LibGuides: Student Activism at Duke University: Archival Collections

Contact the Duke University Archives

Duke University Archives

at the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library

Visit our website!

Archival Collections from Student Activists & Student Organizations

The links below will take you to the collection guide for each collection. See the "Introduction" tab of this guide for guidance on accessing these collections.

All of the Above Records, 2005-2020
All of the Above (AOTA) is an annual theatrical production comprised of monologues written, performed by, and directed by Duke women about Duke life. The All of the Above records contain programs, scripts, list of participants, a directors manual titled "Making all of the Above," and two mini DV digital videocassettes of the 2008 production.
Alliance of Queer Undergraduates at Duke (AQUADuke) records, 1973-1995
This collection includes organizational files from AQUADuke and its predecessor organizations, the Duke Gay aand Lesbian Alliance and the Duke Gay, Bisexual, and Lesbian Association. Issues of the Gay Morning Star and Outlines, two newsletters published by these groups, are also included.

Duke's Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity provides this narrative history and timeline of Duke's LGBTQ history.
Several documents from AQUADuke's records (as well as other University Archives collections) are shared in "Queering Duke History," an online exhibit.

Asian Students Association Records, 1986-2022
ASA's records include documentation about several activist or awareness-raising campaigns organized by the group.
Associated Students of Duke University Records, 1965-1991
Duke's student government association from 1967-1993 spearheaded a number of activist efforts, including a ban on the use of segregated facilities by student organizations (1967); protests against the Vietnam War (1970s); the Task Force on Black/White Relations (1981-1982); and the movement to divest Duke from South African companies supporting apartheid (1983-1986). Its predecessor, the Duke Student Government, was created in 1993 (see their records below).
Black Student Alliance Records, 1969-2006
The records of Duke's organization for African-American undergraduates include documentation about related groups; copies of The Grapevine and The Talking Drum, the BSA's newsletters; and annual scrapbooks of group activities. The records have been fully digitized.
Boyte Family Papers, 1941-2018
Harry C. Boyte (T '67) was involved with several progressive organizations, both as a Duke student and after graduation. He worked with the Democratic Socialist Organizing Committee and New American Movement, as well as Durham's ACT, the New University Conference, the Southern Student Organizing Committee, the People's Alliance for a Cooperative Commonwealth, and Students for a Democratic Society. His papers represent issues including the Vietnam War and conscientious objection, socialism, feminism, labor rights, civil rights, LGBTQ rights, and the impeachment of Richard M. Nixon.
Central American Solidarity Committee Records, 1980-1985
The Central American Solidarity Committee (CASC) was a student organization chartered at Duke University around 1980. CASC was organized in opposition to U.S. policies and activities regarding Central America--especially military aid to Nicaragua--during the early 1980s.
College Organization for General Service Records, 1940-1949
During World War II, COGS organized service and fundraising activities for women on campus in support of local and national organizations. Of particular interest are two scrapbooks (in box 2), which present chronological accounts of COGS's participation in the war effort.
Duke Student Government Records, 1960-2019
Duke's current undergraduate student government organization, DSG, was created in the spring of 1993. The Duke Student Government Records, 1960-2019, contain materials of both the DSG, and its organizational predecessor, the Associated Students of Duke University (ASDU, formed in 1967).
ECOS Records, 1969-2001
Founded in 1969, ECOS (Environmentally Conscious Organization of Students) is a Duke University and Durham, NC, environmental activist group. ECOS is now known as the Environmental Alliance.
Sara M. Evans Papers, 1959-2005
After graduating from Duke in 1966, Evans continued her involvement with Durham's progressive activist community. Her papers document her work with anti-Vietnam protests, feminism, civil rights, and labor.
Ron Grunwald Papers, 1973-1980
Ron Grunwald was a member of the Trinity College class of 1980. This collection contains materials reflecting Ron Grunwald's activism at Duke University and in the Durham community, especially his work with the Duke Southern Africa Coalition and the Radical Academic Union.
Lisa Hazirjian Papers, 1986-2001 and undated
Lisa Hazirjian was an undergraduate student at Duke in the late 1980s and a graduate student in the late 1990s to early 2000s. This collection contains materials reflecting Hazirjian's activism around the issues of homelessness, affordable housing, and benefits for same-sex partners of graduate students.
David M. Henderson Papers, 1964-1999 and undated
Henderson (T '68) was involved with several Duke and Durham activist groups, both as a student and, after graduation, as a member of the Durham community. Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) and the Student Liberation Front are among the groups documented, and campus labor issues and anti-Vietnam War efforts are strongly represented.

