Morgan Jones, Graduate Assistant – Page 3

Gender and Sexuality: An ongoing campus dialogue

If you have been paying attention to the events in the state capitol this summer, then you know that sexuality and women’s reproductive health have been a few of many hot button issues here in North Carolina. In fact, the 11th Moral Monday of July 15th was dedicated to women’s issues. So as we witness the back and forth between the legislature and protesters, we at University Archives have asked this question: how has the campus dialogue about women’s rights, gender, and sexuality changed over time? Well, one way to answer that question is by looking at our students’ history.

How were women in the university treated? A generation or so ago, female students faced a variety of rules and regulations based on their gender. In the 1960s many of the rules shied away from the use of language explicitly about abortion and contraception. Instead, women were given curfews and visitation rules. Many of these were established in the attitude of “in loco parentis” where the university acted as the female students’ parent.

Page 9 from the book of women students' rules for the academic year of 1965-1966. From Box 13 of the Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Records, Collection #40124. — Page 9 from the book of women students’ rules for the academic year of 1965-1966. From Box 13 of the Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Records, Collection #40124.

Visiting with men was especially regulated. There were social rooms where women were allowed to visit with men, but under no circumstances were female students allowed to go into a male student’s room. Neglect to follow the rules would lead to review by a house committee under threat of expulsion or suspension.

In an interview years later, Sharon Rose Powell remembered the scandal of 1965. That summer the current student body president (Paul Dickson) had a girlfriend who was enrolled in summer school. Powell said: “…they were at his fraternity and just fell asleep, and she never got back to the dorm. She had to go before judiciary, before the Honor Council, and she was suspended from school. Of course, as I said before, nothing ever happened to guys because there were no rules for them.” (For more on this interview from the Southern Oral History Project click here.)

The confidential policy regarding "illegitimate" pregnancy from Box 12 of the Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Records, Collection #40124. — The confidential policy regarding “illegitimate” pregnancy from Box 12 of the Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Records, Collection #40124.

In 1967, the university moved to formulate a policy regarding illegitimate pregnancies. Unwed pregnant students were expected to report immediately to student health services. The clinic would advise the student on their medical options and recommend temporary withdrawal until such time as the student was deemed medically fit to return. Unwed females who applied to the university and were discovered to be pregnant would not be admitted.

The record regarding abortion and contraceptives is sparse, but one resource that stands out among the rest is the Elephants and Butterflies column that ran in the Daily Tar Heel in the 1960s and 1970s. The column was one of several sex education outlets at the university that attempted to address sexuality, sexually transmitted diseases, pregnancy, abortion, and contraceptives. By the 1970s it seemed that the students and some of the administration had embraced a frank discussion of women’s sexuality and students’ sexual health in general.

As time has gone on, dialogue about sexuality in the university and in many other areas has grown more open. The approval of gender-neutral housing in 2012 is one dialogue we have seen come to a resolution. My ability to live in a co-ed dormitory (Avery Hall) during my freshman year in 2008 was a testament to changing attitudes. How do you think the dialogue regarding women’s rights and students’ sexual health has changed?

From the "Elephants and Butterflies" column in the Daily Tar Heel, 6 March 1972. — From the “Elephants and Butterflies” column in the Daily Tar Heel, 6 March 1972.

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 September? The official recognition of the Carolina Gay Association by the Office of Student Affairs.

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.

Karen Parker: A Woman to Remember

In celebration of Women’s History Month, we here at University Archives can think of many women from the Carolina community to celebrate. There’s Cornelia Phillips Spencer, for example, who rang the bell in celebration of the university’s reopening in 1875. We also remember Mia Hamm, who led the women’s soccer team to four NCAA championships in the 1990s. Who don’t we remember then?

The cover of Karen Parker's notebook from her time at UNC. The Karen L. Parker Diary, Letter and Clippings, Folder 1, #05275-z, The Southern Historical Collection, The Louis Round Wilson Special Collections Library. — The cover of Karen Parker’s notebook from her time at UNC. (Karen L. Parker Diary, Letter and Clippings, #05275-z, The Southern Historical Collection.)

A woman you may not remember by name is Karen Lynn Parker. Karen Parker was the first African-American woman to attend and graduate from UNC Chapel Hill as an undergraduate student. In the fall of 1963, Karen Parker transferred to UNC from the Greensboro Women’s College and began her studies in journalism. In 1964, Parker was elected as vice president of the UNC Press Club. She also served as the editor of the UNC Journalist, the School of Journalism’s newspaper, in that year. Achievements aside, Karen Parker’s time at UNC was far from smooth sailing.

