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University Housing and Dining Services Records, 1900-2013

By Finding aid prepared by Karl McCreary.

Collection Overview

Title: University Housing and Dining Services Records, 1900-2013

Predominant Dates: 1959-1975

ID: RG 145

Primary Creator: Oregon State University. University Housing and Dining Services

Extent: 19.3 cubic feet. More info below.

Arrangement: Organized into ten series: I. Correspondence; II. Staff Meeting Minutes; III. University Housing Committee; IV. Reports and Studies; V. Residence Hall Files; VI. Policy and Procedure Statements; VII. Newspaper Clippings; VIII. Publications; IX. Hawthorne Manor; and X. General Subject Files.

Languages of Materials: English [eng]

Abstract

The records of University Housing and Dining Services document the administration of campus housing residence halls and dormitories. In addition to the management of housing, these records also depict student life and culture on campus.

Items from this collection have been digitized and are available in Oregon Digital.

Scope and Content Notes

The University Housing and Dining Services Records document the administration of campus housing at Oregon State University for 1930-2005, with the bulk of records representing the 1960s and 1970s. The records reflect major issues in housing policies including co-educational housing, campus security, alcohol use, and self-governance by residents.

Accession 2008:048 is made up of materials generated by University Housing and Dining Services that includes brochures, correspondence, handbooks, maps, meeting minutes, newsletters, newspaper clippings, notes, policy/procedure statements, and statistical data. Primarily relating to the management of student family housing, these materials document a number of topics concerning the Orchard Court Apartments such as the impact of OSU's domestic partner policy and the ratio of international to American students residing in the units. These records also pertain to the purchase and administration of "miscellaneous" properties that were managed mostly as rental housing and were often later removed for planned expansion of parking lots and building construction. A report on Weatherford Hall written in 1992 by the outgoing Residence Hall Director that colorfully illustrates student and dorm culture was also found in this transfer.

Accession 2008:056 consists of annual reports generated by University Housing and Dining Services. Covering fiscal year 1994 and academic years 2003/04 through 2006/07, the reports in this transfer also include one quarterly report for Fall term of 2007.

Accession 2009:066 consists of materials generated and collected by University Housing and Dining Services that is made up of annual/quarterly reports, a DVD, newsletters, newspaper clippings, press releases, residence hall handbooks, and a guestbook. Among the handbooks is a guide, "Housing Opportunities at OSU," showing room layout configurations in the various dorm and cooperative houses at OSU. The DVD features a 15-minute film based on the TV show "Trading Rooms" in which two OSU dorm rooms are re-decorated by other students. The guestbook documents visitors to McNary Hall for several events in 1964, 1965, and 1986.

Accession 2009:110 consists of materials documenting the process of researching and selecting a name for the campus dormitory built in 2002 known as Carrie Halsell Hall. Made up of correspondence, notes, newspaper clippings, and policy statements, these records also refer to other names considered for the new building, including: Alice Biddle, Abigail Duniway, Ava Pauling, Helen Gilkey, and Marian Anderson.

Accession 2010:044 consists of materials generated and collected by the Office of University Housing and Dining Services which includes an account ledger, annual reports, articles of incorporation, brochures, certificates, constitutions, correspondence, flyers, guestbooks, handbooks, housing contracts (blank), meeting minutes, newsletters, newspaper clippings, photograph albums, photographs, and scrapbooks. Documenting various aspects of the management of student housing and cooperative living groups, these materials pertain to residence hall advisor training, policy development, residence hall renovation projects, event planning, publicity, and student social life in campus housing. Making up the bulk of this transfer, the scrapbooks and photograph albums were primarily assembled by residents of the cooperative houses Azalea House, Heckart Lodge, Oxford House, and Reed Lodge. In addition to portrait and group shots of residents, the scrapbooks and albums contain documentation reflecting everyday life in the houses, special rituals such as "passing the candle," collaborative events with other co-ops, and news stories about residents. The photographs not found in albums or scrapbooks number about 650 images in total (500 prints and 150 negatives) and mostly depict resident social activities (both on and off-campus) and group shots.

Accession 2010:078 is made up of materials generated and collected by University Housing and Dining Services (UHDS) and includes certificates, constitutions, correspondence, flyers, handbooks, meeting minutes, photographs, posters, a quarterly report, and a scrapbook. The minutes in this transfer reflect meetings of the Residence Hall Association, the Intercooperative Council, and the Cooperative House Directors. The correspondence mostly pertains to event planning for an 80th birthday party celebration for former UHDS Director Edward Bryan. The certificates reflect honors and awards received by Callahan and Halsell Halls. Numbering 17 prints in all, the images consist of portrait shots of mostly unidentified students, group shots of Callahan Hall residents in "crazy pictures," and UHDS staff. Primarily made up of photographs, the undated scrapbook documents various events in residence halls such as "Planet Earth," the "Mistletoe Ball," and a fashion show.

