Residential Life

This week the biggest topic of conversation among DSU employees is the return of the students.  Mostly we are excited to start another year and get the projects we spent the summer planning underway.  Some of us (custodial staff, *cough, cough), have been complaining about the arrival of students because it has been a mad dash to clean and prepare the residential halls.  Whatever the case, we’ve all worked hard to prepare and now we’re looking forward to welcoming them.

Classes will not start until August 29 so there is yet time for the students to enjoy the last vestiges of summer.  Many will convene on campus beginning next week to settle into their residential halls and shop for all the essential school supplies and room décor.  

For many of the students, the best part of college is living in the halls.  Speaking from personal experience, all of my best memories of college happened in my dorm.  Somehow even the unpleasant experiences make for good laughs now – like that time a guy waited for an unsuspecting person, me, to start a load of laundry and walk away before jamming his clothes in with mine.  And then there’s the pranks we pulled. I used to lob snowballs at my friends through their open windows (because we all know that radiators inevitably blast heat. It's a given in college dorms). But don't get any ideas. There are rules against throwing snowballs on the DSU campus. 

Residents of Tubman Hall, 1971

Dear Students, I wish you the best of luck this year and hope that you will make plenty of memories! Revel in your college years because they pass too quickly!  Enjoy the social atmosphere of  the residential halls, but also work hard, eat right, and don't forget to visit the library! Welcome to the 2016-2017 school year. 

Conwell Hall c. 1970-1980

A resident of Medgar Evers Hall

Construction Update and Lessons Learned

Written by Joy Scherry

We at the William C. Jason Library are coming to the end of a long journey.  As you may remember from a post last May, the library has been under construction in order to renovate the second floor and build a new archives suite on the first floor.  For the last several months we have endured the sounds of construction, clouds of dust, and the hustle of contractors pounding up and down the stairs. I am pleased to say, however, that the spaces are beginning to shape up, and the archives is awaiting only the final touches.

On a personal level, this project has led to a significant learning curve.  If I should ever have the opportunity to influence the construction of an archival facility again in my career, I now know how I would approach the process differently.

Lesson One: Schedule meetings with project overseers before and during construction to communicate archival requirements and stay on top of decisions. I sometimes found myself backed into a corner by contractors and planning managers and having to make choices on the spot. When all was said and done, poor planning led to unsatisfactory outcomes.

Lesson Two: Formal reports do not get read, and don't assume that emails are any different. It's as simple as that.

Lesson Three: Don't count on being asked for your opinion.  If there is a matter of critical importance, raise the issue with stakeholders yourself.  For example, there is far too much light in the storage room. This is due to the fact that the entire back wall of the room is made of windows in combination with halogen ceiling lights. I had communicated my concern for the brightness from the beginning, I but never made a tangible suggestion for improvement. At least not until it was too late.

Don't get the wrong idea. Errors were made, but catastrophes were avoided.  I hope that my archivist colleagues can learn from my experience.

At the end of the day, the archives has a new and definitely improved home that I am confident will allow it to enhance the services offered and play a more public role. I am looking forward to this new chapter!

Stay tuned to learn more about the new exhibit space coming soon too!

Archives Adventure: Eeek! Spiders!

Written by Joy Scherry

We crossed the threshold between the student recreation areas and the dank, dark corridors of the building’s underbelly.  Our noses were instantly assaulted by the pungent, stale air as our eyes grew accustomed to the dim, yellow-tinged light of the passageway.  As my colleagues surveyed the corners of the cavernous room into which we had entered, I moved forward into a passageway of shadowy doors.  Pausing outside the first door, I gathered breath, threw open the door, and fumbled for the light.

As the light overhead blinked to life, at first, I saw what I thought was a small room or large closet full of documents housed in cardboard bankers boxes.  But oh the horror! As I stepped further into the room, I realized that it was actually a very long, narrow room stuffed with records.   Metal shelving extended from the floor to the ceiling and separated the room into two aisles.  Some the boxes had long since disintegrated, their contents spilling out and across the concrete floor. Here and there vintage Wendy's cups and Pepsi cans with expiration dates from the 1990's littered the room. Evidence of student trespass or employee hideouts? It was as if someone had closed the door in 1995 and completely forgotten the room's existence. 

For several weeks I had been touring the DSU campus as a member of the #GOTPAPER committee hosted by the Office of Enterprise Risk Management.  We were on a mission to “de-clutter” campus closets and basements by ridding them of superfluous paperwork now past the date to which the university was legally required to retain it.  My contribution to the project was to offer consultation regarding the informational value of records and their appropriateness for the university archives.

I am pleased to say the mission was successful!  This week trucks with giant shredders arrived on campus to destroy and haul away the unnecessary records.  Additionally, the archives has accessioned approximately 34 boxes of materials as a result of the de-cluttering.  So far the known treasures include a 1987 yearbook, photographs of university athletics, records of buildings that no longer exist, and best of all, course catalogs dated between 1896 and 1940!  As I process the boxes more fully, I hope to unearth other fantastic finds!

