The Caltech Y staff, from left: Molly Hood,
Athena Castro, Diana Salazar, Greg Fletcher, and Armida McGill.

85 years old and going strong

What Institute organization has brought such luminaries as Martin Luther King, Jr., and Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas to campus? Inspired Robert Millikan to bequeath the bulk of his estate to it? Can claim Frank Capra as an alum? And does everything from involving students in community service to serving them home-cooked chili during finals?

That would be the Caltech Y, of course. The Y has come a long way since its modest beginning in 1916, when a group of students decided to form a Young Men’s Christian Association at Throop College of Technology. As the organization celebrates its 85th birthday this year, it is no longer a part of the national YMCA, but is an independent, nonprofit service organization officially affiliated with Caltech. It has, however, continued to take to new levels the original vision of its founders “to enrich student life; to enable students to learn about themselves and their place in the world community through increased social, ethical, and cultural awareness; and to address unmet student needs.”

As Athena Castro, who joined the Y staff in 1997 and became executive director in 2000, observes, “Eighty-five years is a long time, but as I reflect on its history, the Y and its mission really haven’t changed since the beginning.”

She notes that the Y’s programs—the majority of which are still entirely student-initiated and led—have continued to impact generations of students and alums, as its founders envisioned years ago. Last year’s annual report, for instance, brought to the Y’s current staff a variety of fond reminiscences from alums of the Y ExComm, the student executive committee, some of those alums hailing back to the 1930s. A number of Y and other Caltech alums have also returned to serve on the board of directors, including current president John Gee, class of 1953, as well as members John Fee, class of 1951, and Frank Dryden, class of 1954. “It’s great to see alums coming back,” Castro says. “I think it’s exciting for them to give back to something they enjoyed when they were students.”

She believes the Y’s staying power and loyalty-inspiring ability are due to its immediacy and relevance to students: “Our strength is that we’re an integral part of campus, providing great services and programs that really enhance student life.” People often don’t realize it was the Y that birthed many Caltech traditions, she says, including Frosh Camp and the little t freshman handbook—“things that are now institutionalized. That’s really exciting, and it feels good to be a part of this.”

In addition to Castro, the Y staff has grown to include four other members: Armida McGill, community service accountant; Diana Salazar, bookkeeper; Greg Fletcher, activities coordinator; and Molly Hood, board programs and office coordinator. There is also the board of directors, comprising Caltech alumni, Caltech and JPL faculty and staff, and community members; and the ExComm, a committee of both undergraduate and graduate students that plans and governs the Y’s day-to-day activities, which are myriad.

A typical academic term might include collaborating with other campus groups on a cultural celebration such as Black History Month, Semana Latina, or Asian Pacific Heritage Week; numerous community service opportunities; and global and political awareness events such as Earth Day and a Social Activism Speaker Series lecture. Add in Decompression, a weekend-long social just before finals that features the Y’s traditional chili; several noon concerts; hikes; a camping trip; and a museum or symphony outing. Multiply everything by three school terms, and it adds up to a heaping plate, which suits the Y just fine.

To Castro, that means the organization is excelling at its task of involving Caltech students in the world beyond academia, not always easy at such a study-intensive institution. She notes with satisfaction that this year’s Alternative Spring Break community service trips to Tecolote, Mexico, and the Navajo Nation in Utah had nearly reached its capacity of 40 by the end of the first day of sign-ups. “We’re getting some pretty awesome numbers,” she says, even as she and her staff continue “racking our brains” to bring in more and more students.

Plans for this year include an anniversary celebration for students, board members, and alums on Sunday, May 19, Alumni Seminar Day weekend. In addition, Castro explains, “There’s always confusion about the Y and its relationship with Caltech,” so a committee, formed in 2000, has been expanding public relations outreach to the campus community.

And, as always, the focus will remain on fulfilling the ideals that have fueled the Y for more than fourscore years. As Castro says, “We’re planning to continue doing what we do best—to provide experiences for students to learn about themselves and broaden their perspectives.”

For more information on the Caltech Y, call ext. 6163, e-mail caltechy@caltech.edu, or visit www.caltechy.org.
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Selected events from the Caltech Y’s first 85 years
compiled by John Fee ’51, board treasurer

October 1, 1916 Eleven students of Throop College of Technology petition for a campus YMCA, later to be called the Caltech Y.
1918 Primarily a service organization, the Y provides refreshments to soldiers training locally during World War I.
1920 Throop College becomes the California Institute of Technology.
1924 An advisory board, composed of faculty, clergy, and alumni, is formed.
1925–34 Many programs are begun, such as student counseling, assembly speakers, a club to assist foreign students, faculty-student mixers, the little t freshman handbook, and a student loan fund.
1930s–1940s As World War II approaches, the Y meets student interests with speakers on peace, government reforms, labor issues, and other moral and political questions. The Y also fills a huge need by assisting students with wartime anxieties.
1949 The Y incorporates and gains nonprofit status.
1951 Board chair Stan Johnson donates $4,000 to establish the Leaders of America program, bringing Martin Luther King, Jr., Justice William O. Douglas, and other personalities to Caltech to speak.
1961 The Friends of the Y program is founded to assist in raising needed funds.
1960s The Y’s China Institute and the Ghetto and the City conference address racial and civil rights issues.
1970s With female undergraduates entering Caltech, the board realizes Y students are not all young, men, or Christian. It votes on a friendly separation from the national YMCA, keeping the name Caltech Y.
1980s The Y begins renting event and camping equipment to students; expands its program of free or subsidized student cultural events tickets; and establishes noon concerts and Noon Update talks.
1990 A community volunteering program for students is started.
1996 The first Alternative Spring Break is established by a trip to the Navajo Nation.
1999 The first Compression is held, and the Social Activism Speaker Series is begun.
2001 Make-a-Difference Day is established, expanding the Y’s community service program.