On May 13 and 14, 1975, some 2,000 students converge on the administration building at the University of Washington in the wake of the mass resignation of Chicana/o staff, faculty, and graduate students in response to the firing of two Chicana/o administrators and suspension of a third staff person on May 6, 1975. The student contingent, comprising UW MEChA (Movimiento Estudiantil Chicana/Chicano de Aztlan) and the ASUW Board of Control, called for a two-day boycott of classes to protest the hiring practices of the university's affirmative action program . The event marks a dramatic crisis in UW history as those seeking change within the academic system struggle with the university's status quo in attempting to make the university more accessible to underrepresented populations, in this case Chicanas/os and Latinas/os.
Nascent RumblingsThe recruitment of increased numbers of Chicana/o grad students, faculty, and staff had been at the center of student demands since the arrival of the first Chicanos to the UW campus. This battle between students and university administration intensified throughout the 1970s and early 1980s. At times, frustration at the slow pace of change led to demonstrations, the occupation of buildings, and the filing of complaints to state agencies dealing with civil rights.
According to scholar Rocio Mendoza, "The Chicana/o community felt that there were underlying issues at hand, and that the dismissals were only the tip of the iceberg. Deeper issues began to surface as students, faculty and staff began to organize and voice concerns over campus department hiring practices, and the overall lack of support for Chicana/o students and employees at the university" (Mendoza). The atmosphere of mistrust had already been in place since before the events of May 1975. As such, the stage was set for the firings and subsequent mass-resignations in solidarity with the personnel fired by the UW, in turn generating a massive response from students.
Student MobilizationsThe night of the firings, UW's MEChA chapter held a special meeting to discuss the situation. As a result, of the gathering, UW MEChA drafted a resolution and press release condemning the firings. With the aid of the ASUW, MEChA called for a two-day boycott of class, with the massive groundswell of support bringing more than 2,000 demonstrators both days, as well as letters of support from various organizations and academic institutions.
As Mendoza further notes "Off-campus organizations also joined to express their grave concerns over the mass resignations. The Chicano Education Association (State of Washington) filed an official complaint to the state of Washington's Health, Education and Welfare Department and asked that all federal funding be cut off from the University. They note[d] that the University [wa]s under severe criticism for its lack of an adequate affirmative action program and they demand[ed] that an investigation be conducted" (Mendoza).
Though the event put to question the UW's commitment to making the university more relevant to people of color, the crisis dissipated upon UW President John Hogness's letter expressing his regrets at the collective resignations. Meetings took place in which Hogness met with staff and faculty affected. As talks progressed, those who had resigned, rescinded their letters of resignation, effectively ending this phase of the struggle. As time made it known, the struggle over educational equity, and access to institutions of higher education would continue in various, though not as dramatic, incarnations, up to the present day.
