In recognition of the displaced Japanese-American students enrolled in the California State University system during 1941-42, the California State University Board of Trustees unanimously voted to award the students, living or deceased, with honorary baccalaureate degrees.

On Feb. 19, 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066 during World War II, forcing more than 120,000 persons of Japanese descent to federal internment camps.

Any former CSU students whose studies were interrupted when sent to internment camps may be eligible to receive the honorary degrees for their academic intentions. If the student is deceased, any surviving family member may receive the award in his or her honor.

“Giving (the honorary degrees) is a very good thing,” said Japanese professor and Japan Club adviser Kazue Matsuyama. “Some students aren’t aware of the conflicts that occurred in California against Japanese-Americans.”

The first honorary degree was awarded on Sept. 23 to Vivian Uwate Nelson. Nelson is the daughter of former San Francisco State University student Aiko Nishi Uwate, who was a Japanese-American sent to the Gila River relocation camp in Arizona, according to a press release by the California State University Public Affairs office.

“Hundreds of students were removed from colleges and universities, forced to delay or abandon their dreams based solely on their ancestry,” CSU Chancellor Charles B. Reed said in a press release. “By issuing honorary degrees, we hope to achieve a small right in the face of such grave wrongs.”

The United States government also recognized that students’ education was affected by their time in internment camps.

According to the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, “The excluded individuals of Japanese ancestry suffered enormous damages, both material and intangible, and there were incalculable losses in education and job training.”

The decision to award the former CSU Japanese-American students with honorary degrees was prompted by a bill authored by Assemblymember Warren T. Furutani. Assembly Bill 37 was introduced to the Legislature in December 2008 and put to action on Aug. 31.

Under this law, representatives from the public postsecondary education systems including the CSU, University of California and the California Community College system, are required to ensure each deserving person from their campus is awarded with an honorary degree.

There will be no time limit to award these honorary degrees and no limit on the number of degrees that may be awarded annually, according to Action Item 4 of the Committee on Educational Policy agenda.

This is an exception to the CSU guidelines for the awarding of honorary degrees approved by the Board of Trustees on Jan. 24, 1996.

According to the press release from Furutani’s office, 2,567 Japanese American students were enrolled in California’s higher education institutions at the time of the incarceration to the camps.

CSU is requesting public assistance identifying former Japanese American students and families. Give information by calling (562) 951-4723 or e-mailing [email protected].

Gina Cruz can be reached at [email protected].