She grew up among Vietnamese, Chinese, Koreans, whites and Latinos. Her hometown, San Rafael, is more diverse than Chico, but she has adjusted.
As a Hispanic-American, junior Erica Ramirez is an ethnic minority at Chico State. But she is part of an increasingly large campus population.
November marks the 10th year since California voters passed Proposition 209, which prohibits discrimination or preferential treatment based on race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin. This applies to admission to public university systems, among other public and government institutions.
Despite the law, Chico State has been able to increase its number of ethnic minorities because the university has increased recruitment of a variety of races.
The admissions program's decisions are not based on race or gender, and race cannot be the only criterion used for admission, said John Swiney, director of admissions.
"Our admissions program is race-blind and gender-blind," Swiney said. "We do not base enrollment on those features."
Recruiting color
Chico State's initiative to recruit ethnic minority students began in 2001, with the goal of creating a more diverse campus. One of the goals was to double the number of black students in two years, and a change in the recruitment process has paid off, Swiney said.
Since 2001, the number of ethnic minority students who applied to Chico State has increased, he said.
The program wants to make ethnic minority students feel welcome on campus and has a program in which prospective minority students can spend a day with current minority students, Swiney said.
But while creating a more diverse campus is the goal for administrators, some students say it's challenging to go to a school that is so different from their hometowns, and that diversity needs to be taught on campus.
Tough transitions
Even though Ramirez was prepared to come to Chico and has adjusted well, at times she felt she was not welcome in Chico. She has never faced racial prejudice while in Chico but has felt uncomfortable in certain places because of how people looked at her, she said.
Most minority students have to deal with feelings of discomfort or of not belonging, she said. There are students who do not adjust as well, and they don't finish school.
"A lot of people who come to Chico experience immense culture shock," she said. "Not everyone has an open mind."
Sophomore Loida Ortiz, a Latina from Riverside, lived in the dorms her first year at Chico State, where she felt uncomfortable because of the dirty looks people gave her, she said.
Ortiz remembers that on her first day, she was in an elevator in Whitney Hall with two white families that gave her weird looks, she said.
No excuse to fail
Ramirez has heard students use their cultural background as an excuse to fail, but that shouldn't be the case, she said.
"Minorities shouldn't look at themselves as minorities," Ramirez said. "They are just like any other student on campus."
Ramirez, who also works as an admission technician for the Educational Opportunity Program, wants other minority students to know that they can succeed in college, she said.
The program helps students from disadvantaged backgrounds who are the first generation in their families to attend college. Most of the program's participants are minority students, although it is not exclusively for minorities.
Other programs that help minority students and those who wouldn't usually attend college because of disadvantaged backgrounds are Educational Talent Search, Upward Bound, the Business Resource Center and the Mathematics Engineering Science Achievement program.
Ramirez would like to live in a world where color doesn't matter, but until then, education is a good place to start, she said. People need to be open-minded and accept that there are people of different races.
"Being colorblind would be wonderful," she said, "but until we live in that world, we need to teach others who we are."
Teaching diversity
Exposure to diversity needs to start with students educating others about their cultures. If minority students want to be recognized, they need to be the initiators, said Tray Robinson, Chico State's diversity coordinator.
Robinson encourages student organizations to teach people of different races about their cultures and welcome them into their groups. There needs to be a conscious effort to celebrate other cultures, he said.
During the Multicultural Welcome held in September, student organizations that represent minority groups and programs that help minorities were invited to share the goals and purposes of their organizations.
Shaunte Thomas, president of Women of Excellence, was at the event. She started the club because she never saw blacks, Asians and whites working together, and she wanted that to change, she said.
The Multicultural Affairs Council meets weekly to discuss ways to promote multicultural awareness, said commissioner Osazee Edebiri. Part of the group's goal is to make students of different races feel comfortable around each other, he said.
"I don't want to force people to believe in diversity because people don't like to be forced," he said. "But I want to teach people so they can get say, 'This is something I like and I can respect.'"
Tang Lor can be reached at
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Even though Ramirez was prepared to come to Chico and has adjusted well, at times she felt she was not welcome in Chico. She has never faced racial prejudice while in Chico but has felt uncomfortable in certain places because of how people looked at her, she said.
Most minority students have to deal with feelings of discomfort or of not belonging, she said. There are students who do not adjust as well, and they don't finish school.
"A lot of people who come to Chico experience immense culture shock," she said. "Not everyone has an open mind."
Sophomore Loida Ortiz, a Latina from Riverside, lived in the dorms her first year at Chico State, where she felt uncomfortable because of the dirty looks people gave her, she said.
Ortiz remembers that on her first day, she was in an elevator in Whitney Hall with two white families that gave her weird looks, she said.
No excuse to fail
Ramirez has heard students use their cultural background as an excuse to fail, but that shouldn't be the case, she said.
"Minorities shouldn't look at themselves as minorities," Ramirez said. "They are just like any other student on campus."
Ramirez, who also works as an admission technician for the Educational Opportunity Program, wants other minority students to know that they can succeed in college, she said.
The program helps students from disadvantaged backgrounds who are the first generation in their families to attend college. Most of the program's participants are minority students, although it is not exclusively for minorities.
Other programs that help minority students and those who wouldn't usually attend college because of disadvantaged backgrounds are Educational Talent Search, Upward Bound, the Business Resource Center and the Mathematics Engineering Science Achievement program.
Ramirez would like to live in a world where color doesn't matter, but until then, education is a good place to start, she said. People need to be open-minded and accept that there are people of different races.
"Being colorblind would be wonderful," she said, "but until we live in that world, we need to teach others who we are."
Teaching diversity
Exposure to diversity needs to start with students educating others about their cultures. If minority students want to be recognized, they need to be the initiators, said Tray Robinson, Chico State's diversity coordinator.
Robinson encourages student organizations to teach people of different races about their cultures and welcome them into their groups. There needs to be a conscious effort to celebrate other cultures, he said.
During the Multicultural Welcome held in September, student organizations that represent minority groups and programs that help minorities were invited to share the goals and purposes of their organizations.
Shaunte Thomas, president of Women of Excellence, was at the event. She started the club because she never saw blacks, Asians and whites working together, and she wanted that to change, she said.
The Multicultural Affairs Council meets weekly to discuss ways to promote multicultural awareness, said commissioner Osazee Edebiri. Part of the group's goal is to make students of different races feel comfortable around each other, he said.
"I don't want to force people to believe in diversity because people don't like to be forced," he said. "But I want to teach people so they can get say, 'This is something I like and I can respect.'"
Tang Lor can be reached at
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