Too Late, Too Little : Enrollment: Students fleeing sharp tuition increases at four-year schools find few available classes at three county community colleges.

A throng of students waited impatiently in a late-registration line that snaked around a corner and out the door of the student center during the first day of classes Monday at Moorpark College.

While some resourceful students plotted strategies to get into overbooked classes, others gave up and spent the day bemoaning the economic pinch that has made it tough to get courses they need.

At the same time the shrinking state budget has forced community colleges to cut classes, the two-year campuses have become a refuge for college students driven from four-year universities by sharp tuition increases.

“I dropped down four levels of math just so I can take math,” said Melissa Gilreath, an 18-year-old college freshman. “I’m supposed to be taking Algebra 2 and I’m taking pre-algebra.”

Gilreath was one of more than 27,400 full- and part-time students who had registered by the opening day of classes Monday at Moorpark, Oxnard and Ventura colleges, the three schools in the Ventura County Community College District.

Late registration, followed by a period for adding classes, will not close until Sept. 10, and district administrators said enrollment this year may pass that of previous years.

“It looks like it’s going to surpass last year,” district spokeswoman Cathy Garnica said. “It seems we’re going to have more students than we know what to do with.”

More high school graduates may be opting for the $60-a-semester community colleges over state and private universities in a reflection of tough economic times, Garnica said.

They may also be repelled by the 40% hike in fees at schools in the UC system, where costs amount to $2,274 without room and board, college officials said. Cal State schools increased fees by 20% to $936 for full-time students who are California residents, not including books, living expenses or activities charges.

“If they’re just out of high school, those are tremendous debts that they’re facing,” Garnica said. “In two years, they might be able to afford a four-year university.”

Officials said they expect more people to flock to the community colleges in the next week or two as they realize that classes at four-year universities are booked solid. More students than usual may also take advantage of late registration if they have forgotten that the district is starting classes about two weeks earlier than usual this year, officials said.

Professors, administrators and students on the campuses said the first day of school already seemed busier than usual.

Ventura College Registrar Joan Halk said the late-registration line never dipped below 20 people all day long. Oxnard and Moorpark college halls were also jammed with students.

“We’re just busting at the seams,” said Darlene Pacheco, vice president of instruction at Moorpark College.

She said general education classes filled up quickly, and no seats were left in beginning classes of math, English, chemistry, biology, psychology, sociology, political science, art or music. Even the beginning Japanese language class was packed.

Pacheco said that in the past she would have added classes, but the school, facing budget cuts, could not afford to do so this year.

The county’s three community colleges cut about 100 of their 2,000 classes because of the reduction in state dollars. “At a time when there are more students than ever, we’ve been forced to cut a few classes,” Vice Chancellor John Tallman said.

Some students said they were angered by the inconvenience.

“It’s a mess,” J.T. Wyand said as he stood in the late-registration line at Moorpark College. “It’s too many people for too few classes.”

Wyand said he could not register earlier because he had been stationed overseas with the Marine Corps reserves. He was not encouraged by the lists of available classes posted on the registration center’s window. “It’s just not what you’d want,” he said, pointing at the few remaining vacancies.

Sophomore Steve Buscher, 22, echoed the frustration as he frantically scanned a course catalogue. He had been told that many of the classes that he wanted were already full.

“It’s never been this many people here before,” Buscher said. “It’s like all of a sudden everybody decided to go to school at the same time.”

Even those who sat comfortably in classes said they were surprised by the crowds.

“The morning classes are the worst,” said psychology instructor Judy Farrell. “I hear people are (spilling) out into the hallways.”

Sophomore Eric Paulson said his classes had also been packed.

“Every chair is full,” he said. “I even had a few classes where people were sitting on the floor.”

But Ventura College student Jennifer Hwack was philosophical about her numerous peers.

“It always happens at the first of the year,” she said. “But after a few weeks, there’s less in the class. They drop out. It isn’t that big of a problem.”