Davison Society Records, 1961-2023

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Restrictions:
Contains Medical Center Administrative records. These include records of the officers of the University, as defined in the Bylaws, the deans of schools and colleges, and departments, institutes,...
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Summary

Creator:
Duke University. School of Medicine
Abstract:
The Davison Society is composed of the entire student body of the Duke University School of Medicine. The Davison Council is the student government organization for the Duke University Medical School. The Council consists of individuals both elected and appointed to handle matters as they pertain to the entire medical school. This collection primarily contains records from the Davison Society's Davison Council, the Student American Medical Association (SAMA), and the American Medical Student Association (AMSA). The majority of the records are from the 1970s and many deal with issues such as the Vietnam War, abortion, marijuana, women in medicine, and curriculum changes. Types of materials include meeting minutes and agendas, policies, membership lists, correspondence, articles, reference files, event flyers, reports, photographs, and digital files. Materials are arranged chronologically and range in date from 1961 to 2023.
Extent:
3 Linear Feet (2 cartons) and 690.23 MB
Language:
English
Collection ID:
AR.0124

Background

Scope and content:

This collection primarily contains records from the Davison Society's Davison Council, the Student American Medical Association (SAMA), and the American Medical Student Association (AMSA). The majority of the records are from the 1970s with many dealing with issues such as the Vietnam War, abortion, marijuana, women in medicine, and curriculum changes. Types of materials include meeting minutes and agendas, policies, membership lists, correspondence, articles, reference files, event flyers, reports, photographs, and digital files. Materials range in date from 1961 to 2023.

Biographical / historical:

Davison Society
The Davison Society is composed of the entire student body of the Duke University School of Medicine. Each student pays a yearly fee that is used to fund various school activities. The Davison Council is the student government organization for the Duke University Medical School. The Council consists of individuals both elected and appointed to handle matters as they pertain to the entire medical school. The elected officials consist of an executive board (President, Social Vice President, Service Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer), a President from each of the four classes, and four representatives from each class. In addition, the Davison Council has appointed members that serve on committees such as the Admissions Committee, Curriculum Committee, Graduate and Professional Student Council, Internal Review Board, Alumni Association, Honor Council, and others. Various national and local organizations are affiliated with the Davison Council and receive money from its treasury.

The Davison Society organizes projects such as the annual Student-Faculty show, Duke in Durham Day, Davison Ball, Spring Fling, and the publication of the Aesculapian (Duke University School of Medicine's yearbook). It should be noted that the Society has not published a yearbook every year. For example, the Society did not publish a yearbook in 1970 due to a lack of funding. To access copies of the Aesculapian, go to the Publications Collection.

Student American Medical Association (SAMA)
The Student American Medical Association (SAMA) was founded in 1950, under the auspices of the American Medical Association (AMA). The main purpose of the organization was to provide medical students a chance to participate in organized medicine. The late 1960s saw changes in the organization's objectives and philosophy, and, in 1967, SAMA cut ties from the AMA and became independent and student-governed. The organization began to take a stand on more socio-medical issues, such as civil rights, universal health care, and the Vietnam War. In 1975, the organization changed its name to the American Medical Student Association (AMSA), in order to clarify its separation from the AMA.

Acquisition information:
Accession A2011.044 (transferred, May 2011), Accession A2013.017 (transferred, March 2013), Accession A2015.020 (transferred by Trey Sinyard, June 2015), Accession A2019.044 (transferred by Charlton Tsai, May 2019), Accession A2021.005 (transferred by Samantha Kaplan, May-August 2020), Accession A2021.024 (transferred by Tara Dalton, February 2021), Accession A2021.090 (transferred by Samantha Kaplan, November 2021), Accession A2021.091 (transferred by Tara Dalton, December 2021), Accession A2021.092 (transferred by Sunny Yang Liu, December 2021), Accession A2024.011 (transferred by Max Sumner and Troy Tabarestani (February 2024), Accession A2024.012 (transferred by Megan von Isenburg, November 2023)
Processing information:

Processed by Dawne Howard Lucas: December 2011; encoded by Dawne Howard Lucas: December 2011; updated by Caroline Waller under the supervision of Lucy Waldrop: January 2019; updated by Lucy Waldrop: June 2019, January 2021, March 2021, December 2021, February 2024

Arrangement:
Organized into the following series: SAMA/AMSA Records, 1961-1981; Council Minutes and Agendas, 1968-1987; Other Council Records, circa 1962-circa 1995, Digital Files, 2012-2023.
Physical location:
For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Duke University Medical Center Archives.
Rules or conventions:
DACS

Subjects

Click on terms below to find related finding aids on this site.

Corporate Name(s):
Duke University. Medical Center
Duke University. School of Medicine
Topical Term(s):
Students, Medical.
Education, Medical.
Societies, Medical.

Contents

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Restrictions:

Contains Medical Center Administrative records. These include records of the officers of the University, as defined in the Bylaws, the deans of schools and colleges, and departments, institutes, and other offices as designated by the President. For a period of twenty-five years from the origin of the material, permission in writing from the director of the office of record and the Medical Center Archivist is required for use. After twenty-five years, records that have been processed may be consulted with the permission of the Medical Center Archivist. (Issued by the Office of the Chancellor, December 1, 1975).
This collection may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, including the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable individuals represented in this collection without the consent of those individuals or IRB approval may have legal ramifications (e.g., a cause of action under common law for invasion of privacy may arise if facts concerning an individual's private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable person) for which Duke University assumes no responsibility.

Terms of access:

Copyright for Official University records is held by Duke University; all other copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Davison Society Records, Duke University Medical Center Archives.