The Brandon College/Brandon University Women's Auxiliary was founded on February 17, 1955, with the purpose of a) foster[ing] good public relations between the university and the community, and to stress the importance of Brandon University to Western Manitoba; b) to gain a better knowledge of the functioning of Brandon University and; c) to improve the surroundings of the College/University's students and the university at large. They were to hold four regular meetings per annum, with an annual meeting in April, and one fund-raising tea a year. The organization raised money through these teas, as well as through receptions, with the intention of donating to the college/university and surrounding community, contributing to the furnishing of residences and offices at teh college/ university, as well as facilitating an annual community visitation day for the public to tour the university. The organization's name was change from the Brandon College Women's Auxiliary to the Brandon University Women's Auxiliary along with the renaming of the school itself on July 1, 1967. The organization was sometimes referred to simply as the Women's Auxiliary.
The Auxiliary was run by an elected President and Board of Executives. Its members, who were all mothers of Brandon College/Brandon University students, paid an annual membership fee. Subcommittees within the organization included those in charge of social organization, membership management, program management, phoning management, press and publicity management and project management; all of these were fronted by their own individual leaders from within the members, under the board of executives. The organization ceased meeting in 1975; the minutes from the final meeting reference difficulties filling executive offices before a motion was carried to disband.
Custodial History
Records were created and held by the Brandon College/Brandon University Women's Auxiliary until their dissolution on October 23, 1975, when a motion was passed to move the records to the McKee Archives.
Scope and Content
Fonds consists of records that relate to the organization of and activities coordinated by the Women's Auxiliary, as well as records detailing the contribution that the organization made to the university and community of and around Brandon. The records span the entire existence of the Women's Auxiliary from 1955 to 1975.
Records include meeting minutes, treasurers' statements, financial bookkeeping, correspondence, a copy of the constitution, records of members, members' addresses and phone numbers, lists of members' children attending school and their respesctive degree, lists of council members, event memorabilia, organization letter heads, donation receipts, newspaper clipplings, advertisements, publicity reports, meeting reports, visitation records, scrapbooks and scrapbook inventories.
Notes
History/Bio information taken from the records. Description by Kayliegh Penner (October 2016).
Brandon University photograph collection (Observatory Opening)
Spring 1955 Alumni News (report on the founding of the organization)
Arrangement
Records are arranged in chronological order in four (4) subseries: 1) treasurer's books; 2) minute books; 3) textual files; and 4) scrapbooks and miscellany
Field journals have been scanned in multi-page PDF files. Artifact catalogues are PDF files in spreadsheet format. Photographs are in jpeg format.
History / Biographical
Directed by Dr. Nicholson and with Ian Kuijt as crew chief, eight units were excavated in Block H in 1988. The vegetation is similar to other areas in the locale with an open oak forest with a light understory of saskatoon, hazelnut, poison ivy and sarsaparilla.
Radiocarbon dates from this block indicate two occupations separated in time by some 300 years. The excavation of the eight 1m2 units resulted in the recovery of over 650 ceramic fragments including 20 rim sherds from at least four vessels, a grooved maul, fire-cracked rock, lithic debitage and a reworked Avonlea projectile point. A large amount of bison bone, including a number of axial elements and a fragmented skull were also recovered.
The 650 ceramics recovered are of two kinds, representing at least four vessels. Stylistically, two of these vessels appear to be from the Vickers Focus and the third vessel may be Mortlach ware. The fourth vessel appears to be Blackduck and probably comes from the lower occupation. Also encountered were what is possibly a thin ash deposit in unit 180. The presence of a large number of bison axial elements is suggestive of primary butchering activities. Several canid bones were recovered scattered among the bison bone. Although there is no visible stratigraphic evidence, the 14C dates and the different ceramic types indicate more than one occupation in this area and it is likely that several types of behavior and use of space are represented.
High numbers of ceramic fragments are often assumed to be associated with activities characteristic of habitation areas, rather than hunting or butchering behavior. The lithic material assemblage is intermediate between Blocks G and E with KRF being the most frequent material category followed by local cherts.
Scope and Content
Sub-sub-sub series contains: Summary information of field methology, number and co-ordinates of excavations, personnel and their staff position; Field journals are daily records of recoveries, features and activities at the site; Site records include excavation level and unit summaries, feature sheets, profiles; sample records and maps; Artifact catalogues are lists and identifications of all artifacts recovered; Photographs are of excavation units, features, the landscape and personnel.
