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Inventory of the Few Federation records, 1973-1982

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Few Federation history, 1973

Box 1

Few Federation constitution, 1979

Box 1

Agendas, 1977-1981

Box 1

Minutes, 1977-1981

Box 1

Financial materials, 1978-1980

Box 1

Correspondence, 1979-1980

Box 1

Elected officers lists, 1977-1981

Box 1

Election materials, 1979-1982

Box 1

Freshman Advisory Counselors, general program materials, 1978-1981

Box 1

Freshman Advisory Counselors, program evaluations, circa 1978

Box 1

Faculty advising in Few Federation houses, circa 1977-1979

Box 1

Academics and Faculty Relations Committee notes and announcements, circa 1979

Box 1

Faculty fellows and faculty associates correspondence, circa 1978-1981

Box 1

Calendars, circa 1981

Box 1

Event planning materials, requests for funds and notes, circa 1980-1982

Box 1

Event fliers and notices, circa 1977-1982

Box 1

House courses, lists of courses offered, 1975-1981

Box 1

House courses, course materials and syllabi, 1977-1978

Box 1

House courses, course materials and syllabi, 1979

Box 1

House courses, course materials and syllabi, 1980-1981

Box 1

House courses, evaluations and papers, circa 1977-1980

Box 1

Few Federation logo contest sketches, circa 1980

Box 1

Lounge furniture and decoration issues, 1977-1980

Box 1

Vending machine issues, 1980

Box 1

Newsletter of the Few Federation and Few Notes, 1974-1981

Box 1

A Proposal to Adopt the Federation Model as the Paradigm for the Duke University Residential System, 1979

Box 1

Federations in 1978-1979: A Series of Reports, 1979 and Report of the Coordinator of Federations, 1979-1980, 1980

Box 1

Historical Note

Few Federation, an undergraduate organization which united House A, Cleland, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, and Bunch of Guys Houses on Duke University's west campus, from 1971 to the early 1980s. The Few Federation hosted recreational and credit-earning courses on a variety of topics including auto mechanics, needlepoint, electronic music and leadership. Social events hosted by the Few Federation included concerts, backgammon tournaments, and computer dating parties. New residents of houses in Few Federation were partnered with returning students. This Freshman Advisory Council was widely successful in orienting them to the Duke University and campus life.

Three other Federations existed on campus around from the early 1970s to the early 1980s: the Edens, Baldwin, and Kilgo Federations. These independent living groups, centered around several of the quadrangles on East and West campuses, banded together to form college-type communities within the university setting. Faculty endorsed federations for their potential to help students realize their personal educational goals. Students supported federations because they provided a wider base for friendships and a variety of opportunities for involvement. A federation supplemented the on-campus living experience with a variety of house courses, occasional educational programs, festivals, dances, and parties. Each federation was headed by faculty who were responsible for organizing new programs, guiding governance of the federation structure, and facilitating partnerships among living groups.

In the early 1980s, federations were abolished in order to improve balance between men and women, and between selective and independent living groups on campus. While individual living groups were chartered and occasionally dissolved, the system of selective living, within the parameters of a program of residential living groups within residence halls, remained intact.

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