Guide to the Karen Leonard files on equity issues for women in higher education MS.F.048
Finding aid prepared by Sarah Glover, 2019-2021.
Special Collections and Archives, University of California, Irvine Libraries
(cc) 2021
The UCI Libraries
P.O. Box 19557
University of California, Irvine
Irvine 92623-9557
spcoll@uci.edu
Contributing Institution:
Special Collections and Archives, University of California, Irvine Libraries
Title: Karen Leonard files on equity issues for women in higher education
Creator:
Leonard, Karen Isaksen, 1939-
Identifier/Call Number: MS.F.048
Physical Description:
4 Linear Feet
(4 records cartons)
Date (inclusive): 1968-2018
Abstract: This collection contains files accumulated by Karen Leonard, Professor Emeritus in the Department of Anthropology at the University
of California, Irvine, documenting equity issues for women in higher education in California and their cases, actions, and
organizations. The material was compiled during Leonard's involvement in several equity rights organizations including her
work as co-founder of the organization Women at Irvine in the 1970s; co-chair and president of the UCI Chapter of California
Women in Higher Education in the 1970s and 1980s; member or chair of UCI Academic Senate committees on Affirmative Action
(including chairing the systemwide committee) and Privilege and Tenure in the 1970s and 1990s; Affirmative Action Coordinator
of University Council - American Federation of Teachers (UC-AFT) in the 1970s; and founder of the UCI Faculty Women's Association
in the 1980s.
Language of Material:
English
.
Access
The collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
Property rights reside with the University of California. Copyrights are retained by the creators of the records and their
heirs. For permission to reproduce or to publish, please contact the University Archivist.
Preferred Citation
Karen Leonard files on equity issues for women in higher education. MS-F048. Special Collections and Archives, The UC Irvine
Libraries, Irvine, California. [Date accessed].
For the benefit of current and future researchers, please cite any additional information about sources consulted in this
collection, including permanent URLs, item or folder descriptions, and box/folder locations.
Acquisition Information
Gift of Karen Leonard, 2018-2019. In 2021, 4 folders were transferred from the Department of Anthropology and added to the
collection.
Processing Information
This collection was processed by Sarah Glover, 2019-2021.
Historical Background
Karen Leonard, Professor Emeritus in the Department of Anthropology at the University of California, Irvine, was hired at
UCI in the fall of 1972 as an Assistant Professor in Comparative Culture. Leonard formed the group, Women at Irvine, in 1973
after realizing how few women were on the UCI faculty. The group started meeting informally then developed into a broad and
public organization. Women at Irvine had a diverse membership, including faculty, graduate students, staff, and women from
the Irvine community. Members were dissatisfied with UCI's Affirmative Action plan and took action by collecting annual statistics,
setting hiring goals, and interviewing department chairs about their lack of progress in hiring women and people from underrepresented
backgrounds.
The success of Women at Irvine led some of the women, including Leonard, to organize with women in other institutions of higher
education in California and lobby in Sacramento for Affirmative Action on campuses across the state. Women at UCI collaborated
with Fannie Rinn, a political scientist at San Jose State University, to organize a conference in December 1973 where the
California Women in Higher Education (CWHE) was initiated. They had a constitution, steering committee, co-chairs (Leonard
and Rinn), and they began to send letters and representatives to the appropriate legislative bodies and persons. CWHE also
helped women with grievance cases on various campuses.
Throughout her career at UCI, Leonard was a member and became chair of a number of Academic Senate committees. She was elected
to the Committee on Privilege and Tenure (CPT) 1975-1976; elected to chair but later resigned, 1976-1977. She became a member
of the committee again in 1990-1992 and was again elected chair, 1991-1992. Leonard was a member of the UCI Affirmative Action
Committee, 1993-1996 and chair of the committee, 1993-1995; and chair of the Statewide UC Affirmative Action Committee, 1996-1997.
Through the University Council-American Federation of Teachers (UC-AFT), the union for non-Senate faculty and librarians,
Leonard and other women at UCI were able to coordinate their efforts through Affirmative Action policies. Leonard was the
Affirmative Action Coordinator from 1973-1975 and coordinated union activities at all the UC campuses. During this time, UC-AFT
drafted a master plan on Affirmative Action for the UC system, compiled statistics on faculty terminations and negative personnel
actions, and criticized the UC system appeals procedures and their application to women and underrepresented faculty members.
They also set up a Grievance Committee and in 1977 adopted a procedure developed by California Women in Higher Education for
pursuing grievances.
Leonard was one of six women who formed a collective and began designing a Women's Studies program for UCI in summer 1975.
Other founding members were faculty members Norma Chinchilla and Leslie Rabine, along with graduate students Rosalinda Gonzalez
and Linda Apodaca, and Judy Hoy, wife of John Hoy, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs. They put together a plan for Women's
Studies at UCI with Janet Williams and Francesca Cancian who served as consecutive Chairs in its early years.
California Women in Higher Education continued throughout the late 1970s and early 1980s lobbying in Sacramento and pursuing
grievance cases across the state systems of higher education. At UCI, they continued to work with UC-AFT to fight grievance
cases. A particularly high-profile case of discrimination against ophthalmologist Dr. Marjorie Mosier at the UCI School of
Medicine spurred the founding of a new organization focused on faculty women. In June 1987 a group of women convened to meet
with the Chancellor on Dr. Mosier's behalf, and in October of 1988, 18 women met and founded the UCI Faculty Women's Association;
by the end of November they had 37 members. Pauline Yahr took over the mailing list and the membership continues to be active.
Collection Scope and Content Summary
This collection contains files documenting equity and sex discrimination issues for women in higher education in California
and their cases, actions, and organizations. The records were accumulated by Karen Leonard, Professor Emeritus in the Department
of Anthropology at the University of California, Irvine, and compiled from the work she undertook as a co-founder of the organization
Women at Irvine in the 1970s; as co-chair and president of the UCI Chapter of California Women in Higher Education in the
1970s and 1980s; as a member or chair of the Academic Senate committees on Privilege and Tenure and Affirmative Action in
the 1970s and 1990s; as Affirmative Action Coordinator of University Council - American Federation of Teachers (UC-AFT) in
the 1970s; and founder of the UCI Faculty Women's Association in the 1980s. Materials include correspondence, minutes, reports,
statistics, policies and procedures, newspaper clippings, research, and other administrative files, as well as case files
and grievances from women at UCI and in California such as Dagmar Barnouw, Marjorie Mosier, Alice Laborde, and Therese Lynn.
Collection Arrangement
The collection is organized in the following 5 series:
- Academic Senate committees, 1971-2012. 1 linear foot
- California Women in Higher Education (CWHE), 1969-2018. 0.5 linear feet
- Cases, 1968-2017. 1 linear foot
- University Council - American Federation of Teachers (UC-AFT), 1972-1995. 0.25 linear feet
- University of California, Irvine, 1970-2018. 1.25 linear feet
Appraisal Note
During processing the collection decreased from 5.5 linear feet to 4 linear feet, due to rehousing and the removal of duplicate
material.
Related Collections
Related materials can be found in the following collection:
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Women -- Employment -- California -- Orange County -- 20th century
Women -- Economic conditions -- California -- Orange County -- 20th century
Academic Senate committees Series 1.
1971-2012
Series Scope and Content Summary
This series consists of material Karen Leonard collected while a member or chair of UCI Academic Senate committees on Affirmative
Action (including chairing the systemwide committee) and Privilege and Tenure. Both committees involved grievance cases by
women. The material from the Committee on Privilege and Tenure includes information about grievance cases, reports and opinions,
correspondence, her appointment to the committee and resignation letter, notes, resolutions and planning documents, and minutes
of meetings. The material from the Committee on Affirmative Action includes reports, statistics, minutes of meetings, policies,
speeches, and other administrative files.
