View XML QR Code

Difference, Power, and Discrimination Program Records, 1970-2011

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Oregon State University. Difference, Power and Discrimination Program.
Title
Difference, Power, and Discrimination Program Records
Dates
1970-2011 (inclusive)
1991-2005 (bulk)
Quantity
4.00 cubic feet, including 106 audiocassettes, 2 videotapes, and 2 DVDs; 29.5 Mbytes (494 files), (9 boxes, including 1 oversize box)
29.5 Mbytes, (494 files)
Collection Number
RG 250
Summary
The Difference, Power, and Discrimination (DPD) Program Records document the establishment and functioning of the DPD Program at Oregon State University as well as the topics of diversity, discrimination, racism, minority students and faculty, and women in higher education. The DPD Program at Oregon State University was established in the early 1990s as a means to deliver courses to address cultural and ethnic diversity as well as racism, discrimination, and their origins.
Access to the transcripts and notes for interview with no releases in Series 7, Sub-Series 3 is restricted. All requests for access to this material should be directed to the University Archivist.
Repository
Oregon State University Libraries, Special Collections and Archives Research Center
Special Collections and Archives Research Center
121 The Valley Library
Oregon State University
Corvallis OR
97331-4501
Telephone: 5417372075
Fax: 5417378674
scarc@oregonstate.edu
Access Restrictions

Access to the transcripts and notes for interview with no releases in Series 7, Sub-Series 3 is restricted. All requests for access to this material should be directed to the University Archivist. All other materials in this collection are open for research.

Languages
English
Return to Top

Historical Note

The Difference, Power, and Discrimination (DPD) Program at Oregon State University was established in the early 1990s as a means to deliver courses to address cultural and ethnic diversity as well as racism, discrimination, and their origins. The initiating action for the DPD Program was a November 1990 letter from concerned student leaders to OSU President John Byrne proposing several actions in response to recent incidents of discrimination and harassment at OSU. One of these proposals was the development of mandatory courses for all students. In the Spring of 1992, the Faculty Senate approved the incorporation of the Difference, Power, and Discrimination requirement into the Baccalaureate Core, contingent on the development of enough courses. The DPD Program was created to provide faculty with the training and resources to develop or modify courses to meet the DPD criteria; the intent was that courses would address issues of diversity and discrimination not only in society in general, but within specific academic disciplines.  Annie Popkin was chosen as the first director in June 1992. By Fall 1994, within two years of its establishment, a sufficient number of DPD courses were in place for the DPD requirement to become a component of the Baccalaureate Core.  A comprehensive assessment and evaluation of the Program was conducted in 1998.

In addition to faculty seminars, the DPD Program sponsors guest speakers, film festivals, informal workshops and seminars, and other special events.

The following individuals have served as Director of the DPD Program since its establishment: Annie Popkin (1994), Barbara Paige (1994-1996), Mina Carson (1996-1997), Joan Gross (1998-1999); Susan Shaw (1999-2002), Jun Xing (2002-2011), Michelle Bothwell (2011-2014), and Nana Osi-Kofi (2014- ).

Return to Top

Content Description

The Difference, Power, and Discrimination (DPD) Program Records document the establishment and functioning of the DPD Program at Oregon State University as well as the topics of diversity, discrimination, racism,  minority students and faculty, and women in higher education.  The records pertain to curriculum development and pedagogy at Oregon State University specific to diversity and multicultural education as well as undergraduate education generally in all academic disciplines.

The records include materials documenting program administration, course proposals, committees, and the annual faculty seminar.  Reports that are specific to the DPD Program and pertain to broader issues of diversity and equity at Oregon State are included.  Reference materials that were assembled by the DPD Program as resources and reference materials for administration, teaching, and course development are part of the collection.  These materials document specific incidents, racism, diversity and discrimination, recruitment and retention of minority faculty and students, and the role of women and minorities in science.

A 1998 review and evaluation of the DPD Program is comprehensively documented in the collection – especially a series of oral history interviews conducted by students in an anthropology class of other Oregon State students regarding DPD courses.

The collection also includes promotional publications, the Program's newsletter ReVisions, and several audio and video recordings.  Video recordings of lectures by Nikki Giovanni and Gloria Anzaldua are available online.

