The papers of the Committee on Student Life are comprised of meeting minutes, correspondence, drafts and revisions of policies, in addition to newspaper clippings, reports, and occasional member lists. Documents are arranged in chronological order, with the date or date range listed for each folder. Folders are numbered within each box. Highlights of folder contents are noted in the box list below.

The beginnings of these records are dated 1934, pre-dating the formal organization on March 1, 1946. These records presently end in 1970. While the collection spans 1934-1970, the 1960s are most heavily documented.

From its inception in 1946 with the union of the Committee on Student Affairs and the Committee on Social Affairs, the Committee on Student Life officially addressed every subject affecting students except those handled by the Board in Control of Athletics, and by the Board of Trustees of Student Publications. The Committee addressed issues generated by the Student Senate, and then drafted recommendations to be reviewed by Faculty Senate. Examples of subjects addressed are student housing and student regulations. Fraternities and sororities are well represented, with documentation of their budgets, membership issues, chapter formation, and sanctions for violations.

The documents reveal social changes that span more than three decades. Of particular note is the long-awaited relaxing of curfew for female students, and the slow acceptance of African American membership in fraternities. Well-documented is the outrage of students and faculty alike in the fall of 1968 over President Bowen’s forced revisions to the Code of Student Life. Among the earliest records are documents illustrating how the Depression affected fraternity membership.

At some point after 1970, the Committee on Student Life was named Office of Campus Programs and Student Activities, and by 1998 was called the Office of Student Life. This collection does not presently include records under the two latter names.