Series Arrangement
The series is arranged in its original order.
box 1, folder 1-5
Committee on Privilege and Tenure
1972-1994
box 1, folder 15-24, box 2, folder 53-54, box 3, folder 1, 11
Committees on Affirmative Action various documents
1982-2008
Scope and Content Note
Folders contain loose papers related to Committees on Affirmative Action that were grouped together.
box 3, folder 12
Committee on Affirmative Action annual reports
1993-1995
box 3, folder 13
Committee on Affirmative Action policies, minutes, and reports
1995-1996
box 3, folder 14
Committee on Affirmative Action, University of California, Berkeley meeting
1995
box 3, folder 15
Committee on Affirmative Action changes
1988-1989, undated
box 3, folder 16
Committee on Affirmative Action correspondence and workplans
1994-1995
box 3, folder 17
Committee on Affirmative Action, University of California, Irvine
1994-1996
box 3, folder 18
Student Affirmative Action
1995
box 3, folder 19
Affirmative Action review
1995
box 3, folder 20
University of California admin - central
1971-1973
box 3, folder 24-25
Committee on Affirmative Action response to the Academic Task Force report
1990-1994
box 3, folder 26-28
Committee on Affirmative Action statistics, minutes, and reports
1989-1994
box 3, folder 29
Affirmative Action Status Report for the University of California, Irvine campus and medical center
1979 April 1
box 3, folder 30
"Faculty Women's Struggle for Equality at the University of California, Davis" by Martha West
2000
box 3, folder 31
Committee on Affirmative Action minutes, University of California, Irvine
1993-1995
box 4, folder 1
Registrar - GPAs by sex
1974
box 4, folder 2
Committee on Affirmative Action speeches and compilations
1974-1995
Scope and Content Note
The original folder title was retained but the folder contains minutes, resolutions, and correspondence of the Committee on
Affirmative Action.
box 4, folder 3
US Department of Labor, The Earnings Gap Between Women and Men booklet
1979
box 4, folder 5
University of California newspaper clippings
1973-1974
box 4, folder 6
Committee on Affirmative Action culture and diversity
1994-1995
box 4, folder 8
Joan Wilson report on Affirmative Action
1974-1975
box 4, folder 9
Target of Opportunity Program (TOP)
1991-1995
box 4, folder 31-34
Committees on Affirmative Action various documents
1989-2000
Scope and Content Note
Folders contain loose papers related to Committees on Affirmative Action that were grouped together.
box 4, folder 50
Don Bunker: Affirmative Action report and various Academic Senate materials
1972-2012
1972-1976
California Women in Higher Education (CWHE) Series 2.
1969-2018
Series Scope and Content Summary
This series consists of material collected while Karen Leonard was a member and co-chair of California Women in Higher Education
(CWHE), a statewide organization founded in 1972 to advocate, protect, and promote the status of women faculty, administrators,
staff, and students in higher education. The series consists of the material related to the UCI founding conference in December
1973; administrative files and planning documents once the organization was initiated; grievance cases from women on the various
campuses including Stanford, University of California, San Diego, and UCI; reports and resolutions; and information about
members.
Series Arrangement
The series is arranged in its original order.
box 1, folder 6, 14
University of California, Irvine chapter
1975-1979
box 1, folder 10-11
Correspondence, minutes, and reports
1974-1981
box 1, folder 12
Grievances, women elsewhere
1974
box 1, folder 13
Barbara Honegger, Stanford case
1976
box 3, folder 21
Lucy Sells, University of California, Berkeley
1969-1973
box 4, folder 14
Lucy Sells - report and obituary
1973-2018
box 4, folder 17
Cases - women at University of California, Irvine
1981-1982
box 4, folder 35
Renée Hubert obituary
2005
box 4, folder 36-42, 46
Administrative files
1973-1979
box 4, folder 43
Contact list and application
undated
box 4, folder 44
Letter to lapsed members
undated
box 4, folder 45
Letters for new members
undated
box 4, folder 48
Mary Key obituary and Fatima Alikhan business card
2003
Cases Series 3.