Born-digital records are available to researchers in the Special Collections and Archives Research Center Reading Room.

Return to Top

Use of the Collection

Preferred Citation

Difference, Power, and Discrimination (DPD) Program Records (RG 250), Oregon State University Special Collections and Archives Research Center, Corvallis, Oregon.

Return to Top

Administrative Information

Arrangement

The Difference, Power, and Discrimination (DPD) Program Records are arranged in 11 series: 1. Correspondence, 1991-2007; 2. Course Proposals, 1991-2005; 3. Faculty Seminar, 1992-2011; 4. Reports, 1994-2004; 5. Reference Materials, 1970-2007; 6. Committee Records, 1991-2005; 7. Oral History Interviews, 1998; 8. Program Administration, 1991-2005; 9. Publications, 1994-2006; 10. Video and Sound Recordings, 1987-2008; and 11. Born-Digital Materials, 1997-1998.

Acquisition Information

The bulk of the materials were transferred from the Difference, Power, and Discrimination (DPD) Program in 2015. A small quantity of materials were transferred from Student Affairs in 2012 and incorporated into this collection in 2018.

Processing Note

The following materials were removed from the collection during the course of physical processing and description in 2018:  Sound recordings (4 audiocassettes) of 1998 interviews for which there are no signed releases; two TDK microcassettes and one commercial compact disc; 20 computer disks (5.25- and 3.5-inch) that were either unlabeled or identified as content with no long-term historical or administration value; and a rubber stamp with the name of the Program.

Technical accessioning of digital media received with the records resulted in 1.37 Gbytes (1455 files) of born-digital materials.  These were reviewed and appraised for long-term administrative and historical value.  This review resulted in a 29.5 Mbytes (494 files) of archival born-digital materials that are described as part of the DPD Records.

Born-digital records of Team Liberation were separated to a new collection - Team Liberation Records (RG 287).

We acknowledge that materials in SCARC collections and the language that describes them may be harmful. We are actively working to address our descriptive practices; for more information please see our SCARC Anti-Racist Actions Statement online.

The archivist-prepared description of this collection uses the phrase "Civil War" to refer to the long-standing athletic rivalry between Oregon State University and the University of Oregon. A history of this athletic rivalry, and use of the phrase "Civil War" to describe it, is available online in The Origins of the "Civil War" Football Game blog post.

In June 2020, Oregon State University President Edward J. Ray announced that the term "Civil War" will no longer be used by either university because it "represents a connection to a war fought to perpetuate slavery."

We acknowledge the racism represented by the use of this phrase and the harm it may cause our users. In order to provide historical context and to enable standardized searching and access across our collections, we have retained the use of this phrase in the collection description.

[Date of acknowledgement: November 2021]

Related Materials

The Difference, Power, and Discrimination (DPD) Program Records are a component of the Oregon Multicultural Archives, which includes numerous collections that document diversity and multicultural programs at Oregon State University.  Other collections pertaining to multicultural education are the records of Affirmative Action (RG 172), the Office of Multicultural Affairs (RG 225), the President’s Commission on the Status of Women (RG 159), and the Women’s Center (RG 243). The Jean Moule Papers (MSS Moule) document multicultural education in the context of teacher training.

Return to Top

Detailed Description of the Collection

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Minority college students--Oregon--Corvallis.
  • Minority college students--Recruiting--Oregon.
  • Minority college teachers--Oregon--Corvallis.
  • Multicultural education--Oregon.
  • Women--Education (Higher)--Oregon--Corvallis.

Corporate Names

  • Oregon State University--Curricula.
  • Oregon State University. Difference, Power and Discrimination Program.

Form or Genre Terms

  • Audiocassettes.
  • Born digital.
  • DVDs.
  • Video recordings.

Other Creators

  • Personal Names

    • Carson, Mina Julia. (creator)
    • Gross, Joan. (creator)
    • Shaw, Susan M. (Susan Maxine), 1960- (creator)
    • Xing, Jun. (creator)

Finding Aid Authors: Alicia Stewart and Elizabeth Nielsen.
2018

CC Attribution
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

About Creative Commons Licenses in Archives West

Loading...
Loading...