Carolina Summer Reading Program

The Round House by Louise Erdrich
The Round House by Louise Erdrich

For the summer of 2014, incoming students were asked to read The Round House by Louise Erdrich.  Set on a Ojibwe reservation in North Dakota, the novel is a coming-of-age story about a boy on the cusp of manhood who seeks justice and understanding in the wake of a terrible crime that upends and forever transforms his family.  We hope that everyone who attended the Summer Reading discussions on August 18th enjoyed a stimulating conversation!

Composed of faculty, staff, and students, the book selection committee works to choose a book that meets the following criteria:

  • Intellectually stimulating — stretch students’ minds, cause students to think about things they might not have before
  • Enjoyable, engaging, relatively short, easy to read, up-to-date
  • Reading that will provoke interesting discussion
  • Appropriate for developmental level of incoming students
  • Addresses a theme/topic that is applicable to students themselves (i.e., societal issues)

Because the books chosen often address societal issues, book selections usually spark some debate.  During my first year, the committee assigned the book Covering: the Hidden Assault on Our Civil Rights.  Two years later, I had the pleasure of co-leading a discussion on Picking Cotton: Our Memoir of Injustice and Redemption.  However, one of the most controversial books chosen was Approaching the Qur’án: The Early Revelations.  Selected for the 2002-2003 academic year, the choice inspired heavy backlash from students, alumni, and the general public as well as a lawsuit from individuals concerned about the University pushing Islam on its students.

From the Summer Reading Program of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Records, #40273, University Archives
From the Summer Reading Program of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Records, #40273, University Archives

Pre-printed postcards were distributed by the Family Policy Network (FPN), a Virginia-based, socially conservative Christian organization. The group, whose chairman, Terry Moffitt, earned his undergraduate degree from UNC-CH in 1981, opposed selection of Approaching the Qur’an for the Summer Reading Program. The FPN said that the suras selected for the book create a false impression of Islam, painting it as a peaceful religion. Moffitt and another leader of the FPN  joined with three UNC freshmen in filing a federal lawsuit arguing that the book choice violated First Amendment guarantees of freedom of religion. A federal judge denied the plaintiffs’ request for an injunction, ruling the University was not forcing students to read the book and was not violating the First Amendment. A federal appeals court panel upheld the lower court ruling. The chancellor’s office received more than 20,000 postcards from throughout the United States.

From the Summer Reading Program of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Records, #40273, University Archives
From the Summer Reading Program of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Records, #40273, University Archives

However, not everyone was opposed to the committee’s book selection.  Students, alumni, and others wrote to Chancellor Moeser to express their support of the school’s decision.  Many of these supporters applauded a choice that would lead to a greater understanding of other cultures and religions in the University.  One student wrote a letter to Chancellor Moeser to assure him that she did not believe the school was attempting to convert its students to Islam.  The student compared the situation to being asked to read about Hitler.  “One does not believe reading about Hitler makes one a Nazi…”

To see all of the Carolina Summer Reading Program’s past choices, you may visit their website. To read more about controversial book choices, you may visit Wilson Library’s online exhibit, A Right to Speak and Hear: Academic Freedom and Free Expression at UNC.

We’d love to hear from students and alumni about your take on this year’s summer reading!  Have you read any of the previous years’ books? 

“Can you get a date for my roommate? She’s real cute!”

About a year ago, we wrote about restrictions on UNC’s female students in the 1950s and 1960s. Women were often not allowed to travel alone or after certain hours.  While perusing  a fraternity scrapbook from 1951, we found a telegram from a student’s sweetheart referencing these types of rules.

From the Records of the North Carolina Xi of Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity.  SV-40334/1, Scrapbook, 1951-1952.
From the Records of the North Carolina Xi of Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity. SV-40334/1, Scrapbook, 1951-1952.

 

Summer Plans

From the Records of the North Carolina Xi of Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity.  SV-40334/2, Scrapbook, 1954.
A 1954 scrapbook from the Records of the North Carolina Xi Chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity (SV-40334/2).

This page from a 1954 scrapbook shows members of UNC’s chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity and friends on a trip to the beach.

What are your plans this summer?  Will you be going to the beach?

New V-Day Carolina Collection

Another new collection at University Archives arrived recently! The V-Day collection from the V-Day Carolina student group contains digital and physical material from 2006 to 2014 related to performances of the Vagina Monologues at UNC in English and Spanish.

FinalBenefitFlyer2013
Flyer for a 2013 V-Day Benefit from the V-Day Carolina Records ( #40431), University Archives.

V-Day Carolina is a chapter of an international organization that works to end violence against girls and women.

Note: The materials referenced in this blog post have not yet been processed and are currently not available to researchers. If you are interested in viewing these materials in person, please contact University Archives before your visit to determine their availability.

UNC Parachute Club records make a landing at University Archives

Flyer for the 1971-1972 National Collegiate Parachuting Championships. From the Records of the UNC Parachute Club (#40390), University Archives.
Flyer for the 1971-1972 National Collegiate Parachuting Championships. From the Records of the UNC Parachute Club (#40390), University Archives.

Last week, University Archives was excited to receive the records of the UNC Sport Parachute Club, a student organization founded in 1969.