Please note: Researchers interested in Henderson's correspondence must receive permission before accessing the materials. Contact the University Archives staff for assistance.

Images Project Records, 2005-2007
This project was created by Claire Lauterbach (T ’08). Lauterbach collected flyers advertising various fraternity, sorority, and selective living group parties. These images were later displayed in the Bryan Center and the Duke community was invited to write comments. The collection contains flyers collected by Lauterbach and a summary of the project's results.
Me Too Monologues Records, 2011-ongoing
Me Too Monologues is a testimonial theatre production featuring monologues about race, ethnicity, culture, gender, sexuality, and identity markers. Records include scripts, publicity, and production materials.
North Carolina Public Interest Research Group Records, 1970-1983
Founded in 1971 at Duke and following a national model, NC PIRG aimed to establish a statewide organization directed by dues-paying students and dedicated to social change. These records document the entire organization's operations, including the activities of the chapters at Duke, UNC- Chapel Hill, NC State University, Wake Forest University, and other NC college and university campuses. NC PIRG still exists, although there are no longer university or college chapters.
Order of Red Friars Records, 1913-1971
Box 1 of the Red Friars' records contains documentation of a student bus boycott organized by the group to protest increased rates for the Duke Power-owned bus route between East and West Campus.
Peer Advocacy for Sexual Health (PASH) records, 2016-2018
Founded in 2016, PASH (Peer Advocacy for Sexual Health) is a student-run resource center that supplies sexual health resources, products, and information to students at Duke. The collection consists of administrative records, materials related to marketing and publicity, meeting minutes and agenda, and House Course materials.
Joan Preiss Papers, 1970-2006
Durham community and labor movement organizer Joan Preiss often worked with Duke students on activism related to farmworkers and food, including boycotts of Red Coach lettuce and Mt. Olive pickles.
Student Action With Farmworkers Records, 1950-2022 and undated
Although formally founded in 1992, SAF traces its origins to Duke University classes and summer work projects started in the 1970s. SAF is now a 501(c)3 non-profit organization based in Durham.

Please note: Researchers interested in the Administrative Series and the Student Projects Series must get SAF's permission before accessing the materials. Contact information for SAF is given in the collection guide.
The Printed Materials Series is open for research. It contains student theses; articles about SAF's work; and copies of SAF's newsletter, From the Ground Up, all of which contain useful information on Duke students' involvement with the organization.

Students for Choice Records, 1983-2003
This collection contains flyers and other event materials, organizational notes, educational literature, and clippings from this reproductive rights advocacy and education group.
University Archives Web Archive Collection, 2010-ongoing
Archived versions of many activist student group websites and blogs may be accessed via the University Archives' Web Archives.
WDBS Collection, 1949-1983
WDBS was Duke University’s campus radio station from 1950-1983. Program guides, published in the 1970s, often include articles on progressive causes and countercultural activities. Audio recordings of WDBS programming cover the 1968 Vigil and 1969 Allen Building Takeover; racial unrest in Durham; and anti-war activism.

Access copies of some WDBS recordings may need to be prepared before they can be listened to. Please contact the Duke University Archives for assistance.

