Collections

The collection includes correspondence, 1982-2003, and undated, concerning the planning, financing and construction of the Student Activity Center (SAC) at Central Michigan University (CMU).

This collection consists mainly of correspondence dealing with the planning, financing, and construction of the SAC. Key people involved in the process and correspondences were Jerry Scoby (Director of Business Services and Assistant Vice President for Business Affairs), Kim Ellertson (Vice President of Business and Finance), and Tim Jones (Director of Campus Recreation).

Box 1 in this collection contains documents generally focusing on the immediate planning and building of the recreation center, 1983-1990.

Phase I of the SAC Project began in 1983 and focused on proposals for and the planning of the campus’s recreation building, and the renovation of several other buildings on campus, including: remodeling the President’s house, the physical plant building, and a library addition.

There are numerous correspondences between the University and the Nuveen Co., which was chosen to be the senior manager of the projects and the financial advisor. The letters discuss different funding avenues for the projects, including the use of student bonds.

In addition, there is documentation of several other capital projects that the university was planning and funding in conjunction with the SAC. One such project was the Biomass Wood Fuel Plant and Telephone Systems Project (aka Woodchip).

Phase II of the project began in 1987 and comprised the final approval of designs and schematics of the building, and topographical surveys of the land. Most of the letters are between Anthony Paparella, the University Architect, and TMP Associates, the firm chosen for design development.

Included are a sampling of Construction Invoices, 1986-2000, that show areas of main concern in the building, as well as issues that arose during construction and additions and subtractions that were made due to budgetary limitations. There are documents discussing if a student membership fee should exist and how it should be implemented, tuition-based or as an outside fee. Also included are financial records documenting the University’s attempt to raise $25 million for the multiple projects, Bond Revenue Statistics, 1987-1989.

Box 2 contains documents pertaining to after the recreation center was opened, 1990-2003, as well as other properties that the University owned.

Letters discussing food services that should be offered in the new building are part of the collection, including the mission statement of FAST BREAK, a healthy food store. The internal audit of 1992 listed the weak points of the SAC, such as the definition of outside users and funding for equipment replacement, and offered recommended solutions.

In the ‘Budget and Finance’ folder there are letters that address the financial structure of the SAC. This was a main concern because the SAC was originally funded entirely from the General Fund, which meant that all of the money its services made would automatically go back into the University and be equally divided among other campus institutions. There was also concern that under this structure the building would continuously be in a state of financial default. In order to avoid this, administrators of the SAC wanted it to be listed as an auxiliary institution of the University.

There is also a folder of issues that the SAC faced. Issues included, how encompassing the University’s insurance was in relation to unauthorized access of children and teams granted by current employees, and illegal entry by students using fake or duplicate IDs. There is a response written by Kim Ellertson concerning an article titled, “Staff ignored threat pools of blood posed.” There was also concern over improper videoing and photographing of people working out, as well as the loss of intramural sports fields due to the new football stadium and the expanding network of new facilities related to the SAC. An unusual issue that arose was the public protest following an Anheuser Busch visit. According to the letters, Anheuser set up their tent in the SAC on the same day as the Isabella County United Way was hosting a Red Hacker carnival for children. The matter worsened because a one-day liquor license was purchased for the SAC and the famous “Bud Girls” were allowed to freely walk around the building. Employees of the SAC felt that by allowing this to happen, especially during a children’s day, the University was living up to its party college name instead of dispelling it.

This box also contains several plans to try to offset the building costs of the SAC, including: a market plan to attract more outside donors and the selling of numerous University-owned properties.

Interesting documents to note are those concerning Riverwood Golf, which document the University’s desire to purchase a golf course, and those concerning the Ann Arbor Railroad Company when the University attempted to purchase the tracks that run through campus.

Processing Note: During processing approximately 0.25 cubic feet of duplicate materials were withdrawn from the collection and shredded.

This collection includes a variety of organizational records of Central Michigan University. Student Government Association (CMU.SGA), including meeting minutes of various committees, photographs, scrapbooks, posters, subject files, and miscellaneous, 1995-2014, and undated.

This collection includes a variety of organizational materials of CMU.SGA, including meeting minutes and agendas of various committees; photographs of various topics including President George E. Ross, and notably of the commemoration events for September 11, held in 2011; posters on multiculturalism, SGA elections, and anti-rape campaign; subject files, notably on multiculturalism, Registered Student Organizations on campus (RSOs) and the Student Budget Allocation Committee (SBAC); election materials; notes from past officers; brochures; proposals; resolutions; and scrapbooks. Most of the photographs were developed in 2014. CMU Homecoming events are also documented in photographs and posters.

Researchers may also be interested in the several other SGA collections in the Clarke Historical Library.

Various meeting minutes of the Central Michigan University Student Senate, 1924-1977, and undated, and related materials.

The collection consists mainly of the meeting minutes of the Student Council, 1924-1947, and the Student Senate, 1948-1974. There are also meeting minutes of the Student Assembly, 1974-1975, the Student Council and Senate constitutions, 1924-1959, and related materials.

Meeting minutes usually include agendas, minutes, correspondence, reports, and other attachments.

The collection includes Central Michigan University Theatre Department Scrapbooks, 1939, 1972.

This collection includes scrapbooks documenting the academic years of the Theatre Department, 1939/1940-1965/1966 and 1970/1971-1972. Materials include production programs, music, photographs, newspaper clippings, and some correspondence.

