation reeled in shock, UNC-Chapel Hill also reacted to the vicious ending of a life dedicated to the … Continue reading →

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Birmingham, AL on April 30th, 1966. From the Records of the Black Student Movement, #40400, University Archives, Wilson Special Collections Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

UNC-Chapel Hill officials held a memorial service attended by over 2,000 people, but the Black Student Movement (BSM) staged its own remembrances of Dr. King. On April 6th, members of the BSM marched down Franklin Street and burned several Confederate flags on the lawn of the Kappa Alpha Fraternity house. At the time, Kappa Alpha was supportive of the Old South and the Confederacy.

In addition to holding a separate memorial service for Dr. King, the BSM also called on the campus’ African American workers to not attend work on April 9th. Although Chancellor Sitterson had announced a half-day for campus workers on April 7th, Preston Dobbins (the president of the BSM) encouraged the day of remembrance because he felt that the University had not responded to Dr. King’s assassination with the appropriate amount of respect. Ninety percent of the African American workers on campus stayed home from work that day.

The Constitution of the Black Student Movement from folder 25, box 3, of the Records of the Black Student Movement, #40400, University Archives, Wilson Library, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

The BSM may be most remembered for the 23 demands of December 1968, but the students’ collaboration with the campus workers in the wake of Dr. King’s assassination was an important first step in the relationship between the two groups. Over the years, students of the BSM have supported UNC-Chapel Hill’s non-academic workers such as groundskeepers, food workers, and housekeepers.

Today, we at University Archives remember the life and death of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the birth of the Black Student Movement on our campus. Although the group began in such dark times, we commend them for forging relationships on our campus and moving forward.

Visit The Carolina Story, UNC’s virtual history museum, for more information on the Black Student Movement.

December 18th: A Mandate from the State, and the Chartering of UNC

December 18th is an important day in both United States and North Carolina history. Several important historical events have happened on this day. For example, the Mayflower docked at modern-day Plymouth, Massachusetts on December 18th, 1620. But at University Archives, December … Continue reading →

UNC Chapel Hill's historic marker which proclaims its status as the first state university.

The historic marker that proclaims UNC’s status as the first state university.

December 18th is an important day in both United States and North Carolina history. Several important historical events have happened on this day.

For example, the Mayflower docked at modern-day Plymouth, Massachusetts on December 18th, 1620.

But at University Archives, December 18th is important for two different reasons. One, the mandate for a state-run university in North Carolina, and two, the chartering of the University of North Carolina.

After the Declaration of Independence was signed, North Carolina ratified its first constitution, the Constitution of 1776, on December 18th, 1776. It was in this document that the provincial congress first called for a state-run university.

Article 41 of the Constitution of 1776 set forth the following mandate:

“…that a school or schools shall be established by the legislature, for the convenient instruction of youth, with such salaries to the masters, paid by the public, as may enable them to instruct at low prices; and, all usefull [sic] learning shall be duly encouraged and promoted in one or more universities.”

However it was not until 1789 that the University of North Carolina was chartered.

The minutes of the first meeting of the Board of Trustees from from Volume 1 of the Board of Trustees Records (#40001). Click to view a larger version of this image.

On December 18th of that year, the Board of Trustees convened for the first time in Fayetteville, North Carolina. It was at that meeting that William Richardson Davie informed the trustees that Colonel Benjamin Smith had donated 20,000 acres of land in what would become Tennessee to the University. The trustees sold the land and used the resulting funds to support the fledgling institution in its early years. Later, the Trustees chose to honor Colonel Smith by naming a campus building after him– Smith Hall, which was completed in 1851. Smith Hall is now known as the Playmakers Theater.

While the landing of the Mayflower is a very important moment in United States history, the chartering of the nation’s first public university to open its doors is important, too.

Today we celebrate the University of North Carolina, which has been serving the state for 218 years. But our University would be nothing without the students, faculty, and staff who learn, teach, and work here. Thank you all, and happy December 18th!

Nelson Mandela, 1918-2013

Today, University Archives joins the world in remembering Nelson Mandela. Mr. Mandela passed away yesterday, December 5th. An anti-apartheid activist and the first black president of South Africa, Nelson Mandela famously spent 27 years in prison for the charge of … Continue reading →

This picture was taken on 12 February 1990, the day after Mandela’s official release from prison. Folder 18, Box 2, the Records of the Black Student Movement, #40400, University Archives, Wilson Library.

Today, University Archives joins the world in remembering Nelson Mandela. Mr. Mandela passed away yesterday, December 5th.

An anti-apartheid activist and the first black president of South Africa, Nelson Mandela famously spent 27 years in prison for the charge of inciting workers’ strikes and leaving the country without permission. Mandela served as the president of South Africa from 1994 to 1999 after his unconditional release from prison on 11 February 1990.

A shanty during the 1986 protest. From the Records of the Black Student Movement, #40400.

Nelson Mandela and the struggle to end apartheid in South Africa were an inspiration to Carolina students in the 1980s. From 1985 to 1987, the student-run Anti-Apartheid Support Group called for divestiture of all UNC-CH holdings in companies operating in South Africa. The protests peaked in March and April of 1986 when student members erected a shanty-town in Polk Place in front of South Building. When the Endowment Board of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill voted to divest all of its holdings in companies operating in South Africa in October 1987, the group disbanded.

