Adding up

Lolita Harper

ORANGE COAST COLLEGE -- Despite the blue skies and scorching heat,

summer is officially over for the 22,507 students enrolled at the

college.

To add to the pain of going to school with the beach just five miles

away, students said Tuesday they are faced with parking problems, long

lines for books and overcrowded classrooms on campus.

Officials said enrollment at the college is up 11.2% from last year

and is expected to rise 3% to 4% when fall registration deadlines are

reached. With added students comes more demand for parking, books and

classes, officials said.

“I had to sit on the floor in my history class today because there

weren’t enough desks,” said student Chad Brandel, 20. “And this wasn’t a

class I was trying to add or anything. It was a class I was registered

for.”

The reason for the increase is twofold, OCC spokesman Jim Carnett

said. There are more high school graduates, he said. The children of the

baby boomers, referred to as the baby boomettes, are graduating. And of

those graduates, more are deciding to go to community college before

transferring to a four-year school, Carnett said.

“A lot of kids are being advised -- by both four-year colleges and

their families -- to go to a two-year college first,” Carnett said. “It

is certainly more economical.”

OCC is also one of the top community colleges, second only to Santa

Monica Community College, in transfers to UC and Cal State campuses,

Carnett said.

Brandel, who lives in Orange, said he plans to transfer to UCLA at the

end of the semester.

Many returning students noticed more people on campus and complained

about long lines for everything from the bookstore to the bathroom, but

the biggest vocal complaint was about parking. Parking between the hours

of 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. was deemed “impossible” by many students.

“It was impossible to find parking. I was so frustrated I just wanted

to park behind a car and walk away,” said Carie Jansen, a second-year

student.

Carnett said the college recognizes the parking problem and has worked

with the Orange County Fairgrounds to offer an additional 600 spaces. A

30-year veteran at OCC, Carnett said the parking situation will take care

of itself in about two weeks.

Students will start to make friends and carpool, or rearrange their

schedule to ensure they get to campus at off-peak hours, he said. If the

problem persists, the extra spaces at the fairgrounds across the street

will most likely be available, he said.

“You should see all the people crossing the street from the parking

lot in the morning,” student Leigh VanVranken said. “They look like

little ants marching across the street.”

* Lolita Harper covers Costa Mesa. She may be reached at (949)

574-4275 or by e-mail at o7 [email protected] .