Materials were removed from rotting, plastic binders, duplicates were sorted out, and miscellaneous materials removed. Remaining materials were filed into acid-free folders. Due to the overall high acidic content of the materials, nothing was photocopied.

Researchers should also check CMU. Theatre Department photographs, which are part of the CMU. Photographs Collection.

Miscellaneous vertical file material for Central Michigan University Career Services.

The collection, 1939, 2003, and undated, includes photographs, photograph albums, scrapbooks, and plaques. The scrapbooks, 1939-1970, document campus activities and events and the student union when it was in Powers Hall/ Keeler Union. The scrapbooks consist of CMLife clippings on acidic pages. The rest of collection documents the staff, students, and events in the Bovee UC, including the period right after it was built. This information was generated by CMU staff and students. The 40th anniversary of the UC is documented in the Photograph Album, 2000-2003.

Overall the collection is in good physical condition, except for the scrapbooks, which are acidic and several of two of which, 1953-1959 and 1964-1970, have broken or loose covers.

The collection is organized by size and format and then chronologically.

The Collection, 1990-2014, and undated, includes signed black and white or color photographs or posters of nationally recognized actors, performers, musicians, musical groups, and speakers who spoke or entertained at CMU.

The collection includes Central Michigan University Women brochures, correspondence, historical materials, photographs, negatives, and reports.

Organizational records include: Bridge Club Materials, Spring 2003; Brochures and Membership Forms, 2000-; Correspondence, 1999-; Hiking Schedules and Members, 2000-2002; Historical Calendar and PowerPoint, 2020; Meeting Programs, 1999/2000-; Photographs and Negatives, 2000-; Reports, 2010/2011-; and 75th Anniversary Materials, spring 2003, including written memories of past presidents, a list of past presidents expected at the anniversary celebration, party mementos, compiled, selected minutes of historical importance from past meetings, and photographs of the event. The collection is ongoing.

The collection includes meeting minutes, agendas, and related materials, curricula materials, bylaws, assessments, budgets, statistics, newsletters, photographic materials, clippings (copies), correspondence, guest books, and other materials documenting the history of the program.

The collection documents the history and functions of the CMU Women’s Studies Program. Included in the collection are various meeting minutes, agendas, and related materials, course request change forms, syllabi, reports, bylaws, assessments, program reviews, budgets, statistics, newsletters, newspaper clippings (copies), photographs, negatives, slides, prints of e-photographs, fliers, emails, correspondence, advertisements, guest books, and other materials. Also included are meeting minutes, agendas, and related materials documenting related topical advisory boards that the director of women’s studies participated in. Materials are in alphabetical and chronological order.

Processing Note: Duplicate, out-of-scope materials, and temporary financial records (older than 7 years) totaling about 6 cubic feet were withdrawn from the collection during processing. Materials with social security numbers and other private information, about 1.5 cubic feet were shredded. Some materials were added from the CMU Vertical Files.

The organizational records include: an organizational history, account books, Christmas bird count reports, constitution and bylaws, meeting minutes with attachments (earlier years are in volumes), membership lists, miscellaneous, newsletters, newspaper and magazine clippings (copies), pamphlets, photographs, programs and property materials.

The organizational records include: an organizational history, account books, Christmas bird count reports, constitution and bylaws, meeting minutes with attachments (earlier years are in volumes), membership lists, miscellaneous, newsletters, newspaper, and magazine clippings (copies), pamphlets, photographs, programs, and property materials. The collection is organized by alphabetically and chronologically. The collection is ongoing.

A copy of William Theunissen’s Chippewa Valley Audubon Club, 1951-1992 history of the Club is separately cataloged in the Clarke.

Processing Note: Duplicate materials and acidic materials, which were copied, were returned to the donor as per the donor agreement.

Papers include family genealogical materials, Tuma's biographical materials, awards and certificates, photographs, DVDs and a cassette tape of anniversary and reunion celebrations, large framed photographs, and other materials documenting the Embers Restaurants in Mount Pleasant and Traverse City, Michigan..

The Clarence Tuma Papers consist of the Tuma family genealogy, newspaper clippings, magazine articles, speeches, recipes, menus, bank statements and awards and certificates. The topically grouped material is arranged alphabetically. Newspaper clippings,1960 – 2007, include information on Tuma’s World War II Service, The Embers, and the Rashid Family. Photographs consist of Tuma’s service in World War II, family, The Embers, and Rashid Family Reunions. A special note is to be given to three photographs in the collection of a funeral of an unidentified individual. Also included are awards and certificates, 1964-2007, and plaques comprising of the Trustee Appreciation Award, the Salut Au Restaurateur Award, and the Alumni Recognition Award. Oversize Folder 1 contains oversized documents such as bank statements and certificates. Oversize Folder 2 contains family photos. Oversize Folder 3 contains a photograph of the Embers Restaurant in Traverse City, Michigan. Oversize Folder 4 contains photos of the Rashid Club of America.

Electronic sources include DVDs of Clarence Tuma’s 80th Birthday, the 75th Reunion of the Rashid Club of America and the Lion’s Club Farewell to the Embers. A cassette tape is also included, which is titled “Congratulations Clarence and Janet Tuma.” A later addition includes a thank you note from Rosalynn Carter, 2015.