File 4 - Conception Mt. Olympus Faculty Club.

Title and statement of responsibility area

Title proper

Conception Mt. Olympus Faculty Club.

General material designation

Parallel title

Other title information

Title statements of responsibility

Title notes

Level of description

File

Reference code

SCA435-GA508-4

Edition area

Edition statement

Edition statement of responsibility

Class of material specific details area

Statement of scale (cartographic)

Statement of projection (cartographic)

Statement of coordinates (cartographic)

Statement of scale (architectural)

Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)

Dates of creation area

Date(s)

  • 1968 (Photography)

Physical description area

Physical description

4 photographs : b&w ; 15 x 22 cm or smaller

Publisher's series area

Title proper of publisher's series

Parallel titles of publisher's series

Other title information of publisher's series

Statement of responsibility relating to publisher's series

Numbering within publisher's series

Note on publisher's series

Archival description area

Name of creator

Biographical history

James (Jim) Keron is an alumnus of the University of Waterloo. Keron graduated with a Bachelor of Mathematics (BMath) in 1970 and a Bachelor of Arts (BA), Anthropology in 1986. Keron also received a Master of Arts (MA), Archeology in 2003 and a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Bioarcheology in 2015 from Western University.

During his time as a student at the University of Waterloo, Keron was actively involved in various clubs and committees, including the Folk Music Club and the Federation of Students (now known as the Waterloo Undergraduate Student Association, WUSA).

Keron served on the Orientation Committee in 1967, where he played a key role in coordinating events and activities for incoming students. He also served on the Homecoming Committee in 1967 and helped organize the celebration.

In 1968, Keron took on the role of Chairman for Summer Weekend 68, a multi-day event featuring activities and musical performances for the university community, which was organized by the Federation of Students. Additionally, he served as the Chairman of the Board of Student Activities during Fall 1968.

In 1969, Keron served as Chairman of the Orientation Committee and worked as the Treasurer of the Federation of Students between 1969 and 1970.

As a student, Keron also worked with the concert technology group providing sound and lighting for concerts on campus and for performances held at Wilfrid Laurier University, McMaster University, and other venues.

Custodial history

Scope and content

An image of three individuals holding a sign next to an outhouse located on the site where the new Faculty Club was to be built at the University of Waterloo. It is likely that one of the people in this photograph is Jim Keron however this cannot be confirmed as their faces are obscured by the sign. The outhouse was built by Jim Keron and friends in the middle of the night. The group used sheets of plywood left at the construction site of the physical education building to create the outhouse. The sign at the bottom of the image reads, “Conception Mt. Olympus Faculty Club.”

The outhouse was built by Keron and friends to satirize the growing tensions between students and faculty club members over space. Specifically, the faculty club’s desire to establish an exclusive space within the Campus Centre (now the Student Life Centre), which was contradictory to the egalitarian vision for the building held by many students. On July 17, 1968, the Faculty Club submitted a request to the Campus Centre Advisory Board to have exclusive and continuous use of the pub and formal dining room inside the Campus Centre until the new Faculty Club was built. The proposal was rejected by the advisory board however, tensions over space for students and faculty continued.[1]

Also includes three images of an unidentified individual wearing an academic gown, likely a member of the Aryan Affairs Commission (AAC) standing next to the outhouse. Members of the AAC approved the construction of the outhouse, painted the letters ‘AAC’ on the side of the unit and then posed for pictures.

Notes area

Physical condition

Some of the photographs are discoloured.

Immediate source of acquisition

Donated by Jim Keron in 2018.

Arrangement

Language of material

  • English

Script of material

Location of originals

Availability of other formats

Photographs scanned as TIF files February 2024.

Restrictions on access

Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication

Finding aids

Associated materials

Related materials

Accruals

General note

GA508-4_001 appeared on the Friday, July 19, 1968 (v.9, n.11) edition of The Chevron. The photographer is credited as Gary Robins.

General note

Photo caption from published version of GA508-4_001: “Perched on the hill between the Village and the athletic building – the faculty club takes root. In a manner fitting?”

General note

While the AAC may have been intended as a satirical club, the organization’s name and use of the term ‘Aryan’ carries racist connotations. The group’s name has been maintained in keeping with Special Collections & Archives’ approach to language in archival descriptions, which prioritizes speaking openly about and clearly identifying problematic, harmful, and otherwise offensive records in the department’s holdings. This approach, while potentially upsetting, allows for the critical assessment and questioning of historical material by contemporary researchers.

Alternative identifier(s)

Standard number area

Standard number

Access points

Subject access points

Place access points

Name access points

Genre access points

Control area

Description record identifier

Institution identifier

Rules or conventions

Status

Level of detail

Dates of creation, revision and deletion

Described by NM in 2024.

Language of description

  • English

Script of description

Sources

[1] "Faculty club refused exclusive use in campus center while awaiting building." The Chevron. Friday, July 19, 1968 (v.9, n.11) p. 1-2.

Accession area

Related subjects

Related people and organizations

Related places

Related genres