Assistant director of men and director of housing at the University of Michigan. Collected materials largely relating to student housing at the University of Michigan; also files on student activities, including problems of transportation.
The Peter A. Ostafin Papers consist of both personal and official (University of Michigan) records that reflect his professional career in housing at the University of Michigan from 1955 to 1977. The records cover a range of subjects that include housing developments at the university, transportation issues, student governance, a variety of student activities, and administrative activities and issues. Materials found include minutes, reports, proposals, memoranda, newspaper clippings, and a variety of background and source documents relating to housing, transportation, and student affairs. The original order of the collection consisted of topical folders and loose documents in a random order. Scattered throughout the collection are documents created by and for both John Feldkamp, director of Housing, and Barbara Newell, vice-president for Student Affairs. Outside the strengths of the collection, much of the remaining material is scattered throughout the topical files and is of limited importance. Included are materials that mostly serve to illustrate sources consulted by the various groups on which Ostafin served. These reference materials form the majority of the early records, some dating back to the early 1940s.
Although the papers touch on many aspects of both students' lives and housing, the strength of the collection lies particularly in several specific areas: Housing (including both University and non-University), Student Activities, Transportation, and the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments.