[Times photo: Stefanie Boyar]
LaToya Graham, 20, of Tampa, left, stands in line with other students at the University of South Florida bookstore in Tampa on Monday afternoon. Classes began Monday.

By BARRY KLEIN

TAMPA -- One of the things that attracted Frantz Aubry to the University of South Florida was its size. Lots of different opportunities, he figured. Plenty of new people to meet.

But on Monday, the first day of fall classes, the USF freshman got a rude introduction to becoming part of a school with 37,500 students.

What he thought would be a 15-minute commute to campus took closer to an hour. Then he had to spend time hunting for a parking space. Then he had to search for his classroom, which was somewhere on the 800-acre campus, though he had no idea where.

"I'm already late for my first class," said Aubry, 18, a graduate of Wharton High School in Tampa. "I thought it would be good to attend a big university. Now I'm not so sure."

The crowded conditions at USF were the norm Monday across Florida, as many of the state's 11 universities opened the new school year with record enrollment projections.

Some officials credit Bright Futures, the lottery-backed scholarship program that pays the tuition of many students, with fueling the enrollment boom.

Others point to the slowing economy: Fewer jobs tend to produce fuller classrooms.

One clear factor is demography. The so-called "baby-boom echo" that filled portable classrooms across Florida during the 1990s has finally reached college age.

The University of Florida, for example, is now home to more than 46,000 students -- the most ever for the state's largest university, and one of the highest totals in the U.S.

The University of Central Florida is expecting 36,000 students, an increase of almost 8 percent. Florida State University is expecting more than 35,000 students, an increase of about 2 percent.

USF says its freshman class will be the largest in its history. Overall enrollment is expected to jump about 6 percent.

The impact of all those eager young minds was evident Monday in USF's jammed parking lots, where some students spent up to 30 minutes hunting for spaces. It was also clear in the university's boisterous residence halls, 99 percent of which are now occupied.

"We keep talking about being a 24-hour campus and not a commuter school, and we're certainly starting to feel like one," said Dorie Paine, USF's assistant director of residence services.

USF officials seem especially heartened by projected increases this fall in minority enrollment that are happening despite the public relations hit the university has taken because of allegations of racism in its women's basketball programs.

This week, for example, a CBS News crew will be on campus reporting the basketball story.

But USF officials say they are expecting a 10 percent increase in the number of African-American and Hispanic students on campus this fall. Some are freshmen, and some are transfers from community colleges.

"This is a direct result of increased recruiting," said university spokesman Michael Reich. "And it helps that USF provides a welcoming environment."

But more students aren't the only big change on university campuses. Thanks to the Republican-led overhaul of higher education in Florida, every university now has a new board of trustees.

In theory, that is supposed to produce campuses with considerably more autonomy. In practice, it has mostly produced confusion about who has responsibility for what.

But the structural changes are having a significant impact at USF, which had to say goodbye this year to New College, its nationally known liberal arts program in Sarasota.

Three months ago, the Legislature declared New College to be Florida's newest university. It also is Florida's smallest university, and it may be the only school projecting a decline this fall in freshman enrollment.

It's not a big drop; officials are expecting enrollment to be down about 10 students.

But when you only have 650 students total, which is smaller than some lecture classes at UF, even 10 students get noticed.

Acting president Gordon "Mike" Michalson says he isn't concerned. Not when there are so many other things to worry about.

The school needs to begin the arduous process of securing accreditation. He needs to get better acquainted with state legislators. The trustees need to hire a controller. And someone needs to set up an institutional review board.

"We will be busy," Michalson said. "But as long as we stay clear on our mission and don't try to be something we're not, we'll be fine."

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