In 1973, he became the first black student at Northridge elected as student body president. After graduating in 1974, Watkins began working part time in the campus' Personnel Office, now known as Human Resources, coordinating a program that helped area welfare recipients transition back into the job market. Watkins later took a full-time job in personnel, where he rose through the ranks to become associate director, responsible for employment, classification and compensation. Among his duties, Watkins oversees the University Student Union, Associated Students Inc., Student Development and International Programs, and other areas affecting student life, including student discipline and academic grievance and grade appeals. I'm not interested in being punitive, but in creating opportunities for students to grow by accepting responsibility for their actions.
Human beings are worth the effort.
Watkins said student life has changed in many ways from his days as an undergraduate. One example was the controversy and protests over former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke's campus appearance in September 1996 at the invitation of CSUN's Associated Students. In the 1970s, Watkins said, campus administrators might have canceled Duke's visit. But despite substantial public angst, CSUN President Blenda J. Wilson made no such move. It was a learning experience.