In fall 2014, California State University, Chico became a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) after meeting the 25 percent mark of Latino student enrollment.

A year later, Chico State increased Latino student enrollment by 3 percent. Latinos are now the majority at 54 percent in California K-12 schools, yet they are underrepresented in every level of higher education.

What does this mean and how does it affect Chico State?

The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) describes HSI as a federal program designed to assist eligible institutions of higher education in serving low-income Hispanic students.

“It’s an exciting time for Chico [State that] these stats have doubled in five years, which means a lot—that Latinos are applying and getting into college,” Teresita Curiel, assistant director of HSI Initiatives, said about the rapid growth of Latino student rates.

According to Curiel, Chico State wants to move beyond a Hispanic enrolling institution to a Hispanic graduating one. Curiel sees the potential of grants available to HSI schools as a mechanism to build a better campus.

Chela Mendoza, director of the early outreach and support programs, said that the rapid growth rates of Latino students at Chico State is going to change the fabric of the institution. But, in order to truly enact change, getting past the surface level and moving to the core issue of underrepresentation is necessary.

Room for Improvement

As a potential federally recognized HSI, Chico State has access to previously unavailable multi-million dollar grants with the new designation. In addition to benefiting Latino students, the grant will also enhance the entire campus community, whether it be offering more supplemental instruction for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) courses, or bolstering culturally responsive curriculum study.

Michelle Morris, faculty and diversity officer at Chico State, sees the lack of diverse staff and faculty at Chico State as a hindrance to students realizing their full potential and as an area for improvement. In fall 2014, only 8.1 percent of staff and 4.3 percent of instructional faculty were Hispanic or Latino.

Morris said that she believes something as simple as students seeing themselves in their professors can inspire them into continuing their education. The entire student population will benefit from the surge in diversity of staff and faculty by providing more of a well-rounded education.

Moving Forward

The school recently named Curiel assistant director of HSI Initiatives, where she will get to work closely with the University Diversity Council and Chicano/Latino Council to manage the process of gaining federal HSI status.

Creating a diverse campus cannot be done overnight and these are only the first steps in creating a truly integrated campus.

Early on in his life, Jesse Eller recognized an intersection between the LGBTQ+ community and agricultural communities.

“Agriculture communities are often seen and associated with conservative, heteronormative values and mindsets,” Eller said. “People who associate with the LGBTQ+ community can be more susceptible to being marginalized, or forced to harness an alternate identity to fit in with social norms and structures of a conservative society.”

Eller, a Chico State alumnus of the agricultural business program, as well as the founder and current CEO of Studio 5 Consulting, hopes to encourage a conversation about the intersection of the agricultural and LGBTQ+ communities.

With the realization and the desire to encourage a conversation and awareness, came the birth of the Cultivating Change Summit.

Jim Schroer, local dairy farmer and member of the LGBTQ+ community, said that, despite the conservative environment in the agricultural community, individuals should still pursue their dreams.

“They should go for their dream, go for their passion,” he said. “Passion is the number one key for me in anything. You have that passion and drive, you’re going to succeed.”

The summit was held in August 2015 in Atlanta, Georgia, and brought together individuals that were members of the LGBTQ+ and agricultural communities, as well as their supporters.

According to the Studio 5 website, the event was created to strengthen the social fabric and further develop the community of non-heterosexual women and men involved with agriculture, and their allies.

“I am very passionate about the [agricultural] industry, and I do consider myself an agriculturalist,” Eller said. “And for the first time in my professional career, the summit was able to allow me to connect my passion for agriculture and skill set that I have to be able to build something to elevate a conversation that is long overdue.”

Despite the event being in its infancy, it has become a forerunner in the conversation pertaining to the intersection of both communities.

With the hopes of facilitating visibility among members of the conjoined community, the summit held various conversations and panels. It also connected them to people, companies, and organizations that are working for the community as a whole. One of these organizations was the United States Department of Agriculture.

