Collection context
Summary
- Title:
- Records of the Cal Poly Women's Club
- Dates:
- 1916-2018
- Creators:
- Cal Poly Women's Club
- Abstract:
- Records pertaining to the Cal Poly Women's Club. Records include meeting minutes of the club and sections and committees, correspondence, financial records, photographs and scrapbooks, publications, budgets, and club directories.
- Extent:
- 17.5 Linear Feet 35 Hollinger boxes
- Language:
- English .
- Preferred citation:
-
[Box/folder# or item name], Records of the Cal Poly Women's Club UA0016, Special Collections and Archives, California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo.
Background
- Scope and content:
-
The collection contains club meeting minutes and agendas, photographs, administrative records, correspondence, and event reports and ephemera planned and hosted by the Cal Poly Women's Club from the beginning of the club in 1924. This collection also includes records from the club's sections and committees and the scholarships provided by the club.
- Biographical / historical:
-
First known as The Ladies' Faculty Club, the Cal Poly Women's Club was formed in September 1924. Matilda Crandall, wife of Cal Poly President Benjamin Ray Crandall, served as the Club's first president. The original 20 members, all faculty wives, met in members' homes until 1928 when the ladies held their first meeting on campus in the newly completed Crandall Gymnasium. In 1929, women faculty joined the club.
The Club drafted its first Bylaws in 1940 and changed its name to California Polytechnic Women's Club (CPWC). The objective of the club was to, "promote the interests of the California Polytechnic School and the welfare of the students, and to initiate social and cultural activities on campus." Membership eligibility included all women connected with faculty and staff. Interest sections were formed in 1937 to provide cultural and social activities for members. The first section, Books, was soon followed by Home Economics (later named Sewing) in 1940 and Music in 1941. Over the years, there have been a wide variety of sections including specialized interests, such as folk dancing (1950), choral, and travel. The numbers and types of sections fluctuate yearly according to member interest.
Various types of loans have been offered to students over the years, beginning with long-term Student Loan Fund during the Great Depression, then short-term loans (1940), and a Veterans Loan Fund (1945). In 1976, the Marie Van Asperen Loan Fund was established. The Cal Poly Women's Club Scholarship continues to be offered, eligible to all students. There are several other ways that CPWC has served the University and its students. In 1956, CPWC established social ties with 157 international students representing 37 countries. Host families dined and entertained students in their homes, provided refreshments in their campus lounge areas, and organized several activities for the students. Many of these events were cultural nights where students would present information about their home countries to other students, faculty, and staff. The club sponsored the Student Wives' Club in the 1950s-1970 and hosted events for summer conferences and visiting wives and instructors.
The CPWC is still active, and its purpose now is to provide social and cultural activities for the members, to promote the welfare of the students, and to be of service to the University.
Sources: "History of Cal Poly Women's Club." California Polytechnic State University. 2016. Accessed July 2, 2019. https://womensclub.calpoly.edu/history.
- Acquisition information:
- The collection was transferred in multiple accessions in 1984, 1994, 2010, and 2022.
- Arrangement:
-
The collection is arranged in six series. Series 1 contains records pertaining to the club administration, including executive board minutes, presidents' binders, club historian records, vice presidential records, and club bylaws. Series 2 contains the club's general meeting and agendas from 1916-2000. Series 3 contains material regarding the club's finances, budgets, and scholarship funds. Series 4 contains general club correspondence from 1953-2010. Series 5 contains various club sections and committees' meeting minutes, section and committee reports, and correspondence. Series 6 contains materials related to event planning, various publications including the club newsletter, and photographs from club-sponsored events. Series 7 contains club directories from 1938-2012. Series 8 contains scrapbooks and larger ephemera.
Indexed terms
About this collection guide
- Date Encoded:
- This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2025-09-18 18:12:46 +0000 .
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
Collection is open to researchers by appointment. For more information on visiting, access policies, and reproduction requests, please visit our Reference Services page online at https://library.calpoly.edu/special-collections-and-archives/research-and-teaching.
- Terms of access:
-
Digital copies are provided to researchers for the purpose of study, research, and personal use only, unless otherwise specified in writing. Materials that are the property of Cal Poly Special Collections and Archives require written permission prior to publication. No complete collection may be reproduced. For print and online publication, please visit our Reproduction Services page online at https://library.calpoly.edu/special-collections-and-archives/research-and-teaching. Special Collections and Archives reserves the right to review all reproduction requests and to withhold permission if scanning would endanger the material, would violate copyright law, or would violate institutional restrictions.
- Preferred citation:
-
[Box/folder# or item name], Records of the Cal Poly Women's Club UA0016, Special Collections and Archives, California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo.
- Location of this collection:
-
Special Collections and ArchivesRobert E. Kennedy Library, Rm 409San Luis Obispo, CA 93407, US
- Contact:
- (805) 756-2305