Pembroke College Athletic and Recreation Association records (OF.1Q.A1zp)

Historical note

Begun in 1903, the Athletic Association of the Women's College in Brown University, later Pembroke College, was a student organization to "promote interest in athletic and physical education" in cooperation with the Department of Physical Education. During the 1959-1960 academic year the Association changed its name to the Athletic and Recreation Association (ARA), reflecting the informal change in the physical education department's name. The ARA began as a voluntary organization, but by the 1930s all students paid an activities fee that made them automatic members. At first it was mostly composed of dormitory representatives. In addition to awarding athletic letters and numbers and other honors, the ARA sponsored intramural and interscholastic competitions, events, picnics, and other gatherings. The ARA's executive board conducted most of the business and activities of the organization.