Read more:
https://www.desu.edu/news/2016/08/dsus-got-paper-effort-makes-campus-safer-secure

Welcome New Students!

Written by Joy Scherry

We, the faculty and staff of DSU, are excited to welcome you, the incoming students, to Delaware State University!  Most of you have completed the New Student Orientation and we hope that your visit to campus has inspired you to be even more excited about joining our community. If you missed the June NSO it’s not too late! Register today for the last session on August 22.

College Orientation is a time-honored tradition for nearly every American college and university, and DSU is no exception. To prove it, I selected a 1957 Freshman Orientation Program booklet from the university archives.  I had recently heard a story from an alumnus who recalled that his parents put him and all his belongings on a public bus bound for Dover.  Apparently at that time in the 1980’s parents played an inactive role in orientation whereas today, many parents choose to accompany their teenager.  I was therefore curious to see how orientation had developed over time.  

Looking through the 1957 orientation program, I realized that orientation was a week-long affair in which students were required to undergo many more examinations than is currently expected.  Such exams included a physical fitness index exam, medical and psychological exams in the on-campus health center, and academic placement exams in English, math, science, and the “Otis Test of Mental Ability.” However, there were also a great deal more social events such as a talent show, a Coke Sip Date Hour (Does anyone know what this is?), pool parties, mixers, movies, teas, and church services.  

In my opinion, the 1957 program makes the 2016 itinerary look like all work and no play.  What do you think? How does the 1957 Freshman Orientation Program differ from your own experience at the 2016 New Student Orientation? 

Dan's Fellowship in Review

Written by Dan DelViscio

I’ve spent a wonderful nine months here at Delaware State University, but my fellowship is unfortunately winding down now. So I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone here at the William C. Jason Library for being such great working colleagues. It was truly a pleasure to meet and work in the same environment as all of you.

I’m happy to say I will be walking away from this job with a better understanding of archives and archival work. I’ve learned that it takes much more than just knowledge of processing collections and organizing them into nice neat document boxes. It’s having the ability to juggle multiple projects. It’s corresponding with colleagues and doing the proper research to ensure all the right information is available to researchers using the collections. And it’s working in an intelligent manner that ensures accountability and integrity.

I didn’t know much about Delaware State University before I came here from Philadelphia, but having immersed myself in the collections and reading about the history of the university I can definitely say I’m better for the experience. My main responsibilities were to process two major collections transferred to the archives by the Office of Public Relations and the Office of Alumni Relations. Both collections are photographic in content and contain depictions of some of DSU’s earliest students, faculty, and presidents. The collections will definitely be integral resources in the DSU archive’s holdings and I’m truly proud to have worked on them.   

I will definitely be using the things I’ve learned here in my next job, but I hope to come back some time and see how everyone is doing, and hopefully to see the new archives space complete with an archival exhibit. I wish Rejoice the best going forward, and hope the archives at DSU continues to grow in its new location on the first floor of the library. Thanks everyone!

Board of Trustees Minutes 1891-1927

Written by Joy Scherry

I am very pleased to announce the recent acquisition of the minutes of the Board of Trustees from 1891-1927 and 1956-1969!  

The university archives has proudly maintained a near-comprehensive run of Board of Trustee minutes from 1968 to current day.  In discussions with university administrators, it had always been assumed that Board of Trustee minutes prior to 1968 were forever lost or perhaps in some cases never recorded. This was a perceived reality that we readily accepted. That is, until last month…

In May I had the honor of meeting President Emeritus William B. DeLauder to discuss the recent improvements of the archive and my plans for its’ future.  Dr. DeLauder surprised me by gifting a number of historic DSU materials he had worked to preserve in his retirement.  They included bound volumes of early Board of Trustee minutes.

In partnership with the “unofficial historians” of the DSU community, I look forward to discerning new information and piecing together a better understanding of the first decades in DSU’s 125 years of service.   The minutes and other items may be viewed at the archives in the William C. Jason Library Monday through Friday from 8:00 -4:00.

"The Trustees of the State College for Colored Students met for organization at the Hotel Richardson at 1:30 o'clock P.M. today, present Charles B. Lore, Daniel M. Ridgely, George W. Marshall, Henry P. Cannon and Henry C. Conrad...

"...The Secretary was directed to advertise for proposals for a suitable site for the [?] college, in the newspapers of the state."

2016 Alumni Luncheon

Written by Joy Scherry

On May 19, 2016 I had a rare and wonderful opportunity to examine DSU history with the people who lived it. As the archivist I have the unique ability to examine primary source documents every day. While I count this as a very great privilege, the records do not provide clear pictures of human emotions or motivations. This level of understanding can only be gained by speaking with the people present at the time.

The 2016 Alumni Luncheon was one such occasion as alumni from as far as Florida convened in Dover for a luncheon where they swapped stories, shared memorabilia, listened to a presentation by Carlos Holmes (DSU’s Unofficial historian), and viewed a display of materials from the DSU archives.

I love alumni gatherings for a number of reasons but primarily because there are tidbits of information that cannot be captured on paper and are instead passed on through oral tradition.  Did you know that Dr. Maurice Thomasson, sociology professor and two-time acting-president, was fondly called Dr. Ether?  Like the drug, Dr. Thomasson’s lectures put students to sleep.  

