Office of Equal Opportunity Records

Collection

Call Number: UA057

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Scope and Contents

This collection documents the creation and early years of the Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action (OEO) at Tufts University in the early 1970s. The office was first known as the Office of Equal Opportunity and Intergroup Relations and then as the Office of Equal Opportunity.

Materials include correspondence, internal reports, affirmative action plans, diversity statistics, and recruitment plans. Some materials also document legal cases and Tufts' compliance with government regulations. Also included are copies of Tufts University's affirmative action plans, policies, and reports from the early 1970s through the 1980s. There is a small amount of material published by the OEO, primarily from the 1980s and 90s. Some material relates to affirmative action-type programs planned by Tufts in the early 1960s before the formal establishment of the OEO.

Dates

Creation: Majority of material found within 1969 -- 1978
Creation: 1960 -- 2012

Creator

Miller, Russell E. (Person)
Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action (Organization)
Executive Director, Office of Institutional Diversity (Organization)
Office of Institutional Diversity (Organization)
Equal Education Opportunity Committee (AS&E Faculty) (Organization)
Equal Education Opportunity Committee (School of Dental Medicine Faculty) (Organization)

Language of Materials

English

Access

University records are closed for 20 years from the date of their creation. Records older than 20 years that do not pertain to student education, staff and faculty employment and Board of Trustees records are open for research. This collection may require review before it is available for use. Please contact DCA for further details.

Conditions Governing Use

Some material in this collection may be protected by copyright and other rights. Please see “Reproductions and Use” on the Digital Collections and Archives website for more information about reproductions and permission to publish. Copyright to all materials created by Tufts University employees in the course of their work is held by the Trustees of Tufts University.

Biographical / Historical

The Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action was founded at Tufts University under the auspices of the Office of the President. The initial focus was on providing educational opportunities for African Americans but by the end of the decade the University began to formally promote affirmative action and expand recruitment policies. Some time around 1971, Tufts created the Office of Equal Opportunity and Intergroup Relations under the auspices of the Office of the President. The office was responsible for assuring that Tufts complied with all state and federal regulations, including the creation of formal Affirmative Action plans, as well as working with colleges and departments to oversee recruitment of women and people of color. The affirmative action policies were also expanded to include not only students, faculty, and staff, but vendors and businesses affiliated with Tufts. The office also worked closely with President Hallowell who established the President's Council for Women and Minorities. Around 1980, the office shortened its name to the Office of Equal Opportunity.

The office is currently called the Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action.

Extent

6.4 Linear Feet (6 boxes)

1 Digital Object(s)

Additional Description

Arrangement

This collection is organized into four series: Administrative files; Affirmative Action Plans, policies, and reports; Publications; and Unprocessed accessions.

Custodial History

This collection was at least partially created by Russell Miller, so the material's original order and provenance is unknown.

Related Materials

UA045, Office of the Dean of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering records, DCA

UA015, Fletcher School records, DCA

UA001, Office of the President records, DCA

Processing Information

SERIES I: The first ten folders, which were probably created by Russell Miller, consist of administrative files. Lacking original order, the folders were rearranged alphabetically in order to facilitate later accessions. Loose material relating to searches for the Health Science Vice-President and the Dean of the Fletcher School was foldered, labeled and interfiled alphabetically. These folders were cross referenced to other relevant collections. A bound study entitled, "Women at Tufts" (1972), was moved to the second series. SERIES II: Two duplicate reports and two additional copies of "Women at Tufts" (1972) were weeded, and materials were arranged chronologically. An apparently unrelated report, "Office Copy: Long Range Planning and Fund raising Objectives for Arts & Sciences over the next five years 1978-83 By Bernard W. Harleston" was kept with the material, a cross reference was added to the appropriate collection. Several reports in this series were unbound; rusty metal bindings were removed and the reports were placed in folders. SERIES III: The three folders should be rehoused with newly accessioned materials. These folders are arranged chronologically in the expectation that later publications will also be added chronologically. Laura Cutter, 5/22/08