Hundreds Join March at CSUN to Protest Cuts : Education: But only a fraction of the school’s 28,000 enrollment takes part in the ‘shutdown,’ which is scheduled to continue today.

Several hundred Cal State Northridge students marched through campus Wednesday, chanting slogans and shaking their fists over fee hikes and state budget cuts for higher education.

But the noontime march--billed as the centerpiece of a planned two-day “shutdown” of the CSUN campus--failed to capture the interest of more than a fraction of the school’s 28,000 students.

“This was supposed to be really big,” said Steve Cooperman, 20, a senior who joined the march. “But with only a few hundred students here, it almost sends a worse message than having nothing at all.”

Several false fire alarms set off during the morning sent many disgruntled students out of classes, students who said they did not want to participate in the protest.

“This is supposed to be voluntary, but when they pull fire alarms, that makes it mandatory,” complained Desiree Vaziri, 23, a senior majoring in English. “Sure, everybody is upset because we’re paying more and getting less. But the alarms are just interfering with classes.”

Student organizers had hoped large numbers of students would either boycott classes or persuade their teachers to hold the classes outdoors so they could hear speeches about this year’s 8.8% cut in state support to the 20-campus California State University system.

Some instructors held informal votes, allowing students to decide whether to hold their regular classes or to talk about budget issues and the upcoming election.

Some instructors allowed students to attend the speeches without penalty.

In other classes, no mention was made of the event.

The event, which was endorsed by the Associated Students Senate and the Faculty Senate, is intended to catch the attention of the Legislature and Gov. Pete Wilson, as well as to register students who failed to vote in past elections.

Similar events are planned today.

“I’m pleased that students are willing to participate in a public dialogue,” CSUN President Blenda J. Wilson said. “They are not just students, they are also citizens.”

Cuts in the Cal State University’s 1992-93 budget by the Legislature have prompted the cancellation of more than 800 CSUN classes from the fall semester, which has made it even tougher than usual for students to enroll in courses required for graduation.

Students also are bracing for 40% fee increases that will be retroactive to the fall semester. “With the fee increase, it’s clear that the priority is changing from educating everybody to just the elite,” said Gabriel Arze, 24, a senior psychology major.

Even so, Arze said, the disappointing turnout for the campus shutdown showed that “a lot of students don’t want to get involved.”

Caprice Mosely, 20, said she also opposes the fee increases and cutbacks but saw no sense in skipping classes to protest class cuts.

“I had to pay for this class and my books and I’m going to utilize every minute,” said Mosely, a sophomore who is studying psychology.