Volleyball Program Could Get Reprieve : Fullerton: Attorneys for school, team say they have made offers to try to settle dispute before Feb. 20 preliminary injunction hearing.

Attorneys for Cal State Fullerton and the Titan volleyball team said Thursday they have made offers in an attempt to settle their dispute before it reaches a preliminary injunction hearing, which is scheduled for Feb. 20 in the West Orange County Courthouse.

Fullerton dropped volleyball last week, but a temporary restraining order against the school’s action, issued Monday by an Orange County Superior Court commissioner, has kept the program alive at least until Feb. 20.

Volleyball Coach Jim Huffman and his team, represented by Berkeley attorney Kirk Boyd, are seeking to have the decision overturned on the grounds that it violates state sex discrimination laws.

But both sides could avoid the hearing if a settlement can be reached. There is some dispute, however, as to which side is making which offer.

Nancy Carlin, attorney representing the California State University Board of Trustees, said Thursday afternoon that Boyd had made an oral offer for the coach to take a cut in salary, from $42,000 to $35,000, and a cut in operating budget, from about $60,000 to $5,000, in exchange for the school reinstating the program.

Huffman, however, denied that such an offer was made, claiming that the school instead had made a similar offer to him.

“That was their offer,” Huffman said. “We rejected that. There’s no way they can shred the volleyball budget like that.”

Carlin stood by her story.

“What (Huffman) is saying just isn’t true,” she said later Thursday. “That’s why I wanted it in writing. This offer was made to me by Boyd, and Huffman wasn’t present at the time.”

What both sides can agree on is that counteroffers have been made. Carlin said the school made a written offer similar to the $5,000 operation budget and $35,000 salary Thursday evening.

Huffman said he faxed a counteroffer to Carlin’s office Thursday night, requesting that funding be returned to a level similar to where it was before the program was dropped.

Carlin was optimistic earlier Thursday that a settlement could be reached.

“We’re happy to talk about it,” Carlin said. “We’ve made no commitments--we want to make it clear that the funding situation hasn’t changed. But we’re not interested in an adversarial relationship, and we’d certainly like to work this out if we can.”

But later Thursday night, Carlin’s outlook had changed.

“I can’t be too enthusiastic about it now,” she said. “I’m not sure if there will be a resolution.”