Since its opening in October 1975, the Cesar Chavez Student Center has been a space for student life at San Francisco State University, hosting student organizations and events throughout its history, and serving as the center of student gatherings and protests in honor of its roots in reform. Public access to the building started exactly 50 years ago on Oct. 29, 1975, according to Zenger’s, a newsletter produced by the Associated Students in the ‘70s.
Initially named Fenneman Hall after radio presenter and SFSU alum George Fenneman and renamed for activist and farm worker union organizer Cesar Chavez, the student center is housed in a university with a long history of activism. Students from the Third World Liberation Front and Black Student Union held the longest student strike in U.S. history from November 1968 to March 1969. The strike sought to bring more representation of students and faculty of color at the university, both in enrollment and course materials. This led to the creation of the country’s first College of Ethnic Studies.
“Much like the College of Ethnic Studies, Cesar Chavez Student Center was created with the intention of making students of color feel seen, have their needs addressed, and to have a space to thrive on campus,” said Verónica Turner, the College of Ethnic Studies representative for AS.
Today, murals decorate the inside and outside of the building with Cesar Chavez and Malcolm X facing Malcolm X Plaza, and others representing communities like Asian and Pacific Islanders, Latin Americans and incarcerated people.
“This building, the legacy of Cesar Chavez himself, reminds us that the work is never done, and that students are not just the future, they are the present,” said Alejandro Rios, executive director of AS.
Paffard Keatinge-Clay’s design for the building was chosen among consideration of 49 other architects’ designs, according to Eric Keune’s book on the English architect.
The architects received a letter from Associated Students that read, “We want a building or buildings about what students are about — generous, exorbitant, energetic, anxious, frivolous, raw, shy and with some secret spaces and some intricate spaces,” according to “Beyond Habit,” a book written by Moshe Safdie, the original winner of the architectural contest. Safdie’s design originally won, but was later rejected, and six other finalists, including Keatinge-Clay, were invited back for reconsideration.
Meredith Eliassen, a special collections librarian and SFSU alum, has fond recollections of the student center.
“[The student center] has created an iconic focal point for the university for 50 years, but it is our student organizations and activities that keep the building relevant today and going into the future,” Eliassen said. “It became an informal place to meet people, to eat and just hang out. When I was a student, you could kind of slither in and get your coffee, and sometimes The Depot would have performances in the afternoon and early evening.”
After 50 years, the student center remains a hub for current students looking for resources like the Queer and Trans Resource Center, Gator Groceries and the Women’s Center. Students also come just to study, eat or even play some video games in the basement.
In late September, SFSU had a week-long celebration for the building’s 50th anniversary. Events included mariachi music from Mariachi de Estelar, free tacos catered by Taqueria Girasol and the opening of a new art exhibit in the student center.
“I thought it was a success, not just that one day, but the whole week,” said Marco Ballesteros, owner of the taqueria. “It could’ve been better; fireworks would have been nice.”
In total, Ballesteros estimated that he and his crew served about 500 members of the SFSU community.
Iris Balcazar, a political science student and intern for AS, said she spends most of her time in the student center.
“I really do like what this building offers, it’s not just a community space, but also having a lot of organizations and resources like Gator Groceries and the fun activities they provide here like The Depot,” Balcazar said. “I think it’s a really valuable resource for the students here.”
Balcazar also said the university could add more to the center, but said she understands that possible budget cuts or allocated money for student resources from the university may affect that.
Plotted near the J. Paul Leonard Library and surrounded by various department buildings, it is the epicenter for all those who walk onto the SFSU campus.
“This building here fights for you whether you know it or not,” said Horace Montgomery, the AS assistant executive director of programs. “The students in this building fight for you whether you know it or not. This is, to me, what makes San Francisco State, San Francisco State.”
