Men’s Soccer to be Restored at CSUN

NORTHRIDGE — The Cal State Northridge men’s soccer team, cut last week to meet budgetary and gender-equity requirements, will be reinstated for the 1997 season, according to university officials.

The decision, expected to be announced today, came out of a Monday meeting between soccer Coach Marwan Ass’ad, Northridge soccer booster club members, university President Blenda J. Wilson and officials from the local chapter of the National Organization for Women.

“We could see no reason not to allow the sport to go on one more season,” said Ron Kopita, vice president in charge of student affairs at Northridge. “They presented a proposal that was fair to both sides and I shared it with [Wilson] and we approved it.

“It’s been reinstated for a final season.”

Wilson declined to comment.

When Northridge announced last Wednesday that four men’s sports--baseball, soccer, swimming and volleyball--would be eliminated, the athletic department cited an $800,000 budget deficit and a need to meet gender-equity laws.

But Ass’ad insisted that money was not a problem for soccer--he proposed a budget in which the program could actually operate at a profit--and that gender-equity regulations didn’t need to be met until 1998.

That was the date set in the 1993 settlement of a lawsuit filed against the California State University system by the California chapter of NOW. It stated that the proportion of female athletes must be within 5% of the proportion of the general student body.

At Northridge, that meant raising the percentage of female athletes from its current 39% to just over 50% by 1998.

“I have to sleep,” Ass’ad said. “When I get up I have to pinch myself to make sure it’s not a dream.

“I’ve been in soccer for 40 years and this would have been the first fall in ages that I didn’t have a team.”

While other coaches came to grips with their programs’ fate, Ass’ad insisted that all he needed was a meeting with Wilson and he could change her mind.

“I always knew in my heart that we could do it,” Ass’ad said. “I love this program and you cannot defeat love. There is a lot of love between the soccer team and the program. You cannot dismiss that.”

Under the proposal submitted by Ass’ad and the booster club, the only university funds that will be spent are scholarships and coaching salaries--funds that the university had already agreed to allocate during the upcoming season.

The team will be responsible for generating the day-to-day operating expenses, which are estimated to be about $17,000 for the season.

“It’s the best,” said senior-to be Aamon Ross, a scholarship player. “We threw together a little celebration and everyone told whoever they could. There’s no reason why we shouldn’t play.”

According to Sally Schmidt, the soccer booster club president, the program has received pledges of more than $16,000.

“People are already giving me checks,” she said. “We have a couple of fund raisers set up. By Friday I’m sure we will be at $17,000.”