Inventory of the University of Texas at San Antonio. Women's Studies Institute Records, 1981-2019

Historical Note

The Women's Studies Institute (WSI) at the University of Texas at San Antonio opened in January 2003. The WSI functions as a student center and a community outreach institute. In 2007, the Institute established the Bachelor of Arts in Women's Studies degree program. The WSI sponsors lectures and conferences, hosts Women’s History Month celebrations, and works to further develop Women’s Studies curriculum. In 2019, the Women’s Studies Institute joined with faculty from the African American Studies and Mexican American Studies programs to form the Department of Race, Ethnicity, Gender and Sexuality Studies (REGSS), which is part of the College of Education and Human Development.

Sources:

• UTSA Women's Studies Institute website
• Race, Ethnicity, Gender and Sexuality Studies department announcement

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Scope and Content Note

This collection spans the years 1981 through 2019 and includes records of the Women's Studies Institute at the University of Texas at San Antonio, as well as records created by the UTSA Center for the Study of Women and Gender. Materials include correspondence, meeting minutes, reports, posters, photographs, and other materials.

The collection is arranged into two series: Administrative Files and Events. The Administrative Files series is further divided into five subseries: Women’s Studies Program, Grant Funding, Promotional Materials, University Women’s Committee, and Committee on the Advancement of Women.

The Women’s Studies Program subseries contains records related to development of the Women’s Studies minor and later Bachelor of Arts Degree program. Additional general administrative files from the Institute are also included in this subseries. The files in this subseries date from 1985-2018.

The Grant Funding subseries contains grant applications and related documentation dating from 1997-2001. These papers relate to efforts to secure and administer funding for projects connected to the Women’s Studies Institute.

The Promotional Materials subseries consists of newsletters, photographs, banners, and other small items. These materials date from 2003-2019.

The University Women’s Committee contains information gathered by staff of the Women’s Studies Institute between 1981 and 2001. The information came from UTSA, the University of Texas System office, other University of Texas institutions, and other universities. The documents contain information on a range of topics including women in the workforce, women and minority recruitment, salaries, and sexual misconduct and sexual harassment policies.

Records from the Committee on the Advancement of Women compose the fifth subseries in the Administrative Files series. This subseries also includes files from five subcommittees. The documents in this subseries date from 1994-1996.

The Events series is split into three subseries: Women’s History Month, "El Mundo Zurdo" Conference materials, and Other Events.

The Women’s History Month subseries includes planning materials, brochures, and posters from UTSA's annual recognition of women's history. Women’s History Week began in 1986 and was celebrated for one week each year. In 2003 it was expanded to a month-long event which takes place in March. Staff from the Women's Studies Institute are highly involved in organizing lectures and other activities for Women’s History Month. These materials date from 1986-2017.

The “El Mundo Zurdo” Conference subseries contains correspondence, meeting minutes, presentation proposals, and other planning materials for the gathering. The conference is hosted by the Society for the Study of Gloria Anzaldúa, an organization dedicated to recognizing the Chicana feminist writer, scholar, and cultural theorist. Women’s Studies Institute staff have contributed to planning for the conference since 2007. The materials in this subseries date from 2007-2018.

The Other Events subseries contains flyers and planning documents for additional events organized by the Women’s Studies Institute. These include Take Back the Night during Domestic Violence Awareness Month (October), the New Women Faculty Reception during the fall semester, the San Antonio Women’s Chamber of Commerce Gala, and other, infrequent events. These records date from 2001-2017.

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Restrictions

Access Restrictions

This collection is housed at UTSA's Main Campus and must be accessed via the John Peace Library Special Collections reading room. To request access, please schedule a visit.

Use Restrictions

The researcher assumes full responsibility for observing all copyright, property, and libel laws as they apply.

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Related Material

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], UTSA. Women's Studies Institute Records, UA 14.03, University of Texas at San Antonio Libraries Special Collections.

Acquisition Information

Transferred from the Women's Studies Institute in 2002 (Acc. 2002-021), July 2004 (Acc. 2004-061), August 2004 (Acc. 2004-067), September 2017 (Acc. 2017-053), and July 2019 (Acc. 2019-037). Additional materials collected by University of Texas at San Antonio Libraries Special Collections, 2001-2007.

Processing Information

The collection is in five accessions with additional materials collected by University of Texas at San Antonio Libraries Special Collections. The collection was originally encoded by Angela McClendon Ossar, University Archivist. It was re-processed in 2019 by Jessica Mitchell, Student Assistant, and encoded by Kristin Law, University Archivist, to incorporate the 2019-037 accession.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

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