Understanding History, Building Trust, and Sharing Appraisal Authority: Engaging Underrepresented Student Groups through Culture Centers

Abstract

Appraisal of student records is an essential part of building a complete narrative of a university’s history. Within this process, it is important to capture the experiences of underrepresented student groups. A rich source of documentation of both student life and campus diversity comes from the records produced by university cultural student clubs, cultural houses, and sororities and fraternities with historically BIPOC membership. The formation, activities, and dissolution of cultural student organizations can help to shape an understanding of a university’s demographic, social, and political history. Working with and building relationships with organization advisors and student members is important for forming good appraisal decisions about the records they produce. This article examines two case studies of appraisal projects involving the Ethnic Student Center at Western Washington University and the Bruce D. Nesbitt African American Cultural Center at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It also includes an analysis of the appraisal of records of cultural student organizations and discusses the importance of working with stakeholders and understanding ownership of records.