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Finding Aid - Index

National Federation of Canadian University Students
Canadian Union of Students

National Federation of Canadian University Students fonds. -- 1926-1969. -- 43 m of textual records and other material.

The National Federation of Canadian University Students came into being in December of 1926 in the wake of a British Empire debating team which toured Canada. The founding conference was held at McGill University in Montreal. The organization was founded to create "a better understanding among students, more cooperation ... among ... universities, ... and to furnish a means of creating international ties with groups of students in other countries." The Federation became dormant during the years of World War II but revived in 1946. In 1964 the Federation underwent a re-organization and was renamed the Canadian Union of Students in an attempt to conciliate differences between English-speaking and French-speaking students. The fonds contains an essay which outlines these problems, titled "Assessment of the History of CUS/NFCUS (1926-1965)". It officially dissolved in 1969.

There have been four accruals. Part of the first accrual was microfilmed and the original material destroyed. What remains in original form of the first accrual is arranged as follows:

CUS: General Office Files, 1963-1969, Boxes 1-30, 32-54
F.I.S.U., Boxes 31, 31A
Student Government Research files, Boxes 55-65
International Affairs files, 1964-1969, Boxes 65-72
Films, photographs, audio reels, printed materials, Boxes 73-82
CUS: Boxes 84-93, includes briefs, submissions, working papers, organizations, correspondence, photographs, ISEP applications NFCUS and CUS Congresses & Seminars, 1926-1969, Boxes 94-8.
NFCUS (with some CUS material): Boxes 83, 94-136. This material is not organized. It includes minutes, conferences and congresses, seminars, press releases, reports, correspondence financial documents, circulars, publications, photographs, international and foreign organizations.
Two financial ledgers.

Microfilms of first accrual: 1-6 CUS printed materials; 7-14 CUS day files and outgoing correspondence. Also the first accrual contained a microfilm which is labelled M.F. Hutchinson.

The second accrual, CUS-LeGoff (37-1991), consists of correspondence, reports, and publications.
The third accrual, NFCUS-Gérin (32-1995), consists of correspondence and organizational files.
The fourth accrual (32-2000) consists of correspondence, minutes and conferences attended by various NFCUS officers at Carleton College, later Carleton University, Ottawa.

Researchers may also wish to consult the Paul Becker fonds. Becker was active in many student organizations, including NFCUS.

Title based on contents of the fonds.
The first accrual was acquired from the executive of the CUS in December 1969. The second accrual was acquired from T. J. A. LeGoff in 1991. The third accrual was acquired from Paul Becker in May 1994. The fourth accrual was acquired from John Doherty in July 2000.
Finding aid available in hard copy and electronically.
No further accruals are expected.

Contact: archives@mcmaster.ca
Last Reviewed: September 20, 2006
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