Accession 2011:078 consists of materials generated by University Housing and Dining Services that include annual/quarterly reports, architectural drawings, certificates, correspondence, newspaper clippings, photographs, a policy notebook, reference materials, survey records, and VHS videotapes. Subjects covered in these records include the renovation of Hawley Hall and the nomination of Weatherford Hall to the National Trust as a historic structure. The reference materials reflect research from a study on differing perceptions of cultural cohesion within residence hall communities. Compiled as a reference handbook for presidents of Weatherford Hall, the notebook is made up of a constitution, correspondence, event program reports, flyers, and policy guidelines. The photographs are digital images on a cd depicting the Weatherford Hall renovation during the remodel work and after completion. Numbering 6 videotapes in all, the films relate to fraternity hazing and a history of Weatherford Hall "A Story of Seven Decades." In addition to a proclamation of the LEED green building status of the remodeled Weatherford Hall , the certificates primarily pertain to Weatherford Hall resident participation in Red Cross blood drives.

Accession 2013:072 contains brochures, budgetary documents, correspondence, drawings, meeting minutes, newspaper clippings, photographs, and reports. The bulk of these records relate to renovation and construction projects for three residence halls (Weatherford, Hawley, and Halsell) and include budgetary information, scripts of testimony given before the state Legislative Emergency Board, feasibility studies, quarterly progress reports, and architectural drawings. Other materials in this transfer pertain to a planned wall mural for the Kerr Administration building and the process of compliance with Fire Department regulations for that project. Numbering 35 photographs in total (8 prints and 27 slides), the images all depict art by Anthony Heinz May. The two UHDS reports consist of one annual (2011/12) and one quarterly (Fall 2012).

Accession 2014:014 consists of brochures, a cd, correspondence, a handbook/planner, newsletters, newspaper clippings, notes, photograph albums, photographs, a poster, reports, scrapbooks, and a sound recording. In addition to historical information about OSU housing compiled by UHDS for a guide, these materials pertain to the UHDS diversity action plan, the College Inn renovation, the dedication of Carrie Halsell Hall, an internal/external department review, and family housing on campus.The two photo albums document activities by the Family Housing Association and problems at the Orchard Court housing complex as presented by tenant manager Norman Howell. The scrapbooks contain information on single-family residential houses managed by UHDS and community activism among residents of the Orchard Court married student housing area. Numbering 280 photographs in total (107 prints and 173 negatives), the images document the removal of older private residences from campus property in 1999 and 2000. There are also shots of one of these older houses being burned for practice by the Fire Department. The cd contains digital images (184) depicting the 2005 NWACUHO (Northwest Association College and University Housing Officers) conference held at OSU. The poster is a composite of photos depicting the student decorated doors at Weatherford Hall. The vinyl disc sound recording documents the 1964 Interfraternity Sing performance.

Accession 2014:086 consists of materials generated and collected by University Housing and Dining Services that document the Residence Hall Association and the management of the cooperative houses. In addition to manuals for cooperative housing directors, this transfer includes articles of incorporation, budgetary records, cds, correspondence, forms, meeting minutes, notes, policy/procedure statements, and publications. The coops reflected in these records are Oxford House, Avery Lodge, Heckart Lodge, Azalea House, and Reed Lodge. There are also items relating to Campus Club, which later formed into Avery Lodge. The five cds contain a combination of image, audio, and text files documenting presentations made at the 2008 ASJA (Association for Student Judicial Affairs) meeting, shots of students in the co-ops, music for the Diane Awards, and a HIV/AIDS manual.

The publications include booklets produced for women living in Waldo Hall and other resident halls in 1946-1947 through 1955-1956 with the titles Smooth Sailing, Between Decks, and Coed Clues.  An orientation booklet for Student Housing and Resident Programs staff in 1977-1978 is also included with the publications.

Items from this collection have been digitized and are available in Oregon Digital.

Biographical / Historical Notes

University Housing and Dining Services oversees the facilities, services, and programs to provide housing and dining services for residential students and other OSU community members. It was formed in 1973 by the merger of the Housing Department and the Residence Programs Office.

Student housing on campus first became available with the opening of Alpha Hall for women in 1889. Two years later, a second dormitory, Cauthorn Hall, was built to provide housing for both sexes. In total, the two dormitories accomodated 120 men and 50 women. Early administration of campus housing was managed by individual faculty members rather than a single centralized office. These faculty included John Horner, Margaret Snell, and Mark Dow McCallister. Admission into campus housing for men required membership in the dormitory's "club", which involved a separate fee as well as proof of the avoidance of tobacco and "profane language." For women, application for dormitory residence was coordinated through the Registrar's Office.

