Enrollment at CSUN Returns to Pre-Quake Levels

It wasn’t so long ago that administrators at Cal State Northridge worried whether there would be enough students to fill up classes on their quake-ravaged campus.

Enrollment plummeted following the Northridge temblor; many courses had to be held in trailers. But to be at CSUN on Monday, the first day of the fall semester, was to realize how much things have changed.

Hundreds of students converged on jammed parking lots, and dozens of others endured long lines and the sun’s relentless glare to get their official school identification cards and to speak with advisors.

In no way did the campus resemble the ghost town it was two years ago after the Northridge temblor wreaked havoc there. And students took notice.

“There are way too many people on campus this semester,” complained one senior. “We need another earthquake.”

And so it went Monday as classes began at CSUN, which celebrates its 40th anniversary this year.

As of last Friday, 25,838 students had enrolled at the campus, keeping the school on track to meet enrollment levels not seen since the year before the Northridge earthquake.

While many students said registering for their new classes was a piece of cake, some acknowledged that they were crowded out of the courses they wanted most.

“When I enrolled, a lot of the classes were already filled,” said Stefin Collins, a 31-year-old deaf studies major. “It was a little frustrating, but hopefully next year it will go a little bit better.”

Scheduling aside, Collins, who transferred from a community college in San Diego, described the start of school as enjoyable. “It’s fun to be here,” Collins said. “I haven’t had a problem so far.”

For incoming freshmen, whose class will graduate at the turn of the century, the first day of school was one filled with optimism.

“I’m actually excited to be starting, to be getting on with my life,” said Shawnte Muwwakkil, 17. “I plan to be done in four years and graduate in the year 2000.”

As Shawnte looked fondly toward the future, her friend Nadia Conway was suffering from a present-day discomfort--her first taste of the San Fernando Valley’s sultry weather.

“Everything went fine today,” said Nadia, a 17-year-old freshman who attended high school with Shawnte in Westchester. “The only thing I have to complain about is the weather. . . . It’s hot here.”

Indeed, temperatures in Northridge reached 96 degrees Monday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service.

In addition to the heat, students who commuted to campus faced another major obstacle: crowded parking.

“It’s bad. My cousin and I searched for more than half an hour to find a spot,” said Kamelia Sarkisian, a 24-year-old senior. “It doesn’t seem like there are as many parking spots compared to last year.”

CSUN parking manager Mary Cooley, however, was quick to point out that parking is plentiful--so long as students are willing to use the 3,000 parking spaces available in the “T” lots on the north side of CSUN, then take a free shuttle to the main part of the campus.

“It’s important for new students to become familiar with the campus and to accept the fact that they can’t park at the back door of every class,” Cooley said. “My advice to the students would be to park in the T lots and leave the driving to us.”