TheBakersfieldCalifornian.com

Junior Veronica Lara's classes at Cal State Bakersfield are full. Her biology class has more than 150 students filling every available seat, with more trying to add.

Lara, who struggled just to enroll in classes because of high demand, worries she's not getting a full education experience -- like one-on-one instruction.

It's not easy on professors either.

Kathleen Szick-Miranda teaches a genetics class with 67 students. Last year, that same class had 36. She had to move that class from a smaller classroom to a larger lecture hall.

To make grading and workload more manageable, she's reduced writing assignments and is thinking about changing exams from written to multiple choice.

"We don't even get to know everybody's name anymore," she said.

The problem, of course, is the cutting of class sections and teaching positions due to state budget woes. All students and faculty can do is cope, they say.

"I think everyone is feeling it," said Susan Stafinbil, a CSUB English professor. "It's definitely challenging, We're just trying to make the best of it."

An early tally of students last week reached 7,695, with 6,983 attending full-time. The overall head count is slightly lower than last year, said CSUB spokeswoman Kathy Miller, but the full-time student count is higher.

"This tells us students are taking a larger class load," Miller said.

One writing class has 35 enrolled when it's supposed to be capped at 31. A psychology class for 115 has 116 students. A political science class has 60 students -- the maximum.

Managing the increasing workload is a challenge, said Bruce Hartsell, sociology professor and chapter president of the California Faculty Association.

"Realistically, when you get a class that's too big, you don't have time to grade everything. Why assign something you can't grade?" Hartsell said. "What may happen is a student not having as rich an experience as they would otherwise."

But instructors are doing their best, he said: "These are professionals and we try to give students the best possible education within our ability and resources."

Last year, faculty and administrators took a 10 percent pay cut via furloughs. Student tuition rose 32 percent this year.

At the same time, freshmen applicants were up 52 percent, while the state mandated that CSUB reduce student enrollment by 6 percent. Officials closed winter and spring enrollment early.

University President Horace Mitchell said a month ago that everything campus-related was being considered for the chopping block including academic programs, employees, classes and athletics.

Lara fears things will worsen and she'll reach the point of needing just a few classes to graduate -- and not being able to add them.

"It just sucks it's getting this bad," she said.

But there is some optimism.

Although Mitchell said this month it's "a time of great uncertainty and anxiety" at CSUB, the promise by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to make higher education a funding priority was good news.

Mitchell said campus talks with the school's Academic Senate and Budget Advisory Committee will be held in the next few weeks and details will be released when available.

Sophomore Ricardo Gonzalez still thinks "CSUB rocks." Sure his classes are full, he said, but he doesn't much care for the hard-to-get one-on-ones with professors.

Javier Monroe, a sophomore, said he's just glad it's not as packed as Bakersfield College, which he also attends. He's been in standing-room-only classes at BC.

"Everyone at least has a desk" at CSUB, Monroe said.

Biology professor Robert Stark said this quarter he's teaching more students -- nearly 400. The sheer number has impacted the types of graded assignments he requires, he said. For example, he allows more group projects and presentations, and assigns more online quizzes and assignments.

These days, his "is definitely not a 9-to-5 job," he said.

Bekeowei Okoro, a second-quarter freshmen, said full classes are better for learning, in his opinion, and even better when professors grade on a curve.

"We have better discussion when there's more people involved," Okoro said. "Between professors and what I'm learning, it's worth it to go here. I think it's fair for the most part."