Alexander G. Ruthven Papers, 1901-1961 (majority within 1906-1951)
65.4 linear feet — 1 oversize folder
65.4 linear feet — 1 oversize folder
The Alexander Ruthven papers consists of two series of records. The first is the papers of Ruthven as president of the University of Michigan, 1929 to 1951. The second, and smaller, series is the files maintained by Ruthven as a zoologist with the University Museum and as professor of zoology. This latter series dates largely from 1908 to 1929 but also includes collected earlier files from the 1870s.
65.4 linear feet — 1 oversize folder
7 linear feet
The Office of Student Conflict Resolution (OSCR) records include materials related to the creation of standards for student behavior at the University of Michigan. These records include minutes from groups assigned to create standards of conduct; drafts and final policies implemented by the university; correspondence between campus administrators, legal counsel, and students and staff; formal evaluative reports on policies and their effectiveness; and original forms from students and staff telling administrators of their opinions on various issues related to standards of conduct.
A second accession was received from the Office of Student Conflict Resolution (OSCR) in August of 2008 and added 5.0 linear feet to the record group. The scope of the new records consists mostly of printed and produced materials including guidelines, worksheets, newspaper clippings, training materials, and reviews. The material also touches on the Code of Student Conduct including reviews, completed student and faculty surveys, and newspaper clippings of articles about the Code.
The OSCR records (7.0 linear feet) date from 1962 to 2006 and are organized into eleven series: Background Material; University Code for Non-Academic Conduct and University Judicial System; Policy on Discrimination and Discriminatory Harassment; Statement of Student Rights and Responsibilities (SSRR); Code of Student Conduct; Guidelines, Worksheets, and Forms; Training Manuals; Pubic Relations; Reviews and Reports; Surveys; and Publications.
1.5 linear feet
These records document university policies regarding student conduct and discipline and the university's relationship with labor unions. Additionally, the materials document the involvement of university attorneys in the decision-making process. Frequent correspondents of Mr. Lemmer's included Vice President Wilbur K. Pierpont and President Robben W. Fleming.
The records measure 1.5 linear feet and are divided into four series: University Policy, Labor Relations, Regents V. Labor Mediation Board, and Student Unrest.
39.8 linear feet (in 41 boxes) — 362.5 MB (online) — 3 archived websites
The Senate Advisory Committee on University Affairs Records consist of correspondence, minutes, and reports relating primarily to the economic status of the faculty and the administration of the University. The records measure 39.8 linear feet (in 41 boxes) and 362.5 MB. The materials range from 1937-2015, the bulk of which spans 1960-1995.
39.8 linear feet (in 41 boxes) — 362.5 MB (online) — 3 archived websites
44 linear feet (in 46 boxes)
The records of the Vice President for Student Life provide a unique perspective to the extracurricular life and customs of students at the University of Michigan and an insight to the development of the office of the Vice President. The records span the years 1908-2005 with the bulk of the material covering 1941-1995. The material from the early years is especially rich in documenting student life from the 1920s to the 1950s. The strongest feature of this collection is in documenting the administration's response to the needs and to the demands of student, ranging from disciplining drinkers during Prohibition, dealings with fraternities up to 1960, reacting to student protests in the 1960s to the 1988 debate over the Student Code for Non-Academic Conduct, and the 2000 protest against Michigamua. The records also contain materials related to students' health, housing, organizations, and activism. The coverage of these areas varies across administrations as office reorganizations altered the focus and functions of Student Services.
This uneven documentation reflects the fact that, over time, different offices were created to handle more narrowly-defined areas of responsibility. Areas which had originally been handled by Dean Bursley under his broad conception of control over non-academic student life came to be administered by separate offices. Frequently the records of these administrative units were not included with the Vice President for Student Life records. To gain a more comprehensive understanding of student life, as refracted through the lens of University Administration, one should also refer to the records of the Housing Office and Student-Community Relations Office, and the papers of Peter Ostafin, director of housing.
The Vice President for Student Life collection consists of correspondence, reports, memos, minutes, and financial reports generated by both the University Administration and students. These materials are arranged in chronological series by the administrative head in charge of students' extracurricular affairs. Nine series represent records of Vice Presidents of the office: Joseph A. Bursley, 1913-1950; Erich A. Walter, 1925-1959; James A. Lewis, 1908-1964; Richard L. Cutler, 1950-1969; Barbara W. Newell, 1965-1970; Robert L. Knauss, 1962-1973; Henry Johnson, 1950-1985; Mary Ann Swain and Maureen Hartford, 1990-2005; and E. Royster Harper, 2000. In addition, the collections includes a Topical Files series, 1953-1995 (records of several Vice Presidents that have been received by the Bentley in various accessions); as well as a Printed Materials series. This organizing scheme required some manipulation of the files, but it best enables the researcher to trace the changing nature of the student body concerns and the development of the office itself.
The researcher should note that the strict chronological sequencing of the series was not possible. This was due in large part to a series of office reorganizations which resulted in some files created during Bursley or Walter's tenure ending up in later series. The most significant move here resulted in Lewis' series containing a good deal of Bursley and Walter materials on fraternities and student organizations. Lewis created the fraternities subseries in 1959 and compiled the student organization subseries during a May 1963, office reorganization. The researcher should also be conscious that early series contain a variety of materials which may not reflect the full scope of Bursley, Walter, or Lewis' responsibilities. Gaps are also discernible in the later series, but these are more readily fleshed out by referring to other University collections.
44 linear feet (in 46 boxes)
18 linear feet
The William Wirt Blume papers include a memoir of his 192-1921 trip to China, a chronological correspondence file, teaching materials and other files related to his career at the University of Michigan, several reports on legal issues and research notes and files for his history of Michigan Territorial Supreme Court. The papers are arrange in five series: Travel, Correspondence, University of Michigan, Reports, and Notes and Research Material on Territorial Courts.
The series Notes and Research Material on Territorial Courts (boxes 6-18) contains Blume's notes and collected research materials relating to his study of U.S. territorial law and territorial court systems. Much of the emphasis of Blume's study concerned the Michigan Territorial Supreme Court and the various county and circuit courts under it. The researcher is directed to the Michigan Supreme Court record group for the original documents that Blume and his staff studied. This record group was transferred to the State Archives of Michigan in 2011. The researcher should also note that Blume's Transactions of the Supreme Court of the Territory of Michigan, with its extensive notes and historical commentaries is a superb introduction to Blume's career interests.
Current results range from 1811 to 2015