CSUN Aims to Preserve All Sports : Finances: Faced with severe budget cuts, university would prefer to trim programs rather than eliminate them entirely.

Although a plan to cut 8% from the budget of each campus in the state university system is causing the ax to fall in many areas, athletics officials at Cal State Northridge are hoping to get by with pruning shears.

Northridge would rather trim its programs than eliminate a sport entirely, administrators said Thursday.

Bob Hiegert, Northridge’s athletic director, said the expected reduction of state funds would “hit hard.” However, he said the school would remain committed to its broad-based program of 18 sports.

“The bottom line is, students deserve an athletic program commensurate with the level of education and scope of education they receive at Northridge,” Hiegert said.

Nearly half the athletic program’s budget is generated by state funds, almost all of which cover the salaries, health and retirement benefits of coaches, staff, administrators and technicians.

The school announced earlier this week plans to lay off 532 of 556 part-time instructors and 176 management and staff employees. The reductions affect four positions held by coaches whose salaries were augmented by money they received as part-time instructors in the physical education and kinesiology department.

Jerry Carillo, a men’s assistant basketball coach, said part-time teaching accounted for about two-thirds of his salary in the past school year. Carillo said he has not been told what he will be paid next year.

“I haven’t been told anything exact,” he said. “I don’t think anyone really knows.”

Carillo said basketball Coach Pete Cassidy told him an effort to make up the difference through fund-raising is planned. Regardless, Carillo faces the loss of his medical benefits.

“As of September 1, I’d better not get sick,” he said.

Mickey Wender, an assistant swimming coach, is left in a similar situation. John Price, men’s volleyball coach, would lose one part-time teaching assignment.

The other coaching position affected is the football assistant’s job vacated by Pat Degnan, who left to become coach at Alemany High. Degnan, who was assistant head coach, earned more than half of his salary as a part-time classroom instructor.

State money cannot be used for athletic grants, but cutbacks could indirectly cause a reduction in scholarships if funds previously raised for athletes are used to supplement coaches’ declining salaries.