The first entry of her diary on November 5, 1963, began with her own reflections on the freedom marches. Her next diary entry on November 22 related her shock and sadness at the assassination of President Kennedy. On campus, she wrote that classes were called off and tests were cancelled. Even the Duke-Carolina game and the Beat Dook parade (which had been an annual event since 1950) were struck from the calendar. On November 24, Karen Parker wrote in her journal that she felt “insecure, unsafe” and that the “future looks quite uncertain.”

However uncertain the future looked, Parker took hold of the present. As part of her activism with the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), she often spent time in jail. In her entry of December 18, she wrote: “On Saturday, the 14th, I decided to go to jail [….] We went to Leo’s, were arrested, and hauled to jail.” Leo’s was a restaurant in downtown Chapel Hill whose segregation policy Parker and others protested.

2 March 1964 drawing of the inside of the Orange County Superior Court in Hillsborough, NC. From the Karen L. Parker Diary, Letter and Clippings, #05275-z, folder 1, the Southern Historical Collection, Wilson Library. — Drawing of the inside of the Orange County Superior Court in Hillsborough, NC, March 2, 1964. (Karen L. Parker Diary, Letter and Clippings, #05275-z, the Southern Historical Collection.)

As time wore on, Parker continued to demonstrate and protest against segregation with other students and members of CORE. As CORE was accused of communist leanings, and the university began to threaten student demonstrators with expulsion, Karen Parker felt her faith in Carolina waver as she wondered about the future. Though summoned before the Women’s Honor Council in early 1964, Karen Parker remained firm: “They were going to have to expel me because I wasn’t going to give up.”

And Karen Parker did not give up. She went on to graduate from UNC Chapel Hill in 1965 with a BA in Journalism. So, as we remember the women that have made Carolina great, we should not forget Karen Parker. As Eve Carson said, “it’s us—the student body—who make Carolina what it is.” Thank you, Karen, for being one of many who have made Carolina what it is today.

(Access the Finding Aid for the Karen L. Parker Diary, Letter, and Clippings here: http://www.lib.unc.edu/mss/inv/p/Parker,Karen_L.html.)

“An Infernal Passion Undying”: William Starr Myers on the UNC – Trinity College Rivalry

If you read the Daily Tar Heel, you’ve likely read Ian Williams’ iconic column “Why I Hate Duke.” The Daily Tar Heel usually highlights the piece before our first basketball game of the year against Duke. The article is essentially the Carolina student’s guide to hating that dark, blue school to the North both on and off the basketball court. In his article, Williams states that he hates Duke with an “infernal passion undying.” Many of us feel that way in light of our recent loss, but just how long has the Carolina community loved to loathe our adversary?

The answer is long before that archenemy was actually named Duke University!

Written to be sung to the tune of Little Marie, this song was from William Starr Myers book that documented much of his poetry and writing from his time at UNC. From folder 15, Box 2 of the William Starr Myers Papers, collection #03260, in the Southern Historical Collection, the Wilson Library. — Written to be sung to the tune of “Sweet Marie,” this song can be found in William Starr Myers’s notebook documenting much of his writing during his time at UNC. (Folder 15, Box 2, of the William Starr Myers Papers, #03260, Southern Historical Collection.)

That’s right. UNC has the distinction of hating Duke before they became a full-fledged university and was simply known as Trinity College. Let that sink in for a minute.

For the football game against Trinity College on the 24th of October 1894, William Starr Myers (an editor for The Tar Heel, the forerunner of The Daily Tar Heel) wrote several poems to commemorate the day. One of his songs began:

“I’ve a secret to impart Trinity/We’re going to break your heart Trinity;/And you’ll think that Judgment Day,/Is’nt [sic] very far away, when the Referee calls ‘Play’ Trinity./You will see Trinity, Trinity how it will be/That your faces fearful sights are to see/Every star that studs the sky/Then will wink the other eye, and bid you/’Go & die,’ Trinity.”

A float from the 1951 Beat Dook parade showing a Tar Heel Ram eating a bowl of Duke cereal for breakfast. P0033/0040, the Roland Giduz Photograph Collection, the North Carolina Collection Photographic Archives, Wilson Library — A float from the 1951 Beat Dook parade showing a Tar Heel Ram eating a bowl of Duke cereal for breakfast. (P0033/0040, the Roland Giduz Photograph Collection, the North Carolina Collection Photographic Archives.)

