Undergraduate Student Government Records

Held at: Princeton University Library: University Archives [Contact Us]

This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Princeton University Library: University Archives. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.

Call Number:

AC185

Repository:

Princeton University Library: University Archives

Extent:

7 boxes
6 items
2 websites
0.1 gb

Language:

English

Preferred Citation:

Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Undergraduate Student Government Records, Box and Folder Number; University Archives, Special Collections, Princeton University Library.

Date:

1962-2022 (inclusive) and 1982-1997 (bulk)

Creator:

Princeton University. Undergraduate Student Government.

Abstract:

The Undergraduate Student Government (USG), established in 1975, was founded on the principles of representation and independence fostered during the student agitation and institutional reforms of the previous decade. The bulk of the collection consists of the records and publications of the Undergraduate Student Government from 1982 to 1997. Campaign and publicity records from the Princeton University Democrats, and student activism files from the office of Princeton University Professor Stanley Kelley are included in the collection as well.

Princeton University. Undergraduate Student Government.

In the 1960s, students made the connection between political activism on the national level and political activism on the campus level. At Princeton, the University administration's perceived inaccessibility (as well as its support for Vietnam War defense projects) in the face of student and faculty outcry, led students to view their administrators and the United States government with similar hostility and suspicion.

In 1969, student and faculty pressure led to the establishment of the Council of the Princeton University Community, an influential and representative campus governing body. A further outgrowth of the unrest and institutional reforms of the late 1960s was the Undergraduate Student Government (USG), which was launched in 1975 and claimed ownership over student-related campus issues. The pre-existent Academics and Social Committees, as well as the Projects Board, assumed more influence within the new structure of student government. The Academics Committee published the student-written Student Course Guide every semester, and its members served on the University's Committee on the Course of Study. The Social Committee organized concerts, lectures, and parties. And the Projects Board distributed thousands of dollars in funds every year to student groups, enabling them to finance projects and events. Though the structure of the Undergraduate Student Government has been adjusted over the years, its organization and authority have remained relatively constant since 1975.

The collection consists of records and publications of the Undergraduate Student Government from 1982 to 1997. Campaign and publicity materials from the Princeton University Democrats, and student activism files from the office of Professor Stanley Kelley are included in the collection as well as the records of Jeffrey Siegel, Class of 1998, who served on the Undergraduate Student Government for four years.

Later additions to the records include a 2012 USG Mid-Year Report, drafts of a 2013 revision to the USG Constitution, and the USG public website from 2015.

Donated in 2000 by Jeffrey S. Siegal, Class of 1998 (Accession # AR2000-135).

Series 4, a 2012 Mid-Year Report, was transferred to the University Archives in 2012 (AR.2012.141).

Series 6, drafts of the 2013 revision to the Constitution, was donated in 2017 by Zhan Okuda-Lim, Class of 2015 (AR.2017.121).

Full text searching of the Undergraduate Student Goverment archived website is available through the ArchiveIt interface.

For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.

Box 6 contains VHS videocassettes.

This collection was processed by Matthew Reeder and Onur Erdem '04 in November 2002. Finding aid written by Matthew Reeder and Onur Erdem in November 2002.

Container list for Series 3 created by Eleanor Wright '14 in January 2012 and finding aid updated by Christie Peterson in February 2012.

Series 6 added by Phoebe Nobles in November 2017.

No materials have been separated from this collection.

Organization

Subject

Publisher

University Archives

Finding Aid Author

Matthew Reeder; Onur Erdem; Christie Peterson

Finding Aid Date

2003

Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research use. This collection is offsite for digitization.

Use Restrictions

Single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission is required. The Trustees of Princeton University hold copyright to all materials generated by Princeton University employees in the course of their work. For instances beyond Fair Use, if copyright is held by Princeton University, researchers do not need to obtain permission, complete any forms, or receive a letter to move forward with use of materials from the Princeton University Archives.

For instances beyond Fair Use where the copyright is not held by the University, while permission from the Library is not required, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for their intended use of the Library's materials, and to obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders, if they have not already done so. Princeton University Library's Special Collections does not charge any permission or use fees for the publication of images of materials from our collections, nor does it require researchers to obtain its permission for said use. The department does request that its collections be properly cited and images credited. More detailed information can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citations Guidelines page on our website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us through the Ask Us! form.

Collection Inventory

Scope and Contents

Series 1: Undergraduate Student Government Records consists of the records and publications of the Undergraduate Student Government from 1982-1997. Campaign and publicity records from the Princeton University Democrats are also included.

Arrangement

The materials in Series 1: Undergraduate Student Government Records, 1982-1999 are arranged alphabetically by subject.

Physical Description

4 boxes

Academics Committee, 1990-1993. 1 folder.

Physical Description

1 folder

Advertisements, 1990-1992. 1 folder.

Physical Description

1 folder

Assembly Meeting Agendas and Minutes, 1989 October-1990 November. 1 folder.

Physical Description

1 folder

Assembly Meeting Minutes, 1991-1992. 1 folder.

Physical Description

1 folder

Assembly Meeting Minutes, 1991-1992. 1 folder.

Physical Description

1 folder

Budgets, 1989-1993. 1 folder.

Physical Description

1 folder

Budgets and Spreadsheets of Expenditures, 1989-1992. 1 folder.

Physical Description

1 folder

Constitutions, 1984-1995. 1 folder.

Physical Description

1 folder

Executive Committee Agendas, 1989 September-1992 September. 1 folder.

Physical Description

1 folder

Executive Officer Elections, 1990-1991. 1 folder.

Physical Description

1 folder

Princeton Borough, Township Consolidation, 1996 November. 1 folder.

Physical Description

1 folder

Princeton College Democrats -- Campaign 1996, 1996. 1 folder.

Physical Description

1 folder

Princeton College Democrats -- E-mail Correspondence, 1996 September-1998 March. 1 folder.

Physical Description

1 folder

Princeton College Democrats -- Newsletters and Summer Internship Booklet, 1988-1990. 1 folder.

Physical Description

1 folder

Princeton College Democrats -- Officers, Constitution, and Committee Information, 1998-1999. 1 folder.

Physical Description

1 folder

Progress Reports and Attendance Records, 1989-1991. 1 folder.

Physical Description

1 folder