Shake-Up Pondered at CSUN : College athletics: Hiegert and Brame among administrators whose jobs appear in jeopardy.

Cal State Northridge is considering an organizational overhaul in the school’s athletic program, Ronald R. Kopita, vice president of student affairs, confirmed Wednesday.

Debby De Angelis, an associate athletic director who handles business matters, was asked to resign by Kopita last week, administrative and coaching sources said.

That mandate was retracted early this week, the sources said, because top-level administrators on campus had not completed their restructuring plan.

That plan might include the firing or reassignment of Bob Hiegert, the athletic director, and Judith Brame, the associate athletic director. They are the top two administrators in the athletic program.

“I have some concerns about the athletic budget and some concern about the direction of the program, but there is nothing official I can comment on at this time,” Kopita said Wednesday night.

Kopita also would not comment on De Angelis’ status other than to say, “At this point, there is no change.”

De Angelis, who has been required to walk a budgeting tightrope throughout her six-year tenure at Northridge, would not comment.

Northridge’s athletic program ran at a deficit of about $700,000 last year, largely due to declining enrollment and because a large sum of supplementary money from the Northridge Corporation previously earmarked for athletics was not made available.

Athletic program officials and coaches said they were told by school administrators that most of the deficit would “be forgiven” and absorbed by money from other university sources.

Kopita said Wednesday that the deficit “will require some form of pay-back.”

Asked if athletic officials might have misunderstood or been told otherwise, Kopita said, “There was never a misunderstanding with me.”

Hiegert, a Northridge graduate who has worked only for the university, was at an NCAA meeting in Lake Tahoe and unavailable for comment.

Brame is vacationing in Greece.

Kopita said the deficit issue had “been cleaned up” before Hiegert left campus late last week. However, he added that a timetable for the athletic program to repay its debt has not been set.

Northridge athletics has been beset by problems for several years, including declining enrollment, damage caused by the earthquake and the failure of two student fee referendums that would have made more money available to the school’s 19 sports teams.

A third try at a fee increase was successful last spring, which, in conjunction with what coaches say were promises by school administrators, left workers within the athletic program optimistic.

“Basically, what was promised from the administrative side isn’t happening,” a Northridge coach said.

“People need to understand that this is not Hiegert or Brame or De Angelis screwing up.

They’re the ones being made the scapegoats.”

A memo, signed by Hiegert but distributed by De Angelis at the direction of Kopita, was circulated early this week informing Northridge coaches that all available restricted-earnings assistant coaches positions were frozen pending review.