Students started the fall semester at CSU Channel Islands on Monday with the prospect of a new student union, a broader selection of majors and, as always on the first day of school, long lines.

Around lunchtime, Taj-Zsa Martin was about 12 deep in a line waiting to get a parking permit for the Camarillo campus.

Martin, 24, had already been to one class, African-American literature, that had only nine students in it. But she also had a tough time getting into the classes she needs for her major, sociology.

"It's a beautiful campus," she said. "It's just too bad there aren't enough sociology professors to go around."

Over at the Ask Me booth, staffed by volunteers ready to help and supplied with plenty of campus maps, the most common question was, "How do I get to ...?" said Jamie Hoffman, coordinator of new student, orientation and transition programs.

"I'm not really sure what people were doing before the Ask Me booth," Hoffman said. "A lot of them are running late and don't know where to go."

Classes also began Monday at Thomas Aquinas College in Santa Paula. This year, the Catholic college will dedicate its new chapel, which will feature a bell tower, Italian marble and a cornerstone blessed by the pope.

With the new chapel, the college will be able to convert its existing chapel next to the dining hall into more eating space, said spokeswoman Anne Forsyth. "This is a big deal for us," she said.

At CSUCI, enrollment held steady over last year, at about 3,700 students. The campus had planned to continue growing this year, but, like others in the CSU system, it had to stop accepting applications early because of the tight state budget.

The college also might have to limit the number of students it admits this spring, said Stephen Lefevre, associate vice president of academic programs and planning.

"We're in a state of uncertainty right now," Lefevre said.

Still, CSUCI has added two new majors — Chicana/o studies and applied physics — and hired eight professors.

That's not "as many as we would have liked," said Renny Christopher, associate vice president for faculty affairs. "We'll add programs as we're able to grow, and that depends on the state budget."

The university now offers 22 majors.

This year also brings the prospect of a new student union, which students helped design. The building will have places to get food, meeting rooms for student clubs and organizations, a game room, lounge, convenience store and performance space.

Cost of construction is estimated at $9.5 million, with funding coming from student fees. The student union, expected to be completed in fall 2009, will be built on the site of the old library. One wing of the original building will be demolished, and two wings will be renovated.

The design is meant to be welcoming to everyone on campus, said Deborah Wylie, associate vice president for operations, planning and construction.

"We recognize that some of our students live on campus and some don't," Wylie said.

"It's designed to feel comfortable for both sets of students. With food in there, we hope faculty and staff will frequent it, so it becomes a campus center."

In addition, the university is updating its sewer, telephone and Internet lines, Christopher said, and that will mean more construction on campus.

"There will be detours around campus," Christopher said. "You'll be able to go where you want to go, but you just might not go in the same direction."