University of Nevada, Reno, Associated Women Students Records

The Associated Women Students (AWS) began in 1917 as the Woman's League, which was reorganized in 1921 and renamed. According to the 1917 yearbook, the League intended to "unite women students so that they will be able to concentrate their strength for the benefit of the entire student body, and to better organize the work of women on the college campus." It was the official representative body for women students and acted as the policymaker for them. AWS taught freshman women about university traditions, set dorm hours and punishments for infractions, established the Women's Night of Honor, maintained the AWS Rose Garden, ran the child care facility, and sponsored fashion shows, scholarships, and lectures. Dorm hours and strict codes of conduct for women were only relaxed and eventually lifted in the 1960s, thanks to students such as then-President of AWS Patricia Miltenberger. In 1971, AWS published a campus magazine entitled "Niamada," on the issues faced by female students and the ways they wanted to improve their lives.

During its earlier years, the University automatically assessed each female student fees for AWS and granted them membership. The University removed the automatic fee in the 1960s, and AWS struggled to maintain itself; in 1981, it disbanded.