1968-2017
Series Scope and Content Summary
This series consists of grievance cases of women in higher education collected by Karen Leonard, either through the Academic
Senate committees, California Women in Higher Education, or Women at Irvine. The majority of the folders relate to women at
the University of California, Irvine including Therese Lynn and Alice Laborde. Other folders relate to women at other University
of California campuses, such as Dagmar Barnouw at the University of California, San Diego.
Series Arrangement
The series is arranged in its original order.
box 2, folder 1
Richard Regosin and Eloise Kloke
1973-1974
box 2, folder 2
Newspaper clipping about women faculty members and notes
1976
box 2, folder 6
Complaint - Department of Labor
1978-1983
box 2, folder 7
University of California, San Diego - Paul Saltman
1972
box 2, folder 10
Eloise Hay at University of California, Santa Barbara - California Women in Higher Education case
1980
box 2, folder 11
Dagmar and University of California, San Diego, Affirmative Action, etc.
1971-1973
box 2, folder 13
Jackie Desbarats
1979-1984
box 2, folder 14
Marjorie Mosier
1988-1997
box 2, folder 17
Therese Lynn case
1979-2017
box 2, folder 22
Fair Employment Practice Commission (FEPC) - individual complaint - Karen Leonard
1970-1972
box 2, folder 24
New University on Comparative Culture Asian Languages, May Loh and Kay Wilson
1975
box 2, folder 26
Obituaries of Mei Bickner and Jean Carlin, information about Norma Chinchilla
2017
box 2, folder 27
Women and Tenure, UCI
1979
box 2, folder 29
Norma Chinchilla's case
1979-1983
box 2, folder 30
Dagmar Barnouw on her case by Emily Abel
1980
box 2, folder 31
Therese Lynn and Alice Laborde
1978
box 2, folder 32
Faculty women's cases
1975
box 2, folder 47
Norma Chinchilla case
1975-1990
box 3, folder 22, 32
University of California, San Diego, women
1972-1973
box 3, folder 23
San Diego National Organization of Women (NOW) task force
1972
box 4, folder 4
Local colleges - University of California, San Diego (third) legislative information, women
1970-1972
box 4, folder 7
Retirement system - women and University of California
2017
box 4, folder 10
Fair Employment Practice Commission (FEPC) Community College San Diego County
1972
box 4, folder 11
Fair Employment Practice Commission (FEPC) official request for 1421
1972
box 4, folder 12
Community College data - San Diego. re: Fair Employment Practice Commission (FEPC) complaint
1971-2017
box 4, folder 13
Fair Employment Practice Commission (FEPC)
1972-1973
box 4, folder 16
University of California, Berkeley women
1976
box 4, folder 51
Fair Employment Practice Commission (FEPC): How To
1973-1975
box 4, folder 52
Orange County sex discrimination in Community Colleges
1973-1974
University Council-American Federation of Teachers (UC-AFT)
Series 4.
1972-1995
Series Scope and Content Summary
This series consists of material Karen Leonard collected as Affirmative Action Coordinator of University Council-American
Federation of Teachers (UC-AFT), the union organized on UC Irvine's campus as an affiliate of the American Federation of Labor
and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO). Material includes testimonies and statements given by Leonard as Affirmative
Action Coordinator, including a testimony about equity issues for women on UC campuses at March Fong's Legislative Committee
on Public Employees hearing at University of California, Berkeley in November 1973; a statement to the California Fair Employment
Practices Commission about the proposed guidelines for discrimination based on sex in April 1974; and a critique of the UC
Salary Inequity Review to key members of the California Legislature in June 1974. Other materials in the series consist of
minutes of meetings, correspondence, newsletters, reports, booklets and guidelines, newspaper clippings, and other administrative
files.
