Student Life and Student Organizations – Page 3

Read! Mark! Digest! The Order of the Golden Fleece turns 110!

This year the Order of the Golden Fleece celebrates its 110th anniversary, and University Archives is recognizing this milestone with an exhibit tracing the history and influence of the society on campus. The Order, UNC’s oldest honor society, was founded … Continue reading →

Sign for University Archives’ new exhibit on the Order of the Golden Fleece, now in the fourth floor reading room of Wilson Library.

The Order, UNC’s oldest honor society, was founded in 1904 with the purpose of “restor[ing] unity to campus life.” Bringing together leaders from many different aspects of student life–athletics, debating societies, fraternities, and other areas–the Order hoped to alleviate factionalism and conflict on campus through cooperative leadership.

In their first year, they were called upon to mediate a conflict between the sophomore class and a group of medical students. In what was called the “Soph-Med Affair,” a group of sophomores had insulted some first year medical students, and the medical students had called for the sophomores to be expelled. In order to ease the conflict, the Order of the Golden Fleece worked with the sophomore class to produce a kind of anti-hazing campaign that –in contrast to anti-hazing campaigns of today — placed responsibility for preventing hazing on first-year students themselves.

Text of a poster produced as part of an anti-hazing campaign recorded in the Order of the Golden Fleece Minutes, November 1904. From the Records of the Order of the Golden Fleece, (#40161), University Archives.

In posters across campus (the text of which is reproduced in the Order’s minutes, seen at right) first year students were urged to “be seen and not heard” to avoid drawing the ire of older students.

Another product of the “Soph-Med Affair” was the university’s first student government. The conflict highlighted the need for a mediating organization to handle such conflicts within the student body, and the Order met with President Francis P. Venable to discuss the possibility of a “University Council.” The seven-member council they proposed would mediate disputes, handle honor code violations, and investigate hazing incidents. The University Council was established later that year, and became the first student government established at UNC.

Over the years, the Order has continued to unite campus leaders and influence student life. To learn more about the Golden Fleece’s history, check out the new exhibit in the fourth floor reading room of Wilson Library! The exhibit will be open through March 7th.

Members of the Order of the Golden Fleece in 1999. From the Records of the Order of the Golden Fleece, University Archives.

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.

SOHP Interns Present UNC LGBTQ Oral Histories

Are you interested in the history of student activism at UNC Chapel Hill? What about the history of sexual education, sexuality counseling services, or LGBTQ life on UNC’s campus? The Fall 2013 interns of the Southern Oral History Program will … Continue reading →

Are you interested in the history of student activism at UNC Chapel Hill? What about the history of sexual education, sexuality counseling services, or LGBTQ life on UNC’s campus?

The Fall 2013 interns of the Southern Oral History Program will present selections from their current oral history project on two early student-run LGBT-rights organizations at UNC: the Carolina Gay Association (now the Sexuality and Gender Alliance) and the Human Sexuality Information and Counseling Service.

The performance will take place at the Love House tomorrow (Dec 5) at 3pm with a discussion afterward. Refreshments provided.

The Love House is located at 410 East Franklin Street. Hope to see you there!

November 22, 1963

Today, people around the country and around the world are commemorating the 50th anniversary of the death of President John F. Kennedy, sharing remembrances of the president and of the day that shook the nation. In Chapel Hill, the campus … Continue reading →

The resolution passed by the Di-Phi Joint Senate on November 22, 1963. Di-Phi Joint Senate Records (#40153), University Archives.

In Chapel Hill, the campus came to a standstill as news of the President’s death spread. The next day, Daily Tar Heel writers recalled the moment that the word entered the newsroom:

“There were no warning bells on the UPI wire in the newspaper office here, as is customary when big news breaks. The first knowledge was the editor’s cry, ‘What’s this on the wire about the President being killed?’ No one believed he was serious.”

As word spread, students gathered around radios and televisions, abandoning their preparations for the “Beat Dook” parade scheduled for that afternoon. The parade and other campus events were cancelled, including that weekend’s football game against Duke.

Many on campus thought back to the President’s visit to campus two years earlier, and UNC President William C. Friday, who had visited Kennedy at the White House several times, said that he was “stunned” by this “terrible tragedy for our nation.”

That evening, the Di and Phi Joint Senate passed a resolution expressing their grief and sympathy. They sent a telegram to Jacqueline Kennedy and the newly sworn-in President Lyndon Johnson, saying “the Di-Phi Senate wishes to express its profoundest shock and grief at the death of our beloved president. May God keep you.”

Note from President Lyndon Johnson received by the Di-Phi Joint Senate, Di-Phi Joint Senate Records (#40153), University Archives.

Note from Jacqueline Kennedy received by the Di-Phi Joint Senate, Di-Phi Joint Senate Records (#40153), University Archives.

Read the Daily Tar Heel from November 23, 1963 on the Internet Archive.

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.