Eller went on to say that Studio 5 is not the first group of people to talk about the subject, but they were the ones bold enough to have the conversation.

The upcoming summit hopes to build a network that provides awareness that there are other queer individuals of all ages in agriculture, even in rural and isolated areas. Through Cultivating Change, Eller and his team hopes to stress that these individuals are not alone, and that it does get better.

Eller urges any person or company that wants to be involved to become a participant, a sponsor, or an accomplice. The summit relies on different perspectives in order to elevate and shift the conversation.

He would also like to add that, “the Cultivating Change Summit would not have been possible without our courageous participants, generous sponsors, and the dedicated summit design team; Marcus Hollan, Kris Elliott and Stacy Bushgen.”

For many students, the idea of “what comes after college” is daunting. Under the guidance of Dr. Pedro Douglas, the NASPA Undergraduate Fellows Program at Chico State assists students as they forge the next path in their career destination.

Under the NASPA program, NUFP’s purpose is to encourage underrepresented students of color to consider careers in higher education, diversifying upper-level administration on college campuses.

Originally called the Minority Undergrad Fellows Program (MUFP), it changed five years ago to broaden the scope of focus to students with disabilities, those who come from marginalized communities, and individuals who identify as LGBTQ+.

Douglas started NUFP at Chico State in 2001, after moving from director of the health center to his current position as associate vice president of Student Affairs. The majority of students who come to Douglas interested in the program, or careers in higher education, are referred directly by faculty, staff, or one of his colleagues.

“NUFP mentors must be a current member of NASPA, and the program says we need to meet once a month,” Douglas said. “Here though, we meet every week at least for an hour.”

Education is a key factor with the five students that participate in the program. At the NUFP weekly meetings, they discuss higher education as a profession. They go over the application process for typical jobs in the occupation, and the steps it takes to get your master’s degree, in-depth.

“A lot of students won’t even apply to grad school because they hate getting denied,” Douglas said. “I try to take the fear out of that.”

Students do not get credit for their participation in the program. They need a minimum grade point average of 2.5, but most importantly, they need the dedication to succeed.

“There are students who come to our meetings that aren’t NUFP students,” Douglas said. “They’ll come and say ‘I don’t fit any of the categories [on the application],’ but if they’re willing to come sit in my class for an hour a week, they get the same benefits. It is all about commitment.”

University Efforts Today

Even if students come away from NUFP not wanting to work in higher education, Douglas still considers that a success. Saving students years investing in a career that they don’t like opens up opportunity to decide what path is a better fit for them.

“Our students that leave here are so remarkable and they are going to these schools and are shining examples of what our profession is about,” Douglas said. “It opens the road for other students to follow them.”

When Douglas’ students begin looking at schools, he urges them to write him down as a reference and to connect with alumni from the program for more information on an institution. Douglas’ philosophy of “each one teach one, each one help one” rings true year after year, as past NUFP students lend a hand to recent graduates of the program beginning their job search. “NUFP has laid a really good framework on how to set up my application. They set a pathway and keep me on track. It’s great having someone with the answers,” said Edward Mejia, Chico State student and program participator.

California State University, Chico is in the process of planning a Dream Center for undocumented students.

In 2001, State Law AB 540 was signed into the California Education code allowing exemption from out of state tuition for undocumented students. These students have attended high school in California for over three years, graduated from a California high school, and signed an affidavit stating that they will apply for U.S. residency as soon as possible.

State Law AB 540 came to be known as the California Dream Act. Students under the newly formed policy are known as Dream students.

Chico State is home to approximately 750 Dream students.

Jordan Walsh, Chico State’s former commissioner of diversity affairs, said she saw the need for a Dream Center when she came in contact with Dream students on campus.

“I’ve had so many [Dream] students come into my office and tell me that they don’t feel like they fit in on campus, and there is no space for them,” Walsh said.

