"There was a time when Indian students were not admitted into Chico State. This changed, however, in the early twentieth century when the Maidu and other natives of the then existing Chico Indian Rancheria were allowed into the Chico State Normal School (the precursor of today's university). Thus the first two native graduates were local Maidu: Arthur Johnson (Class of 1927) and Carl Delgado (1939)."

"Before 1968 very few tribal students attended Chico State, and the university provided few, if any, services to Native Americans and other minorities. Fortunately, this changed in the late 1960s when the university started recruiting students of color. This change was a by-product of the "Third World Movement," a movement initiated by minorities to protest their relative exclusion from U.S. universities. As a result of thier activism, colleges and universitites were pressured to recruit ethnic students and to introduce ethnice programs into their curriculum."

"The year 1971 was an important one for the few Native American students on the CSU, Chico campus. Three things happened. First, the university hired its first full-time Indian faculty. Richard Glazer-Danay, a Mohawk from New York, became the first coordinator of the newly established American Indian Studies Program (under Ethnic and Women's Studies). Second, permanent Indian studies courses were introduced into the CSUC curriculum. This included American Indian Studies 10 (Introduction to Contemporary American Indians). Third, the coordinator and the Indian students established a campus-based organization called the Native American Council (renamed the American Indian Club in recent years)."

"Over the years the native students of the Indian club have sponsored campus-based "Pow Wows" which include native dancing, singing, and feasting. Additionally, native speakers were brought to campus to enhance and heighten awareness of native cultures. Since the late 1970s these combined activities have become an annual event on campus."

Steven Crum, Native Americans and California State University Chico: A Documentary History, 1990, Special Collections, California State University, Chico, LD723 C783 1990.

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In 1967, 18 students formed the Black Student League. Changing their name to the Black Student Union in 1968, the members were almost every African American enrolled at Chico State. Also in 1968, the Black students advocated for, and gained approval of, Chico State's Black Studies Program. The program began in 1969. Through the 1960s and 1970s, the Black Student League / Black Student Union hosted events, fundraisers, and provided outreach to local youth. In 1979, the Pan African Union was formed. In 1991, through continued advicocy from Black students, staff, and faculty, the first Black Commencement Celebration was held.

Today, "The Black Student Union is a student run organization dedicated to the establishment of a constructive voice for African American students on the campus of the University and the city of Chico. The Black Student Union focuses on the educational and intellectual advancement of all students, while encouraging cultural awareness, leadership development, knowledge of current issues, and building a robust alliance with the University administration and other black student organizations on campus and in the community at large."

https://www.csuchico.edu/diversity/resources/timeline.shtml https://csuchico.campuslabs.com/engage/organization/black-student-union