Restore CSU Hayward

If President Morishita wants the university to walk like a CSU in Hayward, talk like a CSU in Hayward, look like a CSU in Hayward, be supported as a CSU in Hayward, then the university should call itself CSU HAYWARD. As it did for 43 years. He may not duck the question. Almost all CSUs, Bakersfield to Stanislaus, are named for their host city and/or county. None has ever lost a local name to a regional name. The few name changes have always been regional to local. Almost all CSU host communities, cities and counties, have faced the same challenges as Hayward, some worse. No other CSU has threatened its host community with or executed name change.

ONE: Bay Area Wide – When CSU San Francisco becomes CSU West Bay, CSU San Jose CSU South Bay, CSU Sonoma CSU North Bay, then CSU Hayward may be accurately, correctly, equally, fairly become East Bay. TWO: State-wide – When CSU Humbolt becomes CSU North Coast, CSU San Diego, CSU South Coast, CSU Chico, CSU North Valley, CSU San Bernardino CSU Desert Valley, and all others in between take regional names, then CSU Hayward may accurately, correctly, equally, fairly become CSU East Bay. To single out CSU in Hayward alone for name change, excluding all other CSUs for ten years running, is unprecedented, anomalous. CSUEB becomes the odd man out, the sore thumb, the ugly duckling.

CSU Hayward, more than many CSUs, was the result of community leaders actively working to bringing a CSU to Hayward. CSU ‘Egregious Banishment’ in Hayward, 2004-05, promoted estrangement rather than support, blindness rather than vision. Your first page title might as well read ‘CSUEB president seeks Hayward support to promote school’s vision with Hayward’s name scrubbed after 43 years’.

The current president, the immediate past president now at SJSU, the CSU chancellor, have no skin in ‘East Bay’. They would be wise to urge the immediate restoration of CSU HAYWARD until such time as all CSUs are given regional names, perhaps compass point plus geographical feature as in ‘East Bay’. It is stranger still that CSU in Hayward alone among all CSUs has a regional name when, by any definition of regional, most CSUs, are more regional than CSU in Hayward. And, of course, all ten UCs, more regional by definition than CSUs, bear their city and/or county’s host name.

Peter D. Reimer
Hayward
Life Member, CSUH Alumni Association