The Women's Caucus of the University Of Idaho

Records, 1971-1980
0.5 l.f.

This descriptive inventory of the papers of the Women's Caucus of the University of Idaho in the University of Idaho Library was prepared by Judith Nielsen, June 1982.

SCOPE AND CONTENT

The material in this archival group is contained in one small file box. It consists of newspaper clippings, correspondence, minutes of meetings, reports of university committees, legal documents relating to the 1973 law suit which the Women's Caucus filed against the university, and brochures designed to inform women students of the opportunities available to them at the university.

The following Description of Material contains a more detailed analysis of this material.

PRINCIPLES OF ORGANIZATION

The material in this group was separated by subject and the items in each area were then arranged chronologically. Folders containing the material are arranged alphabetically.

DESCRIPTION OF MATERIAL

Listed below is a general description of the contents of each of the folders in this archival group.

Affirmative Action

This folder contains several newspaper articles from the Idahonian (1973-1975) dealing with affirmative action at the university, a letter from Virginia Wolf to President Hartung and Vice-president Richardson regarding affirmative action at the university, a copy of the Women's Caucus complaint filed with the Idaho Commission on Human Rights (May 18, 1973), minutes from two meetings of the Faculty Council in the fall of 1974 in which affirmative action was discussed, and the university's affirmative action plan as printed in the University Register, October 20, 1975.

Brochures and Publications

This folder contains two issues of a newsletter entitled Awareness published at the University of Idaho, one copy of a Boise newsletter Feminist, and one issue of the Women's Center Newsletter. The remaining items in the folder are brochures published by the university which were designed to inform women of the opportunities available to them at the university.

Legal Suit

On May 18, 1973, the Women's Caucus filed a suit against the University of Idaho, charging the university with sex discrimination in hiring, promotion, and salary. This folder contains several of the legal documents in the case, correspondence with the Idaho Commission on Human Rights, and related newspaper articles.

Meetings

This folder contains notices of meetings and minutes of meetings of the Women's Caucus for the period December 1971 to April 1980. Material is very incomplete for most years, 1971, 1977, 1978, and 1979 contain one item each. The most complete years are 1973 and 1974.

Notices, Letters, Memos

This folder contains the Constitution and by-laws of the Women's Caucus which were adopted in 1980. There are also several miscellaneous letters regarding the organization of the caucus, letters dealing with the lack of women on committees, including the Presidential Search Committee, suggestions for women speakers for the 1972 Borah Symposium, a list of caucus members, newspaper and magazine articles dealing with the women's movement in general, the report of the university's committee on language use policy, a brief history of the Women's Caucus, and a transcription of tapes made during a meeting caucus members had with President Hartung in April 1972.

Salary Equity

Included in this folder are charts of academic salary distribution for the academic years 1972/73 to 1976/77, a report of the university committee on collective bargaining (1975), correspondence with the US Dept. of Labor Wage and Hour Division regarding the university's violation of the Equal Pay Act, questionnaire, newspaper articles, correspondence with George Kibbie of the Idaho Human Rights Commission regarding the compliance review, and the University of Idaho response to recommendations in the report of the State of Idaho Human Rights Commission compliance review (1977).

Women on Campus

This folder contains reports of the Committee on Women's Education and the President's Committee on Women's Programs, studies on the reasons for the high drop-out rate among female students--including the results of questionnaires sent to those who dropped out, and newspaper articles related to the above material.

Women's Status in Contemporary Society

This was the title of a seminar held at the University of Idaho Student Union Building on February 19, 1972. The items in this folder include the printed program and seven newspaper articles.

July 1997 / mg109.htm