May 22, 2023 – Chico State to Rename Sutter Hall

Dear Campus Community,

It’s been four years since I announced our new strategic priorities and our commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion. In doing the work to cultivate and nurture an inclusive campus, we must dare to learn and grow.

After thoughtful consideration and a thorough research-based examination of the legacy of John Sutter, the University is moving forward with the renaming of Sutter Hall.

For several years, Chico State students, faculty, and staff have requested to rename Sutter Hall, one of the University’s eight residential communities. They expressed concerns over the detrimental effects that having a building bearing the Sutter name has had on members of our University community.

Friends of the Mechoopda, a group of faculty, staff, and community members supporting local native concerns, took the initiative to examine Sutter’s complex legacy and present their findings to the University. Their scrupulous research affirmed how his business ventures came at the expense of Indigenous people, whom he enslaved, killed, and abused.

The University drew inspiration from our neighboring Northern California counties to name some of its buildings, and John Sutter is the namesake of one of those counties. Our commitment to our strategic priority of equity, diversity, and inclusion prompts us to consider ways in which our institution may be causing harm to any populations and preserving systemic racism—or simply condoning it through inaction. 

We cannot undo the harm caused, but we can course correct and make decisions that align with the University’s values.

The Office of Tribal Relations convened a diverse committee of Chico State students, faculty, and staff who reviewed possible names and offered a recommendation to my office. The selected name is Éstom Jámani, which translates to Middle Mountains, the northwestern Maidu term for the buttes rising from the valley floor south of Chico. The phrase reflects what the area was known as by the Mechoopda and other surrounding Maidu tribes prior to colonial contact.

The removal of the signage will occur in late May, with plans to install permanent signage before the start of the fall semester. Temporary signs will be put in place to help our summer visitors and residents navigate campus. 

I appreciate the Friends of the Mechoopda and the committee for their diligence. I thank everyone involved for their thoughtful and fact-based approach while helping guide the University in this important step.

The University is committed to advancing Tribal relations and ensuring that we foster an environment where Native American students, faculty, and staff feel a sense of belonging. Some of the previous actions we have taken include:

• Reaffirmation of a memorandum of understanding for guiding principles for Chico State’s consultation with the Mechoopda Indian Tribe and a resolution for a territorial land acknowledgment.
• Working with Tribes on a government-to-government basis and with other Tribal partners to provide access to social, emotional, and academic support for Native American students.
• Transfer of ownership of the Butte Creek Ecological Preserve in 2022 from Chico State Enterprises to the Mechoopda Indian Tribe—the first land transfer agreement of its kind in the state.
• Working with six tribes since 2020 on the repatriation of ancestors with the goal to complete repatriation efforts by early summer 2023.
• Relocation of the Office of Tribal Relations to the Center for Continuing Education Building in June 2023 in adherence with the University’s Master Plan, with a vision to eventually develop it into a formalized center. 

Together, these acts help address systemic racism here at Chico State. While imperfect, they are a start at working to create a more inclusive community for all.

Sincerely,
Gayle E. Hutchinson
President