By far, my favorite part of the day was a discussion of the 1968 student unrest. In case you’re not familiar with this event, the gist of it is that students wanted to name the first student center after Martin Luther King Jr. but because administrators didn’t reply to their request, the students interrupted the building’s dedication ceremony in order to so name the building. The circumstances of event have always been cloudy, but yesterday there were individuals present to offer three distinct perspectives – that of President Mishoe’s secretary representing the voice of administrators, the viewpoint of students present for the unrest, and lastly an individual who was a member of the Delaware National Guard that was dispatched to quell the demonstration.  Perhaps for the first time, contemporaries were able to reconcile their perceptions and gain a better understanding of the opposing viewpoint.  Because of the candid and chance nature of the conversation I doubt that this is an experience that can be duplicated.  I’m grateful that I was present to witness it.

Each time I attend alumni gatherings I am always truly inspired by the friendship and joy shared by the people present. Watching the DSU family reminds me that even though experiences can be shared, every life is unique and has immeasurable value.  

While listening to Mr. Holmes' presentation, Pauline Walker Wilkes, seated fourth from the left, had a special moment when she realized she was looking at a picture (below) of her younger self.  Additionally pictured here is the oldest living alumni, Mrs. Stevenson, age 102 (seated fifth from the left). 

Pauline Walker Wilkes, pictured in the center

Happy Birthday DSU!

Happy 125^th Birthday Delaware State University! Here’s to wishing you many happy returns!

 Today, May 15, 2016,  we salute the 125 years of service DSU has dedicated to positively impacting the community, state, nation, world, and Mars! …Okay so we haven’t actually reached our neighboring planet yet, but the Optical Science program is doing its best. Thank you to the administrators, faculty, staff and more than 20,000 graduates who shaped this university.

Coming Soon!

Written by Joy Scherry

Surprise! The archives is getting a new and improved home!

Formerly, the archive was located on the second floor of the William C. Jason Library in a converted conference room and office suite.  Last summer, however, the athletic advising department, also located on the second floor, received a $500,000 grant to renovate the entire floor in order to create a more inviting space for athlete study halls.  The hope is that by enhancing student-athletes’ access to academic resources and advisers, retention rates will improve.  

On May 9, 2016 construction began! The first phase of the project centered around preparations for the future site of the archives including demolition followed by framing, electrical wiring, and drywall.  Once the walls were in place, work on the second floor began.  All traces of the former spaces have since been obliterated as walls were knocked out, lights removed, and wiring exposed.

Dan and I have been busy, busy, busy, relocating the archives into temporary storage and well out of the path of fast-moving guys with hammers.  The current status of the archives is chaos due to the archival materials being dispersed throughout study rooms and classrooms on first and fourth floors of the library (no need to hit the gym after work), but we’re hoping the end results are well worth the effort.  Time will tell!   

Former Second Floor Archives Suite

Future Home of the Archives

Former Second Floor layout.  The Archives entrance was located
in the back corner - second door from the left in this picture.

Same view as the picture above. The Archives door is
 next to the orange ladder. 

Alternative view of the Second floor. 

One of five rooms that is temporarily housing archival materials. 

Vice President Who?!

Written by Joy Scherry

The entire DSU campus community is buzzing with excitement as preparations are made for Vice President Joe Biden’s visit for tomorrow’s commencement.  Facilities staff members are working overtime to complete campus improvements, campus safety officers are canvassing the area with secret service, and I’m confident the commencement committee has been meeting daily.

As a small, niche department tucked in the corner of the library I never expected the archives to be called upon.  Aside from a few reference requests in the prior weeks for photographic materials to support visual presentations at the ceremony, I fully expected my work to continue business as usual which, for the record, doesn’t include a call from the White House.

Scene: It’s 10:00 am on Friday April 29, 2016 and I’m counting the hours until the weekend.  The phone rings.

Caller: “Hello Joy! I’m calling from the Office of the Vice President, and we’re trying to locate speeches from former DSU presidents.” 

Me (in my head): Errr…. DSU doesn’t have a Vice President.  Wait…It’s a 240 area code….VP Of the United States? As in Biden?!

Just like that, this phone call was the start of a week-long partnership with White House interns. Many daily if not hourly phone calls later, I have provided the speech writers and staff in the office of the Vice President of the United States with much primary source research.

Today, on the eve of commencement, I continue to be amazed that even the smallest of archives can play such a large role in shaping and impacting communities  -  and from the sidelines no less!  Tomorrow, you and I may be the only ones to know that the DSU archives assisted White House staffers, but nevertheless, the resources this tiny, mostly unprocessed archives provided will assist the Vice President of the United States as he imparts advice to 700 graduates embarking on new journeys.

It wasn’t Dr. Williams or the commencement committee that asked me for help.  It was the staff of the White House! Tomorrow, when Vice President Biden speaks I will be listening for the nuggets of information that I, the lone university archivist, provided.  I’m pretty sure librarians silently rule the world.  Just saying.