The Fight Against The EO 1100r Continues

Kimberly Silverio Bautist
Dec 10, 2018
2 min read

Updated: Dec 10, 2020

NORTHRIDGE, CA - California State University, Northridge students and faculty march out of classes to oppose the Executive Order 1100r. Cultural, ethnic, and gender studies are in danger of extinction. It targets general education courses that focus on diversity.

CSUN students protesting in front of the Oviatt Library holding sigs. Credits: LA Times

Section F is known as the Comparative Cultural Studies/Gender, Race, Class, and Ethnicity Studies, and Foreign Languages. Chicano and Chicana studies and Gender Women Studies are examples of these studies.

Students and faculty voice their concern by protesting across campus.

David Contreras, a CSUN Graduate student said they will become voiceless within higher education if the executive order is implemented, “Section F is gonna get smaller. We are going to get diluted through the system. We are gonna get diluted through different departments and eventually were are gonna disappear.” These studies have given the students a voice where the k-12 system did not.

Students walked out of their classroom and gathered in front of Sierra Tower. Then proceeded to University Hall protesting the CSUN administration to not abolish the courses.

Asian American Studies Prof. Gina Masequesmay explained the impact it will have on the order towards the studies. “American Indian Studies have about 80 something percent of their classes on Section F, so by eliminating Section F that will go away.”

Masequesmay emphasizes the importance of having ethnic studies at CSUN. Students feel a sense of belonging and “affirme their abilities and ... identities to stay on this campus and to graduate.”

Chicano and Chicana Studies and Central American Studies have impacted many students. CSUN student Fernando Lopez is one of them. These studies made him more eager to learn more about them because he didn't study any of these in high school. He believes it’s his duty to fight for future generations.

“I don’t want to be that one person who that just wants to learn about one history. I want to be able to learn about other people's cultures especially because we are living in such a diverse community and and adverse society.”

The fight for these studies will continue till they are no longer in danger.