View is northeast, taken from the John R. Brodie Science Centre. Photograph shows: the Brandon College Building, the Student Services H-Hut, the Education Building, and the Student Union Building (Citizens' Science Building), as well as 18th Street and some houses. The trailer to the south of the Education Building was a Canada Manpower office in the 1960s. It was latter moved over by the Gymnasium, where it became the Quill office.
The first organization involving the students of Brandon College was created in 1899 or 1900. It was entitled the Literary Society. This society was run by students and faculty to cultivate literary and musical gifts and to provide training in public speaking and in the transaction of business. In 1901, a College branch of the Y.W.C.A. was formed as well as a Students’ Missionary organization. A College branch of the Y.M.C.A. followed in 1902. The Brandon College Athletic Association was created in 1904 to direct the affairs of the various athletic games.
The first idea of a Student Council-type organization began in 1906 with the creation of the Students’ Committee. This committee was created in order to develop a worthy College spirit and to promote a worthy College life.
“A committee of five students shall be appointed annually early in the college session whose office it shall be to confer with the Resident Master on matters pertaining to residential life, and with the Faculty on matters pertaining to the general life of the College. This committee shall consist of five members, three resident and two non-resident. In matters relating to the residence the three resident students alone shall act. This committee shall represent the Student Body in any matters in which that body may wish to confer with the Faculty, or may of its own motion confer with the faculty on any subject thought to be of interest in promoting proper College life.”
In 1909 the Debating Society was created for training in public speaking. A Publications Committee was created in 1910 to publish the new student magazine, The Quill. The Students’ Committee became known as the Student Council in 1915. Also in 1915, a Committee on College Activities was formed. This consisted of the President, two faculty members and two students. It was appointed by arrangement of the College Council each year to regulate the various activities of College life. It became known as the Functions Committee in 1921.
The 1920-1921 College Calendar is the first calendar that mentions the Brandon College Students Association. It states under the heading of Student Organizations that:
“The Literary and Debating Societies , the Athletic Association, the Y.M.C.A. and the Y.W.C.A. are integral parts of the Brandon College Students’ Association, and are managed by committees appointed by the Association.”
1921 saw the formation of the Students’ Christian Movement which replaced the Y.M.C.A. and the Y.W.C.A. Under the Students’ Christian Movement group, students held weekly devotional and educational services, and conducted Bible and mission study classes.
The 1936-1937 College Calendar shows that a change took place that year in the student council. Instead of just five students of the College being elected to the Council, there are now two separate councils. The calendar states that:
“The students of the men’s and of the womens’ residences appoint annually a representative committee of five, whose function it is to consider the interests of College life from the point of view of the residence body, conferring with the Faculty when necessary.”
Although these groups of five were known as the student council, there was a Student Executive of the Brandon College Students Association that was a separate entity. It consisted of the Senior Stick, the Lady Stick (since 1923), the heads of various boards, and the class presidents. This governing student body continued until 1966 when it underwent an extensive reorganization. During that year, the positions of Senior and Lady Sticks were abolished so that the elected student president could be a man or a woman. This president would be assisted by elected ‘sticks’ from each faculty of Arts, Science, Education and Music. This form of government continued until 1967, when Brandon College became Brandon University.
Scope and Content
The Student Association files cover a wide variety of topics and consist mainly of minutes from various student groups and clubs on the Brandon College campus. The records are a first hand look at how student governments were run during the Brandon College era.
Series has been divided into twenty four sub-series, including: (1) Lady Stick's Notes; (2) Memorial Gymnasium Book; (3) Minutes (Literary Board); (4) Expansion Fund Committee; (5) Athletic Board Finance; (6) Finance Board; (7) Main Executive Committee; (8) Functions Committee; (9) Athletic Association/Athletic Board; (10) Contemporary Club; (11) Social Science Club; (12) BCSA Records; (13) Co-Ed Association; (14) English Club; (15) Sports Awards; (16) Record of Social Events; (17) Brandon College Ministerial Association; (18) Ledgers; (19) Freshie Week Committee; (20) Arts Banquet Committee; (21) French Club; (22) Intervarsity Night Report; (23) Publications Committee; and (24) Student Missionary Band.
Storage Location
RG 1 Brandon College fonds
Series 8: Brandon College Students Association
Related Material
RG 6 (Brandon University fonds), series 14 (BUSU - Brandon University Students Union).
These files were created from 1899-1967. They include almost all of the financial records from this time. Before the creation of the Bursar position in 1910, the files were probably created by Dr. McDiarmid and Dr. McKee. After 1910, it is assumed that it was primarily the Bursar’s responsibility to update the ledgers. As well, various committees were involved in the creation of these ledgers, such as the Refund Committee and the Library Committee.
Scope and Content
Many of the Ledgers in this collection contain clear information about how Brandon College raised and spent its money. There are General Accounts Ledgers that give an overall view of the College’s finances, as well as Financial Reports from 1910 through to 1969. There are several ledgers entitled Cash Receipts and Disbursements and Petty Cash.
Some interesting files from a researcher’s point of view are the Student Accounts Ledgers. Dating from 1899, these ledgers contain information regarding each student that attended Brandon College. The ledgers record the tuition, board and other students expenses, how it was paid and who it was for. There are also Book Accounts. These two books describe the books students had to buy for their classes. There is a book of room deposits, as well as a list of students by their hometown and denomination.
The Miscellaneous file is probably the most interesting one in the collection. There is a ledger created by Sadie Northam in 1898. The book contains expenses from what was possibly the Dining Room, as the purchases are mainly large amounts of groceries. The collection also includes the minute book from the Refunds Committee from 1914 to 1923. This committee heard appeals from students who desired some or all of their money back from the College. A very intriguing article in the miscellaneous file is that of the COTC Day Sheets. This ledger runs from March through April of an unknown year, although it most likely was 1915 or 1916. It has a list of students that were in the COTC and has columns for each day that they had drill practice. They COTC drilled twice a day, and the Day Sheets mark if the student was present for drill, and if he was not, what his reason for being absent was. It also contains a list of duties for the duty officer, as well as some memorandums.
There are two books in this series that record the Staff salaries from 1918 to 1921 and 1926 to 1928. There is also a ledger from the Brandon College Institute, Session 08. There is no date on this ledger, and it is not quite certain what the Institute was, as there is no other mention of it. Although the collection has been divided under various headings, it must be noted that there is considerable overlap, especially between the General Accounts, Cash Receipts and Disbursements, and the Student Accounts Ledgers.
The series has been divided into six sub-series, including: (1) General accounts ledgers; (2) Financial reports; (3) Cash receipts and disbursments ledgers; (4) Petty cash ledgers; (5) Student accounts ledgers; and (6) Miscellaneous ledgers and minute books.
Storage Location
RG 1 Brandon College fonds
Series 13: Brandon College Ledger and Minute books
File consists of the Brandon African Students Association constitution, correspondence, applications for BUSU grants, financial information and member lists.
Storage Location
RG 6 Brandon University fonds
Series 14: Brandon University Students Union
14.4 BUSU clubs
Box 1
Consists of the BCSA constitution, electoral procedure documents, nomination forms, the Brandon College Crests and Awards Board constitution, the Brandon College Finance Board constitution, the Brandon College Athletic Board/Athletic Council constitution, the Brandon College Board of Publications constitution, the Brandon College Literary Board constitution, the Sigma Mu constitution, and BCSA statistical summary of Committee meetings.