Student activity: Sticks of office used by Senior Stick and Lady Stick. c. 1919 – 1966 and later, housed in a display case in the Robbins Library Reading Room
Lady and Senior Stick were honorific positions that existed during the Brandon College era. The offices of Senior Stick and Lady Stick were replaced by the offices of President and Vice-President of the Brandon College Students' Association on January 29, 1966. The change was the result of proposed changes to the B.C.S.A. constitution passed almost unanimously by the student body; the office of President enabled a co-ed to hold the highest student office, which was impossible under the previous system. Following the change in 1966, the Class Presidents were renamed faculty Sticks. At some point during the Brandon University era the faculty Stick positions were renamed faculty commissioners. The use of "stick" appears to be a particularly Canadian one.
The stick of office was carried by the incumbent as a symbol of his or her position.
Like the sticks of office at other universities and colleges in Canada, the Brandon Lady's stick is composed of an elongated wooden rod, painted or stained dark, with a metal bottom cap and an ornamental metal top in silver. The Brandon College Lady's stick also contains silver rings dating from the 1923-1924 school year, each ring containing the name of the Lady Stick chosen for that year.
It was also customary to attach a ribbon(s) in the college colours (blue and gold) to the stick. The ribbons attached to the Brandon College Lady's stick were donated by the 1954-1955 Lady Stick Verda Peden (McDonald) in 2006.
Scope and Content
Item is the Brandon College Lady's stick.
Notes
Information in the History/Bio field was adapted from Wikipedia at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senior_Stick (October 2006). Additional History/Bio information was taken from the March 1966 issue of Alumni News.
The Lady's stick was previously displayed in a glass fronted display case donated by the Class of 1966. Unfortunately, two holes were drilled in the stick to anchor it to the display case. The Senior stick was also displyed in the same case, however at some point prior to 1997 it disappeared from the display case.
The silver rings and crown on the stick easily tarnish, but can be shined with any silver polish.
Part of BU 16.3 Artifacts - other.
A: College Librarian's office as initially furnished and arranged looking out onto the Reading Room. B: College Librarian's Office, main Floor Library, 2nd Floor Library and Arts Building L. to R. Donald Axford, Cora Fisher, John Shushelnitsky, Colleen Anderson, Bill Peters, Eileen McFadden. Meeting with students of the International Relations Club
Original office furnishings of College Librarian's Office. L. to R. Barbara Ritchie (library staff), Ray Hegion (Library Staff), Professor Norma E. Walmsley (poli. sci., Chairman, Faculty Library Committee), Eileen McFadden (College Librarian), Lee Finch (Library Staff)
McKee Centre Archives Basement of Jeff Umphrey Building. Featured: “ Pride of the Land”, “ Tommy Douglas: The Road to Jerusalem”, and “ Brandon College During the Depression”
