Valley Gains Strength After Temblor’s Shock The Rebirth of CSUN By SLAV KANDYBA Staff Reporter On January 17, 1994, one of the costliest disasters in U. S. history struck the San Fernando Valley, causing some $44 billion in initial damages. The Valley’s economy was already taking a beating, suffering from the loss of thousands of aerospace jobs, recession and a depressed housing market. Some businesses never recovered, others have only recently gotten back on track with the help of the roughly $30 billion in federal and private insurance funds. Here, the Business Journal looks at how the quake forever changed the Valley’s economy. Cal State Northridge will mark January 17 as the day that changed it forever for the better. “What started as a disaster turned into a great opportunity,” said Blenda Wilson, now president of Boston area-based Nellie Mae Education Foundation. She was CSUN president when the 6.7-magnitude earthquake decimated the campus in 1994. Wilson referred to the post-quake construction boom that transformed the campus into a modern university from an aging state school with little visual appeal. That January morning in 1994 marks the single most defining moment in the school’s 47-year history, with wide-ranging effects: Worst for the irreparable damage to many of the school’s buildings, best for the chance it provided to rebuild. And not only was it rebuilt and bettered, it barely cost administrators or students a dime. Immediately after the quake, the campus hardly gave hope to its inhabitants. The fine arts building, a parking garage and a dormitory tower had collapsed and all other buildings were unusable, said Carmen Ramos Chandler, a CSUN spokeswoman. The university opened two weeks late for the spring semester on Valentine’s Day. More than 300 “portable classrooms,” commonly described as trailers, were brought in; domes were set up to carry on administrative business. More than 25,000 students attended 5,400 classes that semester while all of the buildings on campus were inspected, Chandler said. Students and faculty were disoriented, not knowing if the spring 1994 semester would proceed or if the school would reopen. Faculty set up a tent that served as a makeshift office from which to field calls from concerned students. Then-president Wilson arrived to the campus in the afternoon on the day of the quake, after catching a flight from Bakersfield. Driving up to CSUN, she stopped by her office to find it sustained serious damage. Driving further, on the eastside of campus, one of the first things she saw was the parking garage. “I pulled off the road because I was shaking so badly all the buildings were mashed,” Wilson said. Seeing some buildings standing, though, she had a “sense of optimism that we weren’t completely destroyed.” Teamwork After four days of assessment, she and her colleagues decided there was a need for a “portable campus,” so trailers were ordered. Geography faculty helped organize them into villages, she said, while engineering, music and many other departments contributed. “It was that total combination of total fear and responsibility to make a bad situation not bad,” Wilson said. “At that time there were (thousands of) students, they would’ve had their careers interrupted. You had to find a way because so many lives were harmed that was a powerful incentive.” Having last visited the renovated campus one year ago, Wilson says her favorite new addition is the library steps. She said the damage sustained by the library was the most “emotional,” because it was the center of campus, and its inspiration. “It was an emotional blow,” she said. A “total commitment to students” that Wilson said characterized CSUN’s administration at the time is echoed by administrators, faculty and employees who worked with her. “We were galvanized very quickly,” said William Watkins, associate vice president for student affairs and the dean of students. Cynthia Rawitch, associate dean of the College of Arts, Media and Communication agreed. “(There is) no question whatsoever that the leadership wasn’t just adequate, it was superb,” Rawitch said. Disaster declaration In the aftermath of the earthquake the federal government declared Northridge a disaster area, and President Clinton, Vice President Gore and a host of other politicians local, state and federal came to the campus. Soon after, federal funds began to flow and construction commenced. More than $390 million came from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The state contributed $17 million more. Manzanita Hall, Sequoia Hall, the Arts and Design Center, a new parking garage and the recently added Sierra Center were built with that money. The campus was extensively landscaped, with a green quad where students can be seen resting or studying. Walkways were repaved, and renamed to give the campus a new feel. Further, FEMA-funded construction may have initiated a trend. Students, as if taking a cue, approved a referendum (raising their tuition fees) to build a new University Student Union, which is currently under construction. A new parking structure will soon be up, as well as a Parking and Public Safety Building, which will house the police department and a California Highway Patrol office. There are no special ceremonies planned to mark the anniversary, as the university will be on winter break. Current president Jolene Koester, however, will send out a letter to all students, faculty and university employees, spokeswoman Chandler said. Meanwhile back in Boston, former president Wilson reminisced over the old days and pointed to the silver lining presented. “It may be true there is an opportunity under every mishap,” she said.
