Ch A ▁chap ters ▁more ▁account able ▁to ▁the ▁national ▁organization . ▁ ▁Geography ▁ ▁In ▁ 1 9 6 9 , ▁ME Ch A ▁was ▁founded ▁in ▁Santa ▁Barbara , ▁California ▁where ▁Ch ican os ▁adopted ▁" El ▁Plan ▁de ▁Santa ▁Barbara ." ▁The ▁manif esto ▁provided ▁a ▁strategy ▁to ▁establish ▁Ch icano ▁Studies ▁Depart ments ▁within ▁colleg es ▁and ▁univers ities . ▁By ▁cons olid ating ▁student ' s ▁political ▁power , ▁ME Ch A ▁became ▁a ▁significant ▁on - camp us ▁political ▁force ▁and ▁the ▁name ▁sign ified ▁a ▁position ▁to ▁challenge ▁social ▁in just ices ▁and ▁to ▁reject ▁assim ilation ▁through ▁radical ▁activ ism ▁on - camp us ▁and ▁in ▁the ▁community . ▁ ▁While ▁the ▁student - led ▁organization ▁formed ▁in ▁California , ▁ME Ch A ▁became ▁a ▁national ▁organization ▁with ▁chap ters ▁in ▁junior ▁middle ▁schools , ▁high ▁schools , ▁community ▁colleg es , ▁and ▁univers ities . ▁Yet ▁ME Ch A ' s ▁ge ographic ▁expansion ▁was ▁rather ▁une ven . ▁From ▁ 1 9 6 9 ▁to ▁ 1 9 7 1 , ▁ME Ch A ▁grew ▁rapidly ▁in ▁California ▁with ▁major ▁cent ers ▁of ▁activ ism ▁on ▁camp uses ▁in ▁Los ▁Angeles , ▁Santa ▁Barbara , ▁San ▁Diego , ▁and ▁the ▁R ivers ide - San ▁Bernard ino ▁area . ▁Other ▁early ▁chap ters ▁were ▁also ▁established ▁in ▁Washington , ▁Oregon , ▁Arizona , ▁Colorado , ▁and ▁Indiana . ▁In ▁these ▁years , ▁new ▁chap ters ▁were ▁founded ▁at ▁univers ities ▁and ▁colleg es