HUMAN CONTACT AN ART SCHOOL STAYS OFFLINE -- FOR ITS STUDENTS.

Byline: CONNIE LLANOS  Staff Writer

VALENCIA -- A wrinkle formed above 19-year-old Zach Kellogg's brow as he stood in line. His hands were shaky and his cheeks blushed as he prepared to sit down.

Kellogg wasn't awaiting a diagnosis or a verdict, he was trying to register for class.

In a time where phones and the Internet have simplified life and practically eliminated human contact, one campus stays true to its old-school ways.

At California Institute of the Arts in Valencia, registration is still being done the way it was 35 years ago when the school opened -- live and in person.

Students pick the classes they want, then wait until the two-day class sign-up, where they meet with instructors and plead their cases for each instructor for every course.

``We either empower students or give them too much responsibility,'' said Leslie Dick, who has been an art teacher at CalArts for 14 years.

``Some students want everything explained to them; they will not be successful here.''

Already hoarse after seeing 25 students in the first hour of registration, Dick said the process forces young students to take initiative.

``It is very different to simply click on your classes in front of a computer screen and then have the (initiative) to sit in front of me and convince me of why you want to take my class,'' Dick said.

And Dick, along with other professors, are tough critics -- something Dick said is a taste of reality for budding artists.

``If you're going to be an artist, you have to learn to zone in on what you want and go for it.''

As students waited in the crammed lobby and the long lines, they held mixed reviews for the class sign-up process.

``I feel thrown in with the spawning salmon,'' said Helen Garver, fourth-year art major, as she re-arranged her schedule.

``They need to put directions on the door or something.''

Graduating senior Nitai Cook said his anxiety over class sign-up caused him plenty of sleepless nights and stomach ulcers during his four years at CalArts, but now he sees the experience as positive.

``I wouldn't have it any other way,'' Cook said.

CalArts Provost Nancy Usher said the decision to keep the process personal represents the character of the college.

The college, established by Walt Disney, has a student body of about 1,320 and a 7-to-1 teacher-student ratio. Each student is appointed a mentor for his or her college career. Usher said the intimacy of the school is designed to nurture young talent.

``In years to come we will find the right balance with some things online, but we will always preserve these type of days because they are precious to us,'' Usher said.

As Kellogg gathered his papers he looked relieved to have survived the day and to finally be done with the ordeal.

``This was not good for me,'' Kellogg said. ``I just love sitting at my computer and doing everything from there.''

connie.llanos(at)dailynews.com

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