COLLEGE JAVA NOT YOUR AVERAGE JOE CAMPUS CAFFEINE FIXES GO GRANGE PIERCE, CSUN BREW THEIR OWN.

Byline: LISA M. SODDERS Staff Writer

LOS ANGELES -- On busy mornings when there's no time to grind fresh coffee beans at home, Mayra Plascencia gets a vanilla latte at The Freudian Sip cafe at Pierce College.

Plascencia, a Marine Corps veteran, may be on a student budget, but a good cup of coffee is one small luxury she affords herself.

``I think it sets off my day,'' said Plascencia, 24, of Northridge. ``Just feeling relaxed and having something made for you. It's like going to a restaurant and buying a great meal that someone else made instead of having to stay home and make it yourself.''

Not so long ago, college students chugged sugary soda for breakfast or fueled all-nighters with pots of no-frills black coffee.

But today's students are more likely to start their day with a grande-breve-Marble-Mocha-Macchiato from the local Starbucks, the coffeehouse juggernaut that has changed a generation's idea of the caffeinated boost.

At least two local colleges have taken note: Two years ago, California State University, Northridge, launched its own version of the upscale coffeehouse, The Freudian Sip. Last year, CSUN allowed Pierce College to set up its own Sip for a 5-cents-on-the-dollar franchise fee, less than half of a Starbucks, under a unique arrangement that includes regular inspections and equipment tune-ups.

Each coffeehouse generates about $500,000 a year in sales, but the goal is to provide a food service at a break-even price.

A large cafe mocha at CSUN is $3.40; a venti cafe mocha at Starbucks is $3.75.

CSUN has since launched a second Sip on campus and plans to eventually have four, officials said.

``Students really appreciate an upscale look - that's what they treasure,'' said Larry Kraus, Pierce College enterprise manager, citing the popularity of such franchises as Starbucks, Subway and Jamba Juice.

``It has a barrista who works the machine and it has that kind of swank, that feel that it's not just a cup of coffee, it's a cup of coffee that has been brewed just for you, specifically for you by a person. It's not just pushing a button.''

Campus officials also find the coffeehouses enhance more than just the college's bottom line. They become gathering places where students can linger over a beverage, surf the Internet, listen to music and study with friends.

``We're creating a learning-centered university where all of the learning doesn't necessarily happen within the confines of the four walls of a classroom,'' said Dave Nirenberg, director of commercial services for CSUN's University Corp.

``Having a coffeehouse at the four compass points of the university provides unique gathering spots for the campus community.''

Most students said they can tell the difference between a cheap cup of joe and the gourmet variety, and turned up their noses at the suggestion of getting coffee from a fast-food joint or a convenience store.

Many said they prefer Starbucks to The Freudian Sip, but said they like the convenience of being able to buy their gourmet drinks on campus.

Pierce College student David Ashrafi, 24, of Granada Hills, isn't much of a coffee drinker; he prefers soda. In fact, he thinks the main reason students are flocking to coffeehouses is because the drinks are gussied up with steamed milk, sugar and flavored syrups.

``I don't see many students drinking black, regular coffee,'' he said.

Arash Sadighian, 19, of Encino, who works at Pierce's Sip, agreed. Many of his friends say they choose coffee over sodas because they get the caffeine boost without the sugar.

But while sugar-free syrups and sweeteners are available, students usually ask for ``extra caramel, extra mocha, extra sweetener and whipped cream,'' he said, which can run the caloric count up into the 600s for the larger drinks.

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(1 -- color) Pierce College nursing student Karen Poblete, 19, drinks a vanilla frappe from the Freudian Sip, which offers coffee drinks at lower prices than Starbucks. There are two Freudian Sips, one at Pierce and the other at California State University, Northridge.

(2 -- color) Pierce College economics student Susy Cruz, 19, drinks a vanilla frappe and studies at the Freudian Sip on Wednesday morning.

Tina Burch/Staff Photographer