Guide to the Committee to Review Fraternities Records, 1969-1992
Series 1, Correspondence and Notes, restricted for 75 years from date of creation.
Committee to Review Fraternities: Records, George J. Mitchell Department of Special Collections & Archives, Bowdoin College Library, Brunswick, Maine
The George J. Mitchell Department of Special Collections & Archives, like all archives and special collections libraries, is the creation of human beings who have collected, organized, and described things in ways that reflect personal, cultural, societal, and institutional biases. Although we strive to preserve and present collections in a manner that is respectful to the individuals and communities who create, use, and are represented in the collections, we acknowledge that our systems are neither neutral nor perfect. We encourage you to let us know if you encounter materials, descriptive language, or practices that are offensive or harmful, particularly those for which inadequate context or warning is offered. We are committed to modifying and updating our descriptive practices to use respectful and inclusive terminology and appreciate your help in this work. We look forward to supporting you in your research and learning together.
President A. LeRoy Greason established the Committee to Review Fraternities on October 1, 1987, and charged the Committee with reviewing the policies and practices of fraternities at Bowdoin, determining the value of fraternities to Bowdoin, and recommending what actions, if any, the College should take regarding fraternities. The ten member Committee consisted of Governing Boards members, alumni, faculty, staff, and students. Elizabeth Pierson of Brunswick was hired to make arrangements for hearings, keep minutes, do research, and provide other staff assistance. Chaired by Trustee emeritus, Merton G. Henry (Class of 1950), the Committee submitted its "Report to the President from the Committee to Review Fraternities," also known as the "Henry Report," on April 15, 1988.
The collection includes records of Merton G. Henry, chairman of the Committee to Review Fraternities. In addition to the Committee's minutes and April 15, 1988 report, correspondence, articles, reports, and other background material is included. Additional Committee to Review Fraternities material can be found in: A. LeRoy Greason, Administrative Records: Subject Files: Fraternity Review and Office of the Dean of Student Affairs: Records: Fraternities.
Restricted for 75 years from date of creation.
Correspondence, 1979-1982
Correspondence, 1984 (includes A. LeRoy Greason's April 11, 1984 chapel talk on fraternities at Bowdoin)
Correspondence, 1986
Correspondence, 1987
Correspondence, 1988
Notes, 1988, n.d.
No restrictions.
Articles regarding fraternities, 1987 Sep - 1988 Nov
Committee formation and members, 1987, n.d.
Minutes and agendas, 1979, 1987-1988
Miscellaneous print material, 1969, 1986-1988, n.d.
Reports: [1979], "Student Life Committee Report on Sexual Discrimination in Bowdoin Fraternities" and comments
Reports: [1981 May], Results of student questionnaire, Class of 1981
Reports: 1983 Jun 30, "Report to the President of the Commission on Student Life" and response of the president, 1983 Nov
Reports: 1983-1987, Reports on campus life, residential life, from Amherst, Colby, and Wesleyan
Reports: 1984 Aug, Report on the status of women in fraternities, Liliane Floge and Roberta Tansman Jacobs
Reports: 1984 Sep 10, "Status of Women in Bowdoin Fraternities: A Chronology," Allen L. Springer
Reports: 1986 Jun 2, "Role of College Fraternities in the 1980s: A Comparative Study of Bowdoin and Colby Colleges," Kimberly A. Hokanson
Reports: 1987 Jun, Report on the status of fraternities - 1987, Robert C. Wilhelm
Reports: 1987 Sep, President Greason's Convocation and Chapel Talk - fraternity remarks
Reports: 1988 Jan, Fraternity inspections by Bowdoin College
Reports: 1988 Feb, Handwritten outline of Committee to Review Fraternities report
Reports: 1988 Apr 14, "Report to the President from the Committee to Review Fraternities"
Reports: 1992, "Changing Status of Fraternities at Northeastern, Liberal Arts Colleges: Case Studies of Bowdoin and Colby Colleges," Kimberly A. Hokanson