Debating Club Records, 1928-1940 *JMU Records*

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Summary Information

Repository:
Special Collections, Carrier Library, James Madison University
Title:
Debating Club Records
Collection No.:
UA 0031
Date:
1928-1940
Extent:
2 folders, .12 Cubic Feet
Language of the Material:
English
Abstract:
The Debating Club Records is comprised of a record book and papers containing meeting minutes, membership lists, and attendance records, documenting club activities from its founding in 1928 until 1940.

Preferred Citation

[identification of item], [box #, folder #], Debating Club Records, 1928-1940, UA 0031, Special Collections, Carrier Library, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA.

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Administrative History

The State Teachers College Debating Club formed in 1927 with 15 original members, with the goal to "train its members in the art of debate and oratory and foster intercollegiate debating and oratory." Between 1927 and the early 1940s, members of the Debating Club competed against students from Bridgewater College, State Teachers College at Farmville, Randolph Macon Women's College, Waynesboro College, King College, and Shepherdstown College, among other colleges. The club was discontinued by 1942, though other debate and forensics organizations formed in subsequent years.

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Scope and Content

The Debating Club Records is comprised of a record book and papers containing meeting minutes, membership lists, and attendance records that document club activities from its founding in 1928 until 1940. Meeting topics include the election of officers, debate topics, and logistical discussions about upcoming competitions.

Papers found interleaved in the record book include a copy of the Debating Club Constitution and By-Laws, meeting minutes, membership lists, and debate preparation materials.

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Arrangement

The collection is arranged chronologically.

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Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

Collection open to research. Researchers must register and agree to copyright and privacy laws before using this collection. Please contact Research Services staff before visiting the James Madison University Special Collections Library to use this collection.

Use Restrictions

Copyright for Official University records is held by James Madison University; all other copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law. For more information, contact the Special Collections Library Reference Desk (library-special@jmu.edu).

Other Formats Available

Selected portions of the record book have been digitized. They include the Constitution and Bylaws Draft 1, Constitution and Bylaws Draft 2, and Pledge with Signatures.

Acquisition Information

Items were in the cage at the time of founding.

Processing Information

Items were minimally processed, originally located in SU 93-0331, Minutes and Scrapbooks.

Location

Special Collections, Carrier Library, James Madison University

880 Madison DriveMSC 1704Harrisonburg, Virginia 22807library-special@jmu.eduURL: https://www.lib.jmu.edu/special/

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Index Terms

Genre and Form

  • Minutes (administrative records)
  • Membership lists
  • Constitutions
  • Bylaws (administrative records)

Subject

  • State Teachers College at Harrisonburg (Harrisonburg, Va.) -- History
  • Madison College -- History
  • State Teachers College at Harrisonburg (Harrisonburg, Va.) -- Students
  • Madison College -- Students
  • State Teachers College at Harrisonburg (Harrisonburg, Va.) -- Students -- Social life and customs
  • Madison College -- Students -- Social life and customs
  • James Madison University -- Students -- History
  • Harrisonburg (Va.) -- History
  • Debates and debating

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Bibliography

Dingledine, Raymond C. "Madison College, the First Fifty Years, 1908-1958." Harrisonburg, VA: Madison College, 1959.

"Debating Club is organized here." The Breeze, January 7, 1928. Accessed February 13, 2018. http://commons.lib.jmu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1348&context=i19221929

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Collection Inventory

Title/Description Instances
Meeting Minutes, 1928-1940 box 1 folder 1
Loose Inserts, 1928-1940 box 1 folder 2