Who Needs Feminism? Records, 2012-ongoing
This collection contains course materials and student reflection papers from the Spring 2012 class, "Women in the Public Sphere." The class project, a social media campaign called "Who Needs Feminism?" sparked global interest, and the social media campaign (via Tumblr) and ensuing press coverage are also documented in the collection.
Young Men's-Young Women's Christian Association at Duke University Records, 1968-1979
The Young Men's-Young Women's Christian Association was created in 1969, an apparent merger of the men and women's Y elements. The YM-YWCA was a student religious organization operating within the Religious Activities Department and overseen by an advisory board and advised by the Associate Directors of Religious Activities. Also present in the collection is material pertaining to the Institute for Nonviolent Study and Action (INSA) which was a leftist, activist agency of the Duke YM-YWCA.

Administrators, Faculty, and Campus Offices

The links below will take you to the collection guide for each collection. See the "Introduction" tab of this LibGuide for guidance on accessing these collections.

Please note that administrative office records are restricted for a period of twenty-five years from the origin of the material. To use these materials, permission must be obtained from the office of origin and the University Archivist. Contact the University Archives staff for assistance.

H. Keith H. Brodie, President, Records, 1963-1994
Student activism during President Brodie's tenure includes support for the Black Faculty Initiative; criticism of a 1991 ad placed in the Chronicle which denied that the Holocaust took place; and raising AIDS awareness.
William Preston Few Records and Papers, 1814-1971 and undated
Few served as President of Trinity College from 1010-1924 and President of Duke University from 1924-1940. Student protests or activism during his tenure include the King Paucus Affair (box 110) and the Student Revolt of 1934 (Box 112).
Frederick Herzog Papers, 1947-2011 and undated
A former Divinity School faculty member, Herzog's papers document civil rights actions at Duke and in North Carolina.
Douglas M. Knight Records, 1949-1970
Douglas M. Knight served as president of Duke University from 1963 to 1969. A number of major campus protests occurred during his presidency, including the 1967 Allen Building Study-In, the 1968 Silent Vigil, and the 1969 Allen Building Takeover.
Mary Lou Williams Center for Black Culture Records, 1979-2017
The Center's records document its founding and the work of Ed Hill, its first director, as well as multicultural events sponsored by the Center in the 1980s and 1990s.
News Service Subject Files, 1930-ongoing
These research files maintained by Duke's News Service gathered national and NC/local newspaper clippings, reports, and other reference material on various campus topics. Boxes 55 through 59--with folders on "student activities" and "student political activities"--should be particularly useful, but key topics (e.g., integration) and projects (e.g., the Edgemont Community Center) may have their own folders elsewhere in the collection.
Terry Sanford Records and Papers, 1945-1998
Terry Sanford served as president of Duke University from 1970 to 1985. Students actively protested for and against the Vietnam War during the early years of his tenure; this documentation may be found in Box 122.
Office of Student Activities and Facilities, 1936-ongoing
Now University Center Activities & Events (UCAE), the Office of Student Activities and Facilities (OSAF) acted as a liaison between university administration and student groups. Folders on student organizations receiving student government funding are typically present: these contain charter applications; lists of group leaders (and occasionally, all members); summary financial documentation and annual reports about group activities; and newspaper clippings.
William Clair Turner Papers, circa 1960s-2013
Currently a member of the Divinity School faculty, Professor Turner came to Duke as an undergraduate in 1967, five years after the integration of the undergraduate class. His papers include reflections on and information about his time as a Duke student, as well as his continued involvement as a faculty member in African-American student life and concerns. Box 8 includes documentation about the Black Studies Program and the President's Council on Black Affairs (PACOBA); both of these initiatives included student input.
Vice President for Student Affairs records, 1923-ongoing
The Vice President for Student Affairs Records include correspondence, reports, memorandums, and other materials related to the operations of the Division of Student Affairs and cover such topics as student organizations, student housing, student government, student activities, administrative planning around student facilities and resources, and many other subjects.
Women's Center Records, 1970-2014
The records of the Women's Center contain extensive documentation on student-led activism related to gender issues.
John G. Younger Papers, 1976-2001
Younger was a professor of Classical Studies and Classical Archaeology at Duke from 1974 to 2002. His papers contain documentation about campus activism on LGBTIQ issues.