Series Arrangement
The series is arranged in its original order.
box 2, folder 23
Fair Employment Practice Commission (FEPC) guidelines University Council - American Federation of Teachers (UC-AFT) comment
1974
box 2, folder 33
Salary inequities
1974-1995
box 2, folder 34
Administrative files
1972-1977
box 2, folder 36
Affirmative Action, official preparations
1973-1974
box 2, folder 37
By and about others/non-AA, state and local issues
1973-1974
box 2, folder 38
Testimony at University of California, Berkeley
1973
Scope and Content Note
Folder consists of a testimony by Karen Leonard about the situation for women on UC campuses at March Fong's Legislative Committee
on Public Employees hearing, as well as correspondence and newspaper clippings.
box 2, folder 39-40
Affirmative Action
1974-1976
University of California, Irvine Series 5.
1970-2018
Series Scope and Content Summary
This series consists of material collected by Karen Leonard on women at the University of California, Irvine through organizations
such as Women at Irvine and the Faculty Women's Association, as well as through committee work and California Women in Higher
Education. Materials include documentation about the activities of Women at Irvine such as interviewing department chairs
about their lack of women and people from underrepresented backgrounds in faculty positions, collecting annual statistics,
setting hiring goals, and publishing a booklet advocating for Affirmative Action and assessing UCI's compliance status. The
series also includes documentation on the effort to establish a Women's Studies program at UCI in 1975, the founding of the
UCI Faculty Women's Association in October 1988, as well as general correspondence, charts, and administrative files relating
to women at UCI.
Series Arrangement
The series is arranged in its original order.
box 1, folder 25
News clippings UCI women
1973-1979
box 1, folder 26
UCI women: Senate lists
1982-1994
box 1, folder 28
Resignations and separations
1980-1989
box 1, folder 29
Women at UCI, Karen Leonard
1973-1979
box 1, folder 30
Chancellor's Advisory Committee on the Status of Women (ACSW) minutes etc.
1971-1973
box 1, folder 33
Early women at UCI
1987-2009
box 1, folder 34
Initial women's moves
1972
box 1, folder 35
Proposed outline, book - Women in Higher Education
circa 1973
box 1, folder 36
Unspecified full-time equivalent (FTE)
1974
box 1, folder 37
Vice Chancellor Academic Affairs
1974
box 1, folder 39
General information
1980-1989
box 1, folder 41
Booklet and draft of one for faculty women
1975
box 1, folder 42
Proposal - Jane Freeburg
1974-1975
box 1, folder 43-48
Women's Studies
1975-1982
box 2, folder 41-46, 51-52
box 2, folder 49-50
Faculty Women's Association (FWA)
circa 1980-1989
box 3, folder 3-6, 8-10
Annual statistics
1987-2009
box 4, folder 15
Report of the Women's Studies Planning Committee
1975 October
box 4, folder 18
United Nations World Conference of the International Women's Year booklet and clippings
1975
Scope and Content Note
The University of California, Irvine, sent Karen Leonard to the conference.
box 4, folder 19
Report on the West Cost Women's Studies Conference
1974
box 4, folder 20
Chapter I of Woman's Place by Cynthia F. Epstein
1971
box 4, folder 21
Readings, Comparative Culture II
1973, undated
box 4, folder 22
Women's Studies, on structure elsewhere
1972-1975
box 4, folder 23
Women's Studies original surveys HS girls and dean's attitudes
undated
box 4, folder 24
Various Women's Studies
undated
box 4, folder 25
Women's Studies proposals and memos
undated
box 4, folder 26
Women's Studies file, summer
1975
box 4, folder 27
Personal notes on Women's Studies, time record
1974-1976
box 4, folder 28
Women's Studies history at University of California, Irvine to 1975
1971-1979
box 4, folder 29
Various articles
circa 1970s
box 4, folder 30
Women at Irvine own compilations and correspondence
1972-1978
