Although enrollment for winter session is beneficial to many students, talks of canceling winter sessions altogether in the next couple of years are in the air.

While winter brings with it that long awaited break students and faculty often need, it also brings with it the opportunity to enroll in winter session classes.

Many students need this session to catch up or to transfer more quickly.

“There are no definite plans to cancel winter sessions as of right now,” Peter Marcoux, Academic Senate president, said. “However, there are proposed plans being suggested to do just that.”

Evelyn Uyemura, educational policies chair, said that the number of students who enroll in winter session has increased very little since 2005.

“In 2005, a total number of 4,413 students enrolled in winter session classes,” Uyemura said. “Then in 2007 we only saw a small increase; the number of students who enrolled went up to 5,355.”

Canceling winter session may pose problems for many students who desire to take classes during this short period of time.

“Although winter break is something I look forward to, I also think winter session classes are something that many of us benefit from,” Zahra Agiba, 18, liberal studies major, said. “If it’s canceled it would suck for a lot of us.”

Although some students look forward to enrolling in classes, others have a different opinion.

“Some believe it will help make EC more efficient and will improve enrollment,” Marcoux said.

If winter session is taken away, more sessions could potentially be added to the summer sessions, allowing students more opportunities to take classes during that longer break.

Although a wide range of classes are not offered during winter session, this winter session students will find more classes available to take.

“This session there are considerably more sections being offered compared to last year,” Marcoux said.

Registration for continuing students began on Nov. 2; those who are new may register starting on Dec. 10.

Students may register for winter classes on MyECC, or through telephone by calling 310-516-9339.

While faculty is debating whether they should cancel winter sessions a couple of years from now, students may count on having winter session in 2009.

“So far, winter 2009 we will have a winter session,” Marcoux said. “After that the calendar has not been set.”