California State University, Long Beach, Center for Women's Studies records, 1973-2008

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Summary

Abstract:
In the early 1970s a Women’s Studies Program began at California State University Long Beach. The program was considered a controversial presence and complaints led to the firing of two faculty directors. This collection contains files covering the Women’s Studies Program from its beginnings to the 1982 ACLU lawsuit against CSULB for the violation of rights. Materials include memoranda, letters, reports, and newspaper clippings.
Extent:
2.0 linear ft. (4 boxes)
Language:
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], California State University, Long Beach, Center for Women's Studies records (Collection 1817). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles.

Background

Scope and content:

This collection contains files covering the Women’s Studies Program at CSULB from its beginnings to a 1982 lawsuit against the university. Materials include memoranda, letters, reports, and newspaper clippings.

Biographical / historical:

The first Women’s Studies courses were taught at California State University Long Beach (CSULB) in the early 1970s. In 1974 the Center for Women’s Studies was formed by faculty and students with the goal of developing an interdisciplinary minor within American Studies and to develop a women’s resource center on the CSULB campus. Around this same time, the Associated Students opened a student-run Women’s Referral Center in the Student Union. The presence of feminism the CSULB campus was a controversial issue in terms of some of the course content, as well as whether the referral center should be limited to referrals or become a women’s resource center. In 1982 right-wing activists targeted the center and the program director, Dr. Sondra Hale, and Women’s Center director, Denise Wheeler, were fired. In response 13 faculty member and three students filed a lawsuit with the ACLU against CSULB, charging the University with violations of the First and Fourth Amendments.

Acquisition information:
Gift of Wendy Griffin, August 7, 2008.
Processing information:

Processed by Yasmin Damshenas in the Center for Primary Research and Training (CFPRT), with assistance from Lilace Hatayama, December 2011.

Arrangement:

Arranged in the following series:

  • 1. Women's Studies Program history
  • 2. Women's Resource Center
  • 3. Lawsuit against CSULB

Given the close relationship between the Program, the Resource Center and the lawsuit that emerged when both entities were facing dissolution, there is some slight overlap in the collection with certain press clippings or memoranda sometimes appearing more than once, in different series. For the most part these three series reflect the way the files were originally organized, though within each series documents have been ordered chronologically.

Physical location:

Stored off-site at SRLF. Advance notice is required for access to the collection. Please contact UCLA Library Special Collections for paging information.

University of California, Los Angeles. Library Special Collections. Charles E. Young Research Library. Los Angeles, California 90095-1575

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Open for research. STORED OFF-SITE AT SRLF. Advance notice is required for access to the collection. Please contact UCLA Library Special Collections for paging information.

Terms of access:

Property rights to the physical object belong to the UC Regents. Literary rights, including copyright, are retained by the creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright and pursue the copyright owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where The UC Regents do not hold the copyright.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], California State University, Long Beach, Center for Women's Studies records (Collection 1817). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles.

Location of this collection:
A1713 Charles E. Young Research Library
Box 951575
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1575, US
Contact:
(310) 825-4988
AskLSC@library.ucla.edu
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