It's not easy being Greek at Cal State Northridge.

A student body flush with middle-aged moms and laid-off computer technicians is hardly fertile ground for recruiting carefree coeds to fill fraternity and sorority houses.

Even if it were, CSUN's sprawling campus has no stately houses on its perimeter to serve as a Greek Row. And with just 5 percent of students living on campus, it's no wonder this commuter school has one of the smallest Greek memberships among Southern California universities.

Julia Andreotti, 43, a linguistics major from Universal City, summed up the challenge confronting CSUN's Greek leaders, saying, "I have a husband, a daughter and three jobs."

But, despite their uphill struggle, Greek leaders have noted a surprising development: CSUN's Greek community -- though still small -- has more than doubled, to 1,400 students over the last five years.

And finally, one of CSUN's defining characteristics -- a rich ethnic and cultural diversity -- is attracting "sisters" and "brothers" into Greek life rather than turning them away.

"There's been a surge across the country, with students wanting to be more involved ... in the local and regional Greek (houses), many of them multicultural, which matches our campus demographics," said Jamison Keller, CSUN's Greek adviser.

For film major Joey Mennella, 21, the individual qualities of CSUN's Greek houses enticed him to pledge with Sigma Phi Epsilon.

"I've been to USC and UCLA, and they all looked like clones of each other," Mennella said. "If I had gone to USC or UCLA, I probably wouldn't have done it at all."

CSUN is home to 11 national fraternities and six sororities and dozens of smaller organizations, many supporting different minority groups.

"As soon as you go Greek, you realize there is a massive community on campus," said Susan Dickman, 22, a Delta Delta Delta sister. "Everyone has this idea that, 'Oh, it's a commuter campus,' but once you get your foot in the door, it's a whole new CSUN. I didn't realize being Greek would help me grow so much."

Zeta Beta Tau President Sia Nazari, 21, of Northridge, agreed. "Because CSUN is a commuter school, you're left to decide whether you're going to become a 'ghost' who goes to school and then goes home, or if you want to get involved and make a commitment and have a good college experience. Work and school aren't everything."

Still, Greeks at CSUN have their work cut out for them.

First, there's the problem of recognition. Greek membership stands at just 6 percent of undergraduates, compared with 12 percent at UCLA, which has over 50 Greek organizations. As a result, some CSUN students aren't even aware fraternities and sororities exist. When recently asked about Greek life on campus, one student thought the discussion was about students from Greece.

Age is also a factor. The average student at CSUN is 27, an age when jobs and family obligations begin cutting into free time. Even many younger students are taking classes while working one or two jobs, giving them little free time.

And while CSUN has become less of a commuter school over the years, many students still drive long distances to school.

"CSUN is seen typically as a commuter school," said Josh Levitt, president of CSUN's Interfraternity Council. "I can only imagine that if it was a campus where a lot of people stayed, involvement would be massive."

Only 1,900 of CSUN's 33,000 students live on campus in dorms, although many live in nearby apartments. Some of the chapters have small, residential houses -- some neatly landscaped, some run-down -- scattered around campus. But only a few members actually live there, and large meetings are often held at other locations on campus.

Because their own chapter houses are not as conducive for "Animal House" type revelry, CSUN fraternities and sororities often stage big parties elsewhere, such as at nearby clubs. They also rely on the hospitality of their corresponding houses on other campuses. For example, CSUN's Alpha Phi sorority might hold a party at the Alpha Phi house at the University of Southern California.

Most CSUN fraternity and sorority members would like to see a Greek Row established, but the idea has not moved beyond the investigative stages. The high cost of real estate is a huge deterrent to forming a Greek Row.

"If we had some sort of Greek Row or a central location, (membership in) all the fraternities and sororities would definitely increase," Levitt said.

Still, CSUN fraternities have demonstrated their raucous, partying credentials. Several months ago, a ZBT party was hopping to such an extent that a number of gang members thought it worthy of crashing. A fight broke out, drawing several squad cars and a police helicopter from the Devonshire Division, according to past house president Jairo Galdemez.

Roya Saberzadeh, a CSUN graduate, was never in a sorority. But today, she's one of the system's biggest fans.

Her sister, Rochanak, known as "Rochie," was a Sigma Kappa at CSUN, and loved the Greek experience so much she opened Rochie's Greek Row, a college fraternity and sorority store a block away from campus, in 1989.

After Rochie died, at age 22, during a 1991 scuba-diving class, her sister Roya kept the shop open, and it now does a good trade in Greek-letter emblazoned license-plate frames, stickers, coffee mugs and clothing.

"I think she would be very proud to see how much it's grown," Roya Saberzadeh said.