In 1922, in a move to centralize administration of the residence halls, the university created the Department of Dormitories. In addition to room reservation and the general management of student housing, the department was responsible for food service on campus both in the dorms and the Memorial Union. The new department worked closely with the Offices of the Dean of Women and Men in managing social activities and decorum in the dormitories. The role of the Deans in regulating student life in campus housing also extended to student governance through periodic and regular meetings with residence hall councils and presidents. Another new player in the housing mix to emerge in this period was the Student Housing Committee, which was entrusted with the task of reviewing, revising, and approving "suitable" housing for students outside the grounds of the university.

The onset of World War II posed serious challenges to the university with regard to an increased demand for housing. In accomodating an influx of students engaged in specialized military training on campus, the university moved female students from Waldo and Snell (now Ballard Extension) Halls off campus to fraternity houses closed during the war and temporary housing near downtown Corvallis. This transfer also spurred the development of several cooperative houses for women under the management of Co-Resident Women Inc. Record student enrollments after the war, owing largely to veterans returning to attend college on the GI bill, further exacerbated the effects of the housing shortage. OSU responded to this crisis by bringing to campus a number of pre-fabricated buildings erected at military bases and arranged for temporary student housing to be offered at Camp Adair, 10 miles north of Corvallis.

The steady growth in student enrollment after the war prompted the university to construct nine new residence halls during a two decade period (1947-1967). Changing cultural expectations of university life in this era also compelled the university to re-examine some of it's longstanding housing policies. This re-evaluation resulted in the introduction of coeducational housing in 1967 and the elimination three years later of rules requiring sophomores and juniors to reside in campus housing, cooperatives, or fraternities.

Administratively, the management of campus housing was re-organized by the university in 1963. Functions overseen by the Director of Dormitories were divided up among two new offices: the Department of Housing and the Residence Programs Office. In 1973, these two new departments were consolidated under the management of a single office, the Department of University Housing and Dining Services.

Administrative Information

Accruals: Additions to the collection are expected.

More Extent Information: 36 boxes, including 16 oversize box and 1 map folder; 4 microfilm reels

Statement on Access: Collection is open for research. Access to some materials in Series X prior to the year 2044 requires approval by the University Archivist.

Acquisition Note: Transferred from University Housing and Dining Services in several accessions from 1968 through 2005.

Related Materials:

Documentation pertaining to campus housing is also represented elsewhere in the holdings of the Special Collections and Archives Research Center. Institutional records reflecting policy development, financing, and administration of residence halls can be found in the following collections: the President's Office Records (RG 013), Finance and Administration Records (RG 131), Business Affairs Records (RG 017), Dean of Men Records (RG 134), Dean of Women's Office Records (RG 057), Student Affairs Records (RG 102), and the Associated Students of Oregon State University (ASOSU) Records (RG 011). Student life in residence halls is documented in the Poling Hall Club Records (RG 036) and the Cauthorn Club Records (RG 101). Architectural drawings and other materials relating to the construction and renovation of residence halls and dormitories can be found in the Facilities Services Records (RG 193). The Center's also include materials from housing cooperatives in the Azalea House Records (MSS Azalea), Coed Cottage Records (MSS Coed), and the Co-Resident Women Inc., Records (RG 077).

Images of residence halls, cooperatives, and other types of student housing can be found in several photographic collections, including: Harriet's Photograph Collection (P HC), Buildings Photograph Collection (P 016), Beaver Yearbook Photographs (P 003), University Publications Photographs (P 094), Alumni Relations Photographs (P 017), and the Gwil Evans Photographic Collection (P 082).

Preferred Citation: University Housing and Dining Services Records (RG 145), Oregon State University Special Collections and Archives Research Center, Corvallis, Oregon.

Other URL: A preliminary container list was created for this collection on or before November 19, 2015.

Creators

Oregon State University. University Housing and Dining Services
Oregon State University. Department of Housing
Oregon State University. Residence Programs

People, Places, and Topics

Clubs--Oregon--Corvallis.
College environment--Oregon--Corvallis.
College students--Oregon--Corvallis.
Hawthorne Manor (Oregon State University)
Housing, Cooperative--Oregon--Corvallis.
Men--Oregon--Corvallis--Societies and clubs.
Oregon State College--Student housing.
Oregon State University--Student housing.
Oregon State University. Dean of Men
Oregon State University. Dean of Women
Oregon State University. University Housing and Dining Services
Oregon State University. University Housing Committee
Student activities--Oregon--Corvallis.
Student government--Oregon--Corvallis.
Student housing--Oregon--Corvallis.
Students--Crimes against--Oregon--Corvallis.
Students--Oregon--Corvallis--Social life and customs.
Women--Oregon--Corvallis--Societies and clubs.

Forms of Material

Born digital.


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