Check out coverage of the protests in Black Ink, the newspaper of the Black Student Movement.

Bill Friday: In His Own Words

This past weekend saw the opening of Wilson Library’s newest exhibit — “Bill Friday: In His Own Words.” President Friday was a central figure in the University as well as an influential leader at the state and national levels. Come on … Continue reading →

Bill Friday with students in July of 1978. From the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Photographic Laboratory Collection, #P0031 in the North Carolina Photograph Collection.

See the online portion of this exhibit at https://billfriday.web.unc.edu/. The physical portion is open in the Melba Remig Saltarelli Exhibit Room, 3rd floor, Wilson Library.

The New Indentured Class

In 1982, UNC System President Bill Friday wrote suggestions to give before the House Subcommittee on Postsecondary Education. His suggestions were a response to President Reagan’s proposals to cut student financial aid. One of President Friday’s counterpoints to the proposed … Continue reading →

President Bill Friday, 28 July 1977, From the NCC Photographic Archives. Black and White 120 Roll Film, 37875.

“Transferring an increasing level of the cost of education from society to the current user of education services will create a new indentured class of individuals who may have borrowed more heavily for their education than their future earning power can accommodate.”

President Friday’s defense of his address to the subcommittee. From folder 1846, Box 50 of the Records of the Office of the President: William Friday, Collection 40009.

For many students, President Friday’s prediction of an indentured servitude may be becoming a reality. The Condition of Education 2013 was recently released by the Department of Education and the National Center for Education Statistics. According to this report: “In 2010–11, the average student loan amount, in constant 2011–12 dollars, was $6,800, which was a 39 percent increase from 2000–01, when the average student loan amount was $4,900. Of the 4.1 million students who entered the repayment phase on their student loans in fiscal year (FY) 2010, some 375,000, or 9 percent, had defaulted before FY 2011.” See the full report here.

What are your thoughts on student loans, student debt, and financial aid?

An exhibit on President Friday, “Bill Friday: In His Own Words,” will go on display in the Wilson Library on October 8th. The exhibit celebrates President Friday’s life of impact on the University, the State, and the Nation. You can also view an online exhibit The Legacy of William C. Friday in The Carolina Story: A Virtual Museum of University History.

Gender Neutral Housing Shot Down

This morning, the University of North Carolina Board of Governors unanimously voted to reject gender neutral housing on the system’s sixteen campus. In light of our latest blog post on the gender and sexuality dialogue on our campus, this decision comes as … Continue reading →

“School of Nursing: Relaxing in dorm,” circa 1954. From Black and White Film Box 30, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Photographic Laboratory Collection, P0031.

“Dorm Life,” 1999. News Services, Collection #40139.

One argument against the move to institute gender neutral housing is that it is a “social experiment” and thus an inappropriate use of university funds. The arguments in favor of gender neutral housing focus around the desire to appropriately accommodate transgender students and others who may feel uncomfortable or who are bullied in traditional dorm environments because of their sexuality.

As you can see from the pictures to the right, dorm life within the university has changed over the years. What are your thoughts on the Board of Governors’ ban on gender neutral housing?

Respecting the Rights of Others: Nearly a Forty Year History

In September of 1974, Dean of Student Affairs Donald Boulton received a flurry of letters from concerned alumni and North Carolina citizens. Letter writers were “shocked,” “surprised,” “alarmed,” and “concerned.” What led these parties to write to Dean Boulton that … Continue reading →

The announcement ran in the Daily Tar Heel on 10 September 1974.

Despite the many letters that he and President Bill Friday received, Dean Boulton and the university stood behind their decision officially to recognize the group as a student organization. As Boulton replied many times to the inquiries, the university had done their research on the related court cases supporting such student organizations. More than this, however, Boulton was keenly aware of what UNC stood for and what it still stands for today.

“I believe in the right and freedom of this group and any other group to organize in our society and to stand for those things in which they believe. I do not ask that they agree with me, only that they have the responsibility to state their beliefs openly and respect the rights of others.”

Dean Boulton's response to a complaint about the Carolina Gay Association. Letter in Folder 305, Box 6, Records of the Student Union of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Records #40128, University Archives, Louis Round Wilson Special Collections Library.

Dean Boulton’s response to a complaint about the Carolina Gay Association (Folder 305, Box 6, Records of the Student Union of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Records #40128, University Archives).

Known today as the Sexuality and Gender Alliance, SAGA has taken on many roles in the Carolina community since its beginnings as the Gay Awareness Rap Group, an alternative and safe meeting place for the Gay community in the 1970s. One of the first of its kind in the South, SAGA continues to be the largest LGBTIQ student organization in the Southeastern United States and has grown to include social, activist, and debate sections.

When SAGA celebrates its 40th anniversary next year, the Carolina community might take a moment to remember the courage of those founding members and the support shown by Dean Boulton. Happy early 40th, SAGA!

Student organizations are the lifeblood of Carolina. Check out our virtual museum exhibit on UNC student organizations.