CSUN Officials’ Next Task Is to Regain Public’s Trust

Taken in isolation, the mistakes that led to Cal State Northridge appropriating the state tax refunds of students who owed the school nothing could be written off as a glitch in an otherwise smooth bureaucracy. Unfortunately, though, the kind of high-handed bungling that delayed the 1996 refunds of more than 700 students fits all too well into CSUN’s recent and disturbing tendency to plow ahead without regard to the school’s two most important constituencies--its students and neighbors.

Just days after CSUN administrators outraged many by cutting several men’s athletic teams to close a budget gap, The Times reported that the school had erroneously snatched at least $70,000 worth of tax refunds owed to students. The State Franchise Tax Board routinely diverts tax refunds and California State Lottery winnings to satisfy debts owed to public agencies such as CSUN. But of the 7,000 names CSUN submitted as debtors, at least 10% were listed in error.

How did these students find out? They got a letter from the tax board telling them that the refund they expected had instead been sent to CSUN. They then had to get the money back from CSUN. After the administrative costs of sending the checks back, the school lost money in the deal. What angered students most, though, was the attitude demonstrated by administrators, who apologized formally only after The Times reported the mistakes.

Sadly, that seems to be the way things are done these days on the CSUN campus. Rather than dealing openly and honestly with students, faculty and community leaders, CSUN administrators are rightly under fire for approaching sensitive decisions--from development of the school’s North Campus to the axing of men’s baseball, volleyball and swimming--in a smug, defensive way. That’s just not how institutions dependent on public support are supposed to behave.

For instance, the university has squandered considerable support from neighbors and others who want more of a say in the development of North Campus. CSUN plans to lease the land to a private developer who wants to build a retail shopping complex. The university correctly points out that this kind of public-private partnership is critical to maintaining the affordability of a Cal State education. Detractors of the project do not oppose development of the site altogether--and many even support some sort of commercial project--but they, like the students whose checks were diverted, complain that the university does not appear at all interested in what they have to say.

That sentiment also popped up earlier this month when the school announced the elimination of the men’s sports programs. Cries of foul rose from nearly every quarter--from students, coaches, faculty leaders and from ordinary residents across the San Fernando and surrounding valleys. Criticism came not just for the elimination of the sports but also for the secretive way in which CSUN administrators did the chopping.

No one expects perfection. And the public servants who run CSUN under President Blenda Wilson have done an admirable job of trying to right a campus literally knocked over in the 1994 Northridge earthquake. But these same administrators, including Wilson, now run the risk of losing support that can easily be theirs. Recent events have called into question the way the university handles the mundane aspects of governance, starting with responsible budgeting. Students, faculty and community leaders are questioning the ability and motives of CSUN administrators at a time when they deserve straight talk from the top. CSUN needs to move fast to extinguish the embers threatening so many bridges.