A Dream Center is a dedicated place where students can feel safe and connected to their peers.

Assistant director of Advising at the Financial Aid and Scholarship Office and Leaders Educating for the Advancement of Dreamers (LEAD) advisor Elizabeth Alaniz said that LEAD is taking strides in educating and bringing acceptance to the campus.

As Chico State becomes a Hispanic Serving Institution, a Dream Center is needed immediately, Deanna Jarquin, AS President said.

“My hope is that it will change the culture around what it means to be an undocumented student and the various challenges students face because of that status,” she said. “The Dream Center will push our campus to embrace students because of their identities and leave judgment behind.”

The Dream Center will serve as a safe space for students who are a part of the program to get connected on campus. The organization will also work to educate students on AB 540 and provide legal counseling and assistance among other things to help them be successful.

Walsh said that she wants every AB 540 student to stay strong, even if they feel like they are struggling.

“They belong here as much as anybody else does, and they have a right to their education,” she said. “[Dream students] are inspiring so many people who will come after them.”

Last year, Walsh wrote a resolution to have a Dream Center. It is one of a series of steps that must be taken before the Dream Center can become a reality.

The Hmong Cultural Center of Butte County is the cornerstone for awareness and activism for the Hmong community in Butte County, despite its unexpected location.

A cream-colored strip mall sharing a parking lot with an Applebee's and a Tractor Supply Co. seems like an unlikely home for the entity spearheading awareness and outreach for the Hmong people—an ethnic population originally from the mountainous regions of China, Laos, Vietnam, and Thailand.

One may wonder how the Hmong community would come to reside in Butte County of all places.

According to Seng Yang, the director of the Hmong Cultural Center, Butte County is very similar to the environment that they are used to.

“We tend to live in the mountains and rural areas that are more quiet and close to natural resources,” Yang said.

The desire for awareness of the Hmong culture seems to be a running theme with its members.

There is quite a bit of confusion with the differentiation between the Hmong people and other Asian cultures, according to Yang. The center highlights the Hmong culture and practices in order to combat this.

The Hmong community in Butte County is part of an environment that has a population close to 87 percent Caucasian, according to Census data from 2014. The Hmong’s populations in California hovers around 95,000, and close to 10,000 of them call Butte County home.

“We provide pretty large services and resources to the Hmong community [in Butte County],” Yang said in reference to the center.

Some of the most prominent services and programs that the center offers include outreach to the Hmong elders that focus on their mental health, family planning services, and helping the youth keep a positive path and celebrate their culture through afterschool and summer youth programs.

Chico State has a definite influence on the local Hmong community as the only four-year institution in the county.

“We are pretty close with Chico State because most of the Hmong kids went to Chico State, including myself,” Yang said. “I attended Hmong Students Association meetings and events in the past on campus to let them know that [the] Hmong Cultural Center is here if [they] do need any help, [the] Hmong Cultural Center is willing to do our best to help. I also encourage Hmong students to study hard because [their] brothers, sisters, family, relatives, and community are facing so many challenges that are waiting for [their] education and expertise to help.”

Steven Vang, a member of the Hmong Student Association at Chico State and the student assistant for the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, said that he would like to see more of a relationship form between the campus and the Hmong Cultural Center of Butte County.

According to Vang, the Cultural Center is making a name for the Hmong community outside of campus, while the Hmong Student Association is making a name for itself at Chico State.

“We really want to make an impact on this campus,” Vang said.

The Hmong Cultural Center of Butte County has internship and volunteer opportunities. To learn more or to connect, you can visit their website or call 530-534-7474.

The Hmong Student Association has a consistently updated profile here.

Dr. Michelle Morris’ experience growing up has made her a major advocate for diversity and inclusion in higher education.

Morris, faculty and diversity officer at California State University, Chico, has been teaching nutrition for over 20 years. She was the first to attend college in her Mexican-American family from Santa Rosa, California.