The team represented the University in inter-collegiate competitions including the 1971-1972 National Collegiate Parachuting Championships (flyer above). Notice the spot below the falling parachutist—in competitions, participants were judged upon the accuracy of their landing in relation to a 10-centimeter disc.

Club member and records donor F. J. Hale recalls:

All of us saw similar rewards in parachuting; its beauty and exhilaration, and the unsurpassed freedom of being flung through the sky, and sailing gradually to earth under a huge nylon cloud.

Photos from the Records of the UNC Parachute Club (#40390), University Archives.

Note: The materials referenced in this blog post have not yet been processed and are currently not available to researchers. If you are interested in viewing these materials in person, please contact University Archives before your visit to determine their availability.

Swim to Graduate

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

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 used to be a requirement at many colleges and universities across the country. But where did the requirement come from exactly?

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
“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 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!  

“I don’t know what he means unless it was the bell ringing or the fireball.”

John Stronach's letter to his father, responding to President Battle's accusations of bad behavior.
John Stronach’s letter to his father, responding to President Battle’s accusations of bad behavior. (University of North Carolina Papers #40005, University Archives)

If you’re looking for someone to help you plan an April Fool’s Day prank, look no further than John B. Stronach, class of 1893. President of the Eating Club (“Record, 31 bananas in 13 ¾ minutes,” according to the 1890 Hellenian), and member of both the “Gunning Club” and “Whist Club,” the Raleigh native seems to have had a knack for getting into trouble.  

In February, 1890, UNC President Kemp Battle wrote to John Stronach’s father, W.C. Stronach, concerned about the young student’s behavior. His shocked and dismayed father responded immediately to President Battle, enclosing his son’s own version of events (transcribed in full below).

March 2, 1890
Dear Father,

I am very sorry indeed that Dr. Battle had to write to you about me, but think he has it a little larger than it was. I will tell you just how it is and what I did. You remember when I told you about my shooting the gun, ever since then every thing that is done he calls me up. Once again, I was beating on a tin tub in my room and Prof. Cain came in and asked me to stop. Those two times are the only ones that I have been caught and about the only times I have done anything again. The night some boys wrung [sic] the bell,  I was in my room and did not even go out again. He had me up. Thursday night a crowd of boys wrung [sic] the bell and made a ball of fire and went around to scare the boys by turning it around before the windows and crying fire. I was down town in Lee Woodard’s room when they made the ball. I came up in a little while and went around to see the fire but did not touch it. I hollered as everybody else did and this is about all I have done as for the late at night, etc. I don’t know what he means unless it was the bell ringing or the fire ball.

Mike is coming down Thursday or Friday and will come to see you. I am very sorry that I have caused you so much trouble and hope that you will see that it is not as bad as Dr. Battle makes it out. I hope mother will not be very sick and is even now better. Doctor as [sic] been very sick for the last three or four days with his temper but is very much better today.
Give love to every.
Your loveing [sic] son,
Jno. B. Stronach

 

UNC Students Call for Health Care Reform!

It’s not what you think. We are not discussing the Affordable Care Act or even paying for health care. This is a historical look at just one health care issue at Carolina. In the 1980s, the question for some students was not what they would pay for health care but whether or not they would receive it with equity.

From Box 1:1:15, Records of the Office of the Dean of the School of Medicine, #40118.
From Box 1:1:15, Records of the Office of the Dean of the School of Medicine, #40118.

In November of 1983, Brian Richmond wrote to the Daily Tar Heel to reprimand the School of Medicine for turning down the opportunity to offer a scholarship to medical students who had come out as gay or lesbian. Richmond, the acting director of the Sexuality Education & Counseling Service, condemned the decision because as a sex counselor on a college campus, he had come to realize how difficult it was for lesbians and gay men to find good doctors for a variety reasons including prejudice, misconceptions, malpractice, anti-gay laws, and fear of AIDS. Richmond believed that supporting gay men and lesbians in their pursuits to become health care providers would be a step in the right direction. In his letter, he called on the Dean of the School of Medicine, Dr. Stuart Bondurant, to work with the gay and lesbian community on his campus.

A student's letter expressing his willingness to serve on the Committee. From Box 1:1:15, the Records of the Office of the Dean of the School of Medicine, #40118
A student’s letter expressing his willingness to serve on the Committee. From Box 1:1:15, the Records of the Office of the Dean of the School of Medicine, #40118

Dr. Bondurant stood by the decision not to offer a scholarship exclusively to gay and lesbian medical students, but he did acknowledge that the School of Medicine could better respond to the health care needs of gay and lesbian students. So, the idea for a Committee for Gay/Lesbian Health Concerns was born. The Committee would be composed of students, School of Medicine faculty, and Student Health Services staff. Due to scheduling conflicts in the Spring semester of 1984, however, the committee failed to meet and was put off until the following semester.

The next interaction we found between the School of Medicine and the gay and lesbian community occurred in 1985 when North Carolina’s Lesbian and Gay Health Project called upon the school to update their curriculum. The Project asked for health care issues unique to gay men and lesbians to be incorporated into study. The idea was to improve doctors’ understanding of health concerns particular to the homosexual community while dispelling common misconceptions.

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

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

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