In addition to bringing back the winter session with 150 sections of classes 60 additional sections will be added into the schedule for the spring semester.

“Last year, we had to cut two hundred sections basically due to budget concerns,” James Schwartz, vice president of academics affairs, said.

The cut in the sections resulted in full classrooms and caused many students to be short on credits and units.

“I tried to take anatomy thirty-two, but it was full so it delayed me a whole semester because I couldn’t get my credits,” Raymond Lee, a radio technology major, said.

The reason EC is able to bring back the winter and spring sessions is because of the funds saved from the cuts.

“Even though we cut two hundred sections last fall, we had a very abundant enrollment and we still filled all of our classes across campus up to one hundred and one point eight percent. So by cutting out sections we didn’t lose that much; we were actually more efficient,” Schwartz said.

“Normally, we were filled somewhere within the ninety percent bracket,” he said.

The state funds the college about $3,600 for every full-time student, Schwartz said.

“In the budget, this year and plus last year, we had about one thousand full-time equivalent students (FTES) over the funding cap, which was eighteen thousand,” Schwartz said.

“The state came through and gave us some funding for what we call unfunded FTES. In other words, that one thousand was additional to what the state is now funding; so that gives us a little more money,” he said.

The added sections will allow students to take the classes they need to meet the criteria to graduate or to transfer to a university.

“Last year, we didn’t offer the winter session, so it’s good to be back and have a full calendar,” Schwartz said. “That should be a great asset and benefit for the students.”