The rivalry with Duke has a long history, which has taken various forms over the years. For instance, between 1950 and 1965 there was an annual “Beat Dook” Parade held on Franklin Street near the end of November.

As we anxiously await the rematch on March 9, I think it’s safe to say that yes…our Carolina community truly does hate Duke with “an infernal passion undying.” And many of us wouldn’t have it any other way.

Fire Again!

We hope that everyone is enjoying the new semester. Hopefully you’re getting back into the swing of things without too much trouble. If everything is going well, congratulations! It turns out that you are much luckier than some of your predecessors in the winter of 1929 were.

From 14 December 1929, the Daily Tar Heel, Vol. 38, Number 71, in the North Carolina Collection.

In fact, from the very beginning of the school year, various fraternities on UNC’s campus had some pretty rotten luck. First, there were growing financial concerns and then the great stock market crash of 1929. Male students were in the position of not being able to afford being in a fraternity unless they took out a loan. Despite all of this, though, fraternities accepted a healthy number of bids that fall semester, and luck seemed to be on their side.

From the 11 January 1930, the Daily Tar Heel, Vol. 38, Number 77, in the North Carolina Collection.

Their luck ran out, however, at the end of the fall semester. On Thursday, December 12, 1929 (a day before Friday the 13^th), the Delta Sigma Phi house of Old Fraternity Row was almost completely destroyed in a fire early that morning. When the members of the house woke up and realized the house was on fire, they attempted to call the fire department but could not be connected because the fire chief was already having a conversation of his own. Consequently, several members had to drive down to the station to alert the chief in person. At the time, the chief said that he heard a car beeping its horn like mad and immediately thought it was a rum runner being chased by the authorities. By the time the fire was extinguished, most clothes and furniture could be saved, and it was lucky that the nine men sleeping in the house had escaped with their lives.

From 8 January 1930, the Daily Tar Heel, Vol. 38, Number 74, in the North Carolina Collection.

Delta Sigma Phi did not hold the distinction of being the only fraternity house that burned down that year though. The Daily Tar Heel was beginning to make daily quips about old fraternity row as the “hot section of town.” The Chi Psi fraternity house also burned down that winter, on Christmas night. Unfortunately for the members of Chi Psi, they were accused (rather indirectly and hastily) of setting the fire deliberately to collect the insurance money. The controversy raged until January 8, 1930 when the students were finally freed from blame of the fire. In fact, Dr. Coker took great umbrage at the suggestion that any student at Carolina would be so devious and squared off with the insurance commissioner until the whole matter was cleared.

So, count yourself lucky. If you are rushing a fraternity or sorority this semester, we are certainly glad that lady luck seems to have reinstituted herself on our campus!

For the Students, By the Students

In light of a recent addition to the Records of the Student Union (Collection #40128), we in University Archives are wondering: How many of you use the Carolina Union every day? Our next question would be: How much do you know about how it came into existence?

The Graham Memorial Student Union Building, 1959.

To start off, you might not know that Graham Memorial used to serve our campus as the Student Union. From the time it was constructed in 1932, it was packed with students to the extent that it resembled a sardine can with pillars. While Graham Memorial was a popular center for many different events (including the early years of Jubilee), it was largely inconvenient to students who lived across campus from the elegant building. And if you thought budgetary concern was a recent phenomenon, then you thought wrong. The student director of Graham Memorial consistently sought increased funds to keep the campus entertained. It seemed as if Graham Memorial just could not keep up with student demand for events and activities.

Student Union Board of Directors, Undated.

Fortunately, a good deal of this changed with the implementation of a professional staff to run the new Carolina Union in the Frank Porter Graham Student Union. The structure of a professional staff was implemented in 1958 with the first professional director of the Student Union: Howard Henry. The building opened in 1969 and enhanced its management of student activities with a newly refined organization: the Carolina Union Activities Board. Granted, there were several precursors to the CUAB we know and love today. They included the Student Entertainment Committee, the Graham Memorial Activities Board, and the Student Union Activities Board. Because the Union had no official name before 1971 (when it was officially named the “Carolina Union”), these organizations were interchangeable in name and the activities they produced. None of the three organizations can be limited to a specific date range.

Informational Flier for the Graham Memorial Student Union.

CUAB is an organization by the students of Carolina, for the students of Carolina. This mentality is evident in the Addition of September 2012 to the Student Union Records (Collection #40128).

What do you appreciate about the Carolina Union?