The Vietnam War impacted Cal Poly students, staff, faculty, and the San Luis Obispo community.
Resources listed here can get you started on researching the impact of the Vietnam War at Cal Poly.
Students gather in front of the Administration Building during a Vietnam War protest in February 1968. Students were protesting a recruitment event involving DOW Chemical Company. University Archives Photograph Collection, ua-pho_00000365.
President Robert E. Kennedy addresses students gathered on Dexter Lawn on May 4, 1970, the day of the Kent State shootings. Governor Ronald Reagan closed most California public universities and colleges in the aftermath of the invasion of Cambodia and the Kent State killings, but Cal Poly remained open. University Archives Photograph Collection, ua-pho_00000243.
Topics and Events to explore
Some of the student clubs and organizations responding to the Vietnam War:
Students for New Action Politics (SNAP) was a student club active in leading protests in the late 1960s and early 1970s
Operation Handclasp
Vietnam Vets: Chi Gamma Iota (Cal Poly Veterans Club): a club to "bring together ex-G.I.s who, after serving their country, are now seeking an education."
Other keywords to start your search: Vietnam, Viet nam, Viet-nam, Vietnamese, Operation Handclasp, Draft, Students for New Action Politics, Vietnam Moratorium
Over 50 Vietnamese students were enrolled at Cal Poly between 1950 and 1971. Request International Student enrollment data from University Archives at archives@calpoly.edu