Increased enrollment have met expectations of EC administrators and may surpass that of previous years.

“We have been working to get back to where we were in 2004 and 2005,” Arvid Spor, dean of enrollment services, said.

When the economy is soft, enrollment generally goes up.

With the increased numbers, the government will fund up to 2 percent more growth in capacity.

“If we stay at our current pace, we will surpass the numbers from 2004 and 2005,” Spor said.

This year, the target goal was to increase enrollment by 3 percent, yet our trend so far has put EC up by 5.5 percent.

The increase in students means more money for the EC budget.

“All community colleges have to deal with the same issues, regarding enrollment and budget,” Spor said.

EC has made a conscious effort to increase the number of classes, alleviating growing class sizes.

“The bigger picture is that the taxes pay for the public system, not necessarily proportional to the taxes (collected),” Spor said.

According to regulations outlined by the state of California, a full time student takes 15 units per semester.

“Since enrollment is up, the First Year Experience program has increased and now has a waitlist,” Claudia Lee, Interim Associate Dean of enrollment services, said.

Along with the parking, the overabundance of students has also proved difficult for the lines around campus such as at the Cashier’s Office and food service locations, but administrators feel increased enrollment is always good for the campus.

“It is always a positive, we can always support and accommodate more students,” Lee said.