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SDSU’s Challenge
Significantly, in the spring of EOP’s first year of operation, on April 24, 1970, an editorial in The Daily Aztec described, “several hundred blacks and Chicanos, screaming, yelling, and threatening [AS] Council members and generally causing havoc and creating an unbelievable mob scene, the like of which has never been part of AS government.” The editorial went on to accuse ethnic student organizations of “blackmail, coercion, and piracy in regards to AS budget appropriations.” The editorial ran next to a cartoon that depicted ethnic students as banditos, spear-chuckers, samurai warriors, scalping Indians, drunks and pirates.
The dynamics at the time were such that various ethnic groups felt the need to have their own programs; and, thus, an EOP was formed for African Americans, another for Chicanas and Chicanos, another for Native Americans, and another for Filipinos and Asian Americans. In the beginning, EOP was decentralized. Changes in California demography pushed the University to alter the status quo, open its doors to non-white students, and re-examine its policies on admissions, employment, and curriculum.
1974
In 1974, Chávez was appointed director and charged with restructuring and
realigning the five separate EOPs into one unified program. EOP experienced
strong growth during his tenure, bringing structure and expansion to the
program in regards to both students and resources. Chávez served as
director of EOP for 30 years, retiring in 2003.
1976
EOP consolidates into one
program, which then expands into
the Office of Educational
Opportunity and Minority Affairs.
A Decade of Consolidation, Growth, and Continuing Strugglege
Growing Pains
In the early 1970s, the separate EOPs were integrated into one centralized unit. In 1974, Gus Chavez was appointed director and charged with restructuring and realigning the five separate EOPs into one unified program.
Chavez took the lead in working with student leaders, key staff, faculty and administrators in a difficult struggle to overcome misperceptions about the worth of the program, mistrust of the people running the program, and misgivings about the loss of the different groups’ identities and autonomy.
According to Chavez, “The integrity of the struggle depended on all the directors’ and staff members’ dedication to the idea that all of the strengths of the individual programs would be preserved in the one centralized EOP.”
The Consolidation Process
The consolidation process, which took over three years, challenged the director to overcome students’ and staff members’ doubts and the administration’s desire to assimilate EOP into the traditional administrative structure of the University.
By the late 1970s, EOP had grown into a more viable program, which had significant impact on the campus and in the community. EOP programs and services grew throughout the CSU system, providing more structure, guidelines and regulations, and bringing more funding for EOP grants and services. Coordinated recruitment, admissions, and student support programs were greatly enhanced by the existence of EOP. By 1976, EOP was one consolidated program, which then expanded into The Office of Educational Opportunity and Minority Affairs. The office administered a variety of programs and services, including Core Student Affirmative Action (CORE SAA), The College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP), Student Special Services, the Black Communications Center (BCC), the Chicano Collection, and the High School Equivalency Program (HEP).