President's Commission on the Status of Women Records (RG 159)
1972-2002
1.6 cubic feet


Scope and Content Note
These records were generated and collected by the President's Commission on the Status of Women (PCOSW) and document the activities of the commission in its research and advisory role.

The records are organized into 8 series: I. Correspondence; II. Committees and Task Forces; III. Minutes and Agendas; IV. Reports and Studies; V. Membership Lists; VI. Brochures and Announcements; VII. Mission Statements; and VIII. Newspaper Clippings.

Series I is primarily made up of correspondence and memoranda, but also includes reports. In addition to documenting the day-to-day administration of the Commission in areas such as membership selection and the organization of events and workshops, this series also reflects PCOSW's interaction with other OSU departments and programs.

Series II consists of records generated by PCOSW committees, subcommittees, and task forces and includes correspondence, memoranda, minutes, questionnaire results, and reports. The issues addressed by these committees include: faculty child care needs, lack of women faculty, the prevalence of sexual harassment on campus, campus lighting and other safety issues, and gender disparities among the graduate student population. Minutes of monthly PCOSW meetings and memoranda on the meeting agendas constitute series III.

The reports and studies in series IV were generated or collected by PCOSW and relate to the general climate for women at OSU and elsewhere in academia. Subjects covered in these reports include: the status of women in the Oregon System of Higher Education, availability of child care, women and philanthropy, the salary gap between men and women in academia, OSU graduate assistantships, OSU staff morale, and the OSU Women's Center. Series V consists of membership lists. Brochures and announcements for PCOSW and events sponsored by the Commission constitute series VI. Also included in this series are posted announcements for OSU jobs.

Series VII contains organizational mission statements from PCOSW and the Women's Institute. Series VIII consists of newspaper clippings from The Barometer, The Oregonian and The Corvallis Gazette-Times. Subjects addressed in the articles include: the Ms. OSU Pageant, Playboy Magazine's recruitment of OSU students for its annual PAC-10 pictorial, fraternity t-shirt controversy, and the neglect of date rape cases.

New Accession, 2008

Historical Note
The President's Commission on the Status of Women (PCOSW) was established in 1972 as an independent commission responsible to the President. Composed of both men and women from the student body, faculty, and university staff, PCOSW advises the President and other administrators on issues of concern to women at the University such as the availability of child care, lighting on campus and other safety issues, institutionalized sexism in the hiring process, and the retention and tenure of women faculty. In its role as advocate for women at OSU, PCOSW often responds publicly to developments and traditions on campus that are seen as sexist and demeaning to women. In the past, such controversies have included the continuation of the Ms. OSU Pageant and the portrayal of a rape on a T-shirt produced by a OSU fraternity for the annual Civil War game.

Related Materials
There are also PCOSW records in the record group for the President's Office. The Archives has other records that address and examine the climate for women students, faculty, and staff at OSU, particularly with regard to the recruitment and tenure of women faculty. These holdings include the Faculty Senate Records (RG 44) and the Student Affairs Records (RG 102).

Container Note
These records are housed in 2 cubic foot boxes.

Inventory

Institutional Records Page Return to Institutional Records Page
Prepared by: Karl McCreary