She learned all about the college process and SATs through campus tours from her friends’ families, who held an extreme value on higher education, she said. With their help, she decided to attend UC Davis, where she earned her PhD in nutrition.

Morris said that she credits her success in college to initiatives such as the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) aimed to help retain first-generation students. Without the advising and counseling she received at UC Davis, Morris never would have applied for and received the Ford Foundation Fellowship Program (FFFP) grant.

“[The FFFP grant is a] tremendous philanthropic organization about social justice issues, education, and empowerment of individuals,” she said.

Three years of Morris’ time at grad school were paid for by the FFFP. To this day, she remains actively involved, currently serving as consultant for the program.

According to Morris, she excelled and enjoyed college so much that she never wanted to leave. She decided to become a professor so she could continue to be in a learning environment. She started teaching part-time at San Jose State for a few years before landing a full-time position at Chico State in 2000.

To this day, some of the best parts of Morris’ day are the hours she spends teaching in the classroom, she said.

Morris accepted the role as faculty and diversity officer for Chico State in fall 2014. The change in her role allowed her to impact Chico State on a wider scale.

According to Morris, working with Tray Robinson on the University Diversity Council—helping people feel affirmed that every aspect of their identities can be valued and respected—is great work.

Morris recognizes the importance of expanding diversity on campus as the percentages of underrepresented minorities continue to rise, she said. She acknowledges that working in education allows her to exercise her mind and engage in work that "feeds the soul."

According to Morris, the poster of Cesar Chavez hanging in her office fills her with a lot of gratitude for all of the opportunities her education has given her. While she gets to work with her mind in an office, millions—including her family—exhaust their bodies in a day's work.

“I am a fan of the work and social justice work [of] Cesar Chavez,” she said. “Sometimes I like to get out there and do physical labor too, but I think about how blessed I am to be in this position and so I don’t take it lightly, I’m filled with a lot of gratitude for the opportunities my education has given me and I think that’s what drives me.”

"The FFFP grant is a tremendous philanthropic organization about social justice issues, education, and empowerment of individuals."

For 15 years, the Student Support Services (SSS) program at Chico State has been helping students who face challenges make their way to graduation.

The program creates a level playing field for students who come from low-income backgrounds, are the first of their family to go to college, or have a disability. Students who meet these qualifications can apply, and once accepted, become members who are able to take full advantage of its services until they graduate. These services include everything from assistance with securing financial aid to personal, academic, and career counseling.

“It honestly is like family away from home,” says Suman Kaur, SSS student peer advisor. “[In] ways in which my mom and dad and brother and sister can’t [be there], they can.”

In fall 2014, Chico State opened its doors to 2,946 freshmen and transfer students, 50 percent of whom were first-generation college students, according to Tasha Dev, Student Support Services Center program director.

Being the first in a family to attend college is a challenge that can be overlooked, but the SSS program does everything possible to provide first-generation students with endless support, extensive skills, and thorough resources to guarantee their success, Dev said.

Funded by the U.S. Department of Education, SSS was the third educational opportunity program after Upward Bound and Talent Search to be established under the Higher Education Act of 1965. It was approved by former president Lyndon Johnson to open doors for all students, regardless of their background, giving them the opportunity to attend college.

These three programs make up TRiO—a series of programs to help Americans overcome class and social barriers to obtain a higher education. Chico State hosts all three programs.

According to Dev, the SSS program knows how to predict the difficulties students will face and help them identify and remove any challenges that arise.

“We want to provide them with the scaffolding so they can become self-advocates, become self-directed and successful,” Dev said.

SSS Student Development Coordinator Megan Kurtz believes that the program’s open-door policy and ever-present staff is the biggest help to students. They have a sense that someone is supporting them in a loving manner to help them become an active community member.

“[They know] that [they’re] not only working on a GPA,” Kurtz said. “But [they’re] working on having a sense of community, a sense of belonging, a sense of self.”