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Chico State commended Up 'til Dawn on Friday outside Kendall Hall during the 100th anniversary of Charter Day, which was created to honor the founders of Normal School, the predecessor of Chico State.
Attendees were serenaded by The Off-Broadways, a student musical group which sang songs from 1909, and President Paul Zingg spoke to a small crowd of faculty, staff and students about the importance of those who have donated to the school.
To recognize the university's appreciation of gifts from John and Annie Bidwell and others, a plaque was unveiled marking the "Founders' Tree," a large London Plane dating back to the Bidwells' era, which stands just outside Kendall Hall.
The university has come a long way since the first Charter Day in 1909, including increasing the size of the campus from eight acres to 119 acres and increasing enrollment from 15 students to 17,000, Zingg said. Chico State's generosity has also increased.
All the hard work and effort that goes into putting on Up 'til Dawn, which raises money for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, is made easier because of the gregarious student community, said freshman Tony Benuzzi, who helped put on the fundraiser.
"A lot of people care about what goes on and it's really easy to raise awareness," Benuzzi said. "Everyone wants to help out and do something good."
Up 'til Dawn raised a record $204,000 Nov. 3 for St. Jude's and presented the check for the hospital at Charter Day, but Benuzzi thinks they can raise more in the future, he said.
"We're shooting for better, we hope for better," Benuzzi said. "We're trying to get more people out, more letters, more money."
The reason Chico State is such a charitable school is that the students work at making it charitable, Zingg said. Gifts of land from the Bidwells and a $3 million donation from charitable trusts set up by Vernon and Marie Fish were two of the donations recognized at Friday's event.
"The giving tradition was there at the beginning," Zingg said. "It's as strong as ever now."
The university tries to maintain enough programs so anyone is able to get involved in the community, Zingg said.
"I think we really tap into the goodness of students, faculty and staff," he said. "A lot of what we've been trying to do is build programs and develop a greater consciousness around those values."
Sophomore Daniel Cohn-Postar, who participates in blood drives, thinks Chico State has a lot of school spirit, but not necessarily in a traditional sense, he said.
"There's not a lot of spirit that you would normally find behind a football, sports-oriented school … and frankly I don't mind," Cohn-Postar said. "When it comes to stuff that matters more, like charities, there's an element of competitiveness."
The reputation Chico State has developed over the years does not fit what the school is all about, Cohn-Postar said. The party-school reputation has been over dramatized.
"I think there's a dichotomy between the history of the school and the reputation the school has with everyone else," he said. "Once you come here, it's completely different from what you would expect it to be."
The university will continue to push philanthropy with programs like Up 'til Dawn in the future, which will continue to make Chico State a better school, Zingg said.
"Our best days lie ahead," he said. "We will be a stronger institution 10 years from now."
Mike North can be reached at
mnorth@theorion.com
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