Northridge Students Will Be Asked to Help

Riding the momentum of its renewed commitment to a broad-based athletics program, Cal State Northridge plans to ask students to help finance a new multi-use arena and baseball stadium, Northridge President Blenda J. Wilson said Monday.

The fee, estimated at $75 a semester, would pay the interest on state-issued bonds used to finance construction of the facilities. A referendum on the fee would be put before students during the 1998-99 school year.

“We intend to initiate a recommendation for students to support facilities with a fee,” Wilson said. “There would be recreational and intramural use in these facilities so that they would benefit all students.”

Wilson’s comments came during a luncheon with business leaders and Northridge coaches to spread the word that Northridge is firmly commited to all 20 sports currently offered--including baseball, and men’s volleyball, soccer and swimming, the sports administrators cut last summer until a public outcry prompted them to reverse their decision.

Wilson also distributed copies of a report mandated by the state legislature in August when Sen. Cathie Wright (R-Simi Valley) secured $586,000 in emergency state education funds to reinstate the four sports for one year.

The report underscored Wilson’s commitment to all 20 sports and closely mirrored the recommendations of the Task Force on Intercollegiate Athletics ordered by Wright. Wilson pointed out that Northridge offers more sports than any other Cal State university and any other Big Sky Conference member.

“Like any other department at the university we want to commit sufficient resources to athletics to assure these teams will be here in perpetuity,” Wilson said. “In speaking to every constituency, there was one solid area of consensus: It is in the best interest of Cal State Northridge to continue being broad-based.”

Coaches whose recruiting has been hampered because of the program’s uncertainty were glad to hear it.

“This will be great for us,” men’s soccer Coach Marwan Ass’ad said. “It has been very difficult recruiting kids out of the area. Now I don’t have to speculate. It’s a fact--the president wants a broad-based program and soccer is safe.”

Boosters have pointed to the athletic program’s lack of stability the past eight months as financial support has slowed to a trickle. Michael Rehm, assistant athletic director for fund-raising, told the luncheon audience of plans to raise up to $250,000 during the next fiscal year.

“This is good news, it’s what supporters need to hear,” said Don Mendel Jr., a Northridge businessman and longtime Matador booster.

Task force Chairman Dr. Keith Richman also addressed the boosters and said he will now chair a membership drive for the Matador Athletic Assn., a booster group.

“Our outreach will be aggressive so that the momentum of energy that came out of the task force process can be taken to the community for support,” Wilson said.

More community leaders and longtime boosters are invited to hear a similar program today.