Black Student Union collection
Scope and Contents
This collection contains papers from the Black Student Union (BSU) at the University of Northern Iowa (UNI) in Cedar Falls, Iowa from 1999 to 2016. Materials include posters, flyers, and cards advertising events that were sponsored by the BSU. Such events include public discussions; events celebrating Black History Month such as the UNIProud Drag Show; discussions on topics like Black Lives Matter and Martin Luther King Jr.; lectures by guest speakers like Teju the Storyteller; and events that occurred during UNI’s Diversity Week, such as discussions revolving around people with disabilities and minorities on television. These events occurred on campus, and both students and faculty were encouraged to participate.
The BSU collection also contains an archived website captured using the web archiving tool, Archive-It.
Dates
- 1999 - 2016
Creator
- Black Student Union (Organization)
Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions. Materials are open for research.
General Use, Reproduction, and Copyright Policies
Many items housed in the Rod Library Special Collections & University Archives, including unpublished images and manuscripts, may be protected by copyright, publication rights, trademarks, or model release rights which the library does not own and for which the library cannot grant permission or licensing. Materials currently under copyright are usually still available for research and limited reproduction under Fair Use laws. However, it is the sole responsibility of the patron to determine whether or not their use of a given material falls within Fair Use guidelines and to obtain permission for said use from the rightful copyright owner.
Sensitive Materials Statement
Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy or similar laws, and the Iowa Open Records Law (see Iowa Code § 22.7). Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals represented in this collection without the consent of those individuals may have legal ramifications (e.g., a cause of action under common law for invasion of privacy may arise if facts concerning an individual's private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable person) for which the University of Northern Iowa assumes no responsibility.
Biographical / Historical
The Black Student Union (BSU) is a student organization on the University of Northern Iowa (UNI) campus in Cedar Falls, Iowa. It is categorized as an Education and Awareness Ethnic and Cultural organization. Its mission is: "The University of Northern Iowa's Black Student Union serves the purpose of enhancing knowledge as people and promoting the spirit of unity, consciousness, history and diversity among students, faculty, staff and the community." Originally founded as the Afro-American society, the organization was revised in 1972 and became the Black Student Union. As of 2018, it is an active organization on campus. In 1972, student Chris Coney was elected president of the organization, and his goal was to be a stronger and more active organization than the former Afro-American Society.
Extent
0.21 Linear Feet (1 box)
Language of Materials
English
Processing Information
Processed by public history intern Cassidy Fisher, October 2018.
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin