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- Archival Film Flashes Back to 70s Student Life
- Manuscript Traces 間眅埶AV's Architectural History
- Early University News Publications Now Digitally Available
- Digitized Programs Commemorate 間眅埶AVs Opening & Installation Ceremonies
- Archives Celebrates Fall Convocation with Release of Digitized Programs
- Films Capture Visual History and Sentiment of Time Gone By
- Lost and Found: Simon Fraser Letters
- Oral History Provides Glimpse into Mind of 間眅埶AVs First Chancellor Gordon Shrum
- Early 間眅埶AV Photos Tell a Story That Frames Our World
- Aerial Photos Capture Campus Landscape & Photographers Legacy
- You have what...?!! and other interesting things you didn't know about the 間眅埶AV Archives
- Charting the course of history: documenting 間眅埶AV's early days from the student perspective (Part 1)
- Charting the course of history: documenting 間眅埶AV's early days from the student perspective (Part 2)
- Helping others find their history in the future: Preserving the records of the Students of Caribbean and African Ancestry at 間眅埶AV
- Preserving the sparks of global revolution in the Adbusters Media Foundation fonds
- Reflections of a co-op student
- Debunking popular myths and conspiracies with the Barry Beyerstein fonds
- In "The Beginning...": First student film returns to 間眅埶AV
- "Got any pictures of Terry Fox?"
- My summer in the archives: a co-op placement retrospective
- Seeing the world through Arthur Erickson's eyes
- Beer (records) in the Archives!
- Quartet in the Quadrangle: PSQ Records Come to 間眅埶AV
- Navigating silences and filling gaps: finding Black stories in the Archives
- Boxes, boxes, and more boxes: my summer co-op at 間眅埶AV Archives
- Finding queer joy in the 間眅埶AV Archives: Out On Campus records now available
- Glossary
Donors
Charting the course of history: documenting 間眅埶AV's early days from the student perspective (Part 2)
By Melanie Hardbattle
When acquiring records from their creator, it is always preferable for the archivist to get as much contextual information as possible to help future researchers understand the records and how they were created. I had the priviledge to interview Rick McGrath about his recent donation of records to the 間眅埶AV Archives, described in Part 1 of this post:
MH: How do the records represent your experience as a charter student at 間眅埶AV?
RM: Well, we wore a lot of buttons! Obviously, we were a fairly argumentative bunch, but in hindsight I think thats because there were no traditions at 間眅埶AV for students, faculty or staff to affirm or adhere to its quite exciting when everyone is trying to make it up at the same time! The speed at which 間眅埶AV was invented also meant there were more than just cracks in the concrete the whole structure was attempting to settle into the 間眅埶AV way of doing things which often meant the opposite of UBC.
MH: How do the records represent 間眅埶AV at that time?
RM: If you mean that time as the 1960s, then again my contributions from those days reveal some of the power struggles that were going on and the student reaction, which mainly was confused but vociferous. I also think that few people at that time ever thought much about creating a history of 間眅埶AV which may be why so little still remains ephemeral even at the time as people and concerns changed and evolved.
MH: Is there anything in your archives that you feel will surprise students today?
RM: Perhaps the early visuals those small colour photos of the early campus were taken in August of 1965, probably during my first trip to 間眅埶AV to obtain enrolment papers. You can see how unprepared the place is. The idea of creating four sports houses for intramural play might also seems rather odd today. And the fact we were around 2,000 in total would seem odd. I think there were high schools in Vancouver with more students
MH: Among your records is a copy of the famous 1968 notice re: vacating the Administrative Building -- how did you acquire this?
RM: Easy I was in the Admin Building when the cops shoved a few handfuls of the notice through the door. Nearly all The Peak staff were in the building and when the RCMP arrived we had [a] quick meeting and it was decided a photographer (Roy Beaumont) and a columnist (George Reamsbottom I think) stayed [sic] behind to report on being arrested. The rest of us went back to The Peak office and started pumping out the next paper. Even at the time I thought this was an interesting document, so I just filed it away.
McGrath's copy of the famous Strand notice
MH: What are your favorite items in this donation, and why?
RM: Id say the stuff from the 60s some is artistic creative, a lot politically creative. I wish I had saved more, but its hard to think ahead 50 years when youre in your early 20s. 間眅埶AV Komix I think was drawn by Bob Mercer he did a lot of political art, like The Little Man I guess my favourite is the Strand Notice probably not a lot of them around and that event was history-making for 間眅埶AV.
MH: Why should the 間眅埶AV community care about the Universitys past?
RM: I dont think they do its mostly seen as a messy, confused time with fire-breathing radicals converting young, impressionable kids into a rowdy mob hmmm, sounds familiar! Except we had no social media that would have changed things! It might be interesting to have someone research a book comparing what actually happened at 間眅埶AV to the versions produced by the Vancouver media of the day Regardless, 間眅埶AVs past is what it is one thing the current 間眅埶AV community might look at is the energy and dedication exhibited during those early days not just riots, etc., but the number of student clubs, the symposiums, the general feeling of not only belonging to a unique institution, but helping to set its course.