Karen Haynes, dressed in her trademark purple suit on her first day as the president of Cal State San Marcos, found purple carnations on her desk and purple balloons floating above her prime parking space.

Some students and staff wore purple to welcome Haynes to Southern California from rural Texas.

"I guess by now at least some of you know my favorite color is purple," Haynes said during an open-air question-and-answer session with students and faculty that highlighted her inaugural day on the job.

Haynes takes the helm at the rapidly growing campus 35 miles southwest of Temecula at a time when the state's budget crisis has forced a 25 percent increase in tuition with the promises of future hikes and possible staff and course cutbacks.

Several of the questions she fielded during the hourlong forum dealt with ongoing budget woes, but students also asked about parking fines and why the school has no bleachers for fans to watch track-and-field events.

Haynes referred many questions to other administrators and promised to research those to which no staff member could readily respond. She promised to seek student input as she tackles immediate and future problems facing the university.

"You can expect a lot of questions and a lot of listening during my first 100 days," Haynes told the crowd of about 200, many who munched on burgers and hot dogs courtesy of the student government association.

"I hope you don't find that a disappointment but rather a reaffirmation that most of what is done around here is done with quality," she said. "I don't expect you to agree with every decision we make, but I promise to tell you why those decisions were made. I promise to explore alternative solutions to the problems we face."

Asking questions

Erik Roper, 28, of Corona, a senior and vice president of Associated Students Inc., wanted to know why a fellow student was fined $100 for parking in a faculty lot. He thought the fine was way too steep.

Roper said he wasn't completely satisfied with the administration's response, which was that fine amounts were determined after the college consulted with San Marcos and San Diego County officials and other Cal State campuses.

"They seemed like they spun that in their favor," he said. "I think the fines should be based on the student's ability to pay."

Junior Jeffrey Santos, 20, of Temecula wanted to know when San Marcos would begin offering a physics major. The issue is a hot topic among some computer science students, who feel it would enhance their job prospects. Haynes sought input from other administrators who said plans call for the major by 2008.

Afterward, Santos gave the new president an A for facing students early on in her tenure.

"It's an excellent idea," he said. "She doesn't come across as standoffish."

Freshman Eric Gustafson, 18, of Brea wanted to know why no bleachers had been built around the San Marcos running track. It's a great surface that allows for great times, he said, but no one ever gets to see the track squad in action.

"It bugs me," said Gusafson, a business major. "Nobody even feels comfortable watching us practice because there's no place to sit."

Haynes said she would have someone from the school get back to Gustafson with an answer.

The new president said she was glad for the variety of questions tossed at her. That showed students are keenly interested in what's going on at the campus.

"If they didn't care, they wouldn't ask," she said.

Haynes was named president of the 7,200-student Cal State San Marcos in November. She previously served as president of the University of Houston-Victoria, where she doubled the number of faculty members during her eight-year tenure.