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University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library

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Committee on Student Discipline (University of Michigan) records, 1914-1961 (majority within 1922-1961)

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Restrictions:
The Committee on Student Discipline (University of Michigan) records are open for research except for certain records restricted by statute or university policy. Restricted material includes...

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Summary

Creator:
University of Michigan. Committee on Student Discipline.
Abstract:
The Committee on Student Discipline records document how the University of Michigan set non-academic student policy and how it enforced those policies during the early and mid twentieth century. The collection includes records created by the Committee on Student Discipline, the Subcommittee on Student Discipline, the Committee on Student Conduct, and the Joint Judiciary Council, and contains records from individual student cases and correspondence dealing with university policy.
Extent:
4.5 linear feet
Language:
English
Call Number:
87112 Bimu C15 2
Authors:
Finding aid created by Lance Stuchell, 2008

Background

Scope and Content:

The Committee on Student Discipline records measure 4.75 linear feet and range from 1914-1961, the bulk of which spans 1922-1961. This collection is arranged in two series: Student Discipline Committees and Approved Social Events.

Biographical / Historical:

The Regents of the University of Michigan, upon the recommendation of the University Senate, formed the Committee on Student Discipline in June of 1922. Consisting of members appointed by college deans and the university president, the jurisdiction of the committee included cases of impropriety involving male students that attended more than one college or school within the university, or cases referred to the committee by the dean of that student's college. "The decisions of the University Committee on discipline are final in all cases, but the President of the University shall be consulted (whenever practicable) before any final action is taken resulting in suspension or expulsion" (Board of Regents Proceedings, 1922, pg. 506). At that time, the Dean of Women handled cases involving female students.

In 1934, the university changed the name of the Committee on Student Discipline to the Committee on Student Conduct. While its membership remained the same, the new committee was "charged with the task of formulating and interpreting principles of conduct..." (Board of Regents Proceedings, 1934, pg. 353). The Committee on Student Conduct formed a Subcommittee on Discipline to adjudicate specific cases of misconduct. The subcommittee was comprised of staff appointed by the chair of the committee. The subcommittee invited students from the Men's Student Council and the Michigan League to meetings, but these student participants did not receive a vote.

In the 1950s, the Committee on Student Conduct formed the Joint Judiciary Council, which combined judicial bodies that had previously been separated by gender. The council was comprised of members chosen by the student body leadership and outgoing council staff, and had the power to hear cases and recommend disciplinary action. After its formation, the Joint Judiciary Council took over the adjudication role of the Subcommittee of Student Discipline, hearing cases and enforcing penalties while acting under the subcommittee's authority. The subcommittee rarely met after the Joint Judiciary Council's establishment.

During the 1960s, calls for more student involvement in university policy, campus unrest, and perceived lawlessness led to great changes in the university judicial system. In 1963, the Committee on Student Conduct was replaced with the University Committee on Standards and Conduct, and it seems the Subcommittee on Student Discipline also ceased to exist around this time. The Joint Judiciary Council continued to perform it duties until 1970, when demands for a larger student role led to the formation of the University Council, which was created to formulate and propose regulations governing student conduct. This new body was part of a complete overhaul of the non-academic judicial system and the formation of a new university wide Code of Conduct.

Acquisition Information:
The collection (Donor No. 2948 ) was received in one accession, 1969.
Accruals:

Periodic additions to the records expected.

Rules or Conventions:
Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS)

Contents

Using These Materials

Info for Visitors

How to Request

Ordering Reproductions

Download PDF Finding Aid
RESTRICTIONS:

The Committee on Student Discipline (University of Michigan) records are open for research except for certain records restricted by statute or university policy. Restricted material includes personnel-related files, including search, review, promotion, and tenure files; student educational records; client/patient records; and records of executive officers of the university.

The Committee on Student Discipline (University of Michigan) records record group includes restricted material in the following categories:

  1. Student Academic Records -- Boxes 1-4

Access Restrictions for University of Michigan Records

University records are public records and once fully processed are generally open to research use. Records that contain personally identifiable information will be restricted in order to protect individual privacy. Certain administrative records are restricted in accordance with university policy as outlined below. The restriction of university records is subject to compliance with applicable laws, including the Michigan Freedom of Information Act.

Categories of Restricted Records

  • Student educational records: FERPA's protection of personally identifiable information in a student's education records ends at the time of a student's death and therefore is a matter of institutional policy. As a courtesy to the families of recently deceased students who were enrolled at the time of death, the University generally will not release information from their education records for five years without the consent of the deceased student's next of kin. Eighty-five (85) years after the date the records were first created, the University will presume that the student is deceased. Thereafter the student's education records will be open. Student records at the Bentley Historical Library are restricted for eighty-five (85) years, but may also be made available upon proof of the death of the student.

Restricted files are indicated in the contents list of the collection’s finding aid with a restriction note indicating the restriction type and the date of expiration.

For further information on the restriction policy and placing Freedom of Information Act requests for restricted material, consult the reference archivist at the Bentley Historical Library (bentley.ref@umich.edu) or the University of Michigan Freedom of Information Office website (https://foia.vpcomm.umich.edu/).

USE & PERMISSIONS:

Copyright is held by the Regents of the University of Michigan but the collection may contain third-party materials for which copyright is not held. Patrons are responsible for determining the appropriate use or reuse of materials.

PREFERRED CITATION:

[item], folder, box, Committee on Student Discipline (University of Michigan) records, Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan