"The course you have requested is full." Students hear this unwelcome message from ISIS every semester, but lately it appears to wreak more and more havoc.
A variety of factors contribute to this festering problem, ranging from the increasing popularity of certain departments to a large number of professors now on sabbatical.
English Department Chairman Michael H. Levenson said demand for English courses continues to exceed supply.
"The demand seems to keep growing and we're struggling to keep up," Levenson said. "We all feel very, very badly about all this."
Jeffrey Legro, government and foreign affairs department acting chairman, voiced similar concerns.
"We've got more majors and more people wanting to take government classes," Legro said.
The government department continues to increase class enrollment sizes to satisfy the demand, he said.
Levenson said he was against expanding enrollment in many English classes because students need individual attention.
"We are committed to avoiding factory-style education," he said.
Because retirements and sabbaticals cause part of the problem, both departments now are hiring new faculty for next year.
"We are working hard to hire new faculty," Levenson said. "We are also bringing in additional courses on short notice."
Legro said some professors are restricting courses to instructor permission so fourth years and majors get needed courses. He added he would rather allow all students to enroll in government classes.
But more faculty for future semesters will not help current students.
Third-year Education student Heidi Schroeder has found herself unable to take the courses she desires to fulfill her English major requirements.
"I enrolled in higher level education classes instead of English classes because I couldn't get the ones I wanted," Schroeder said. "It will require a lot of adjustments at the end of my fourth year."
According to Assistant University Registrar Robert LeHeup, the struggle for classes is no greater this semester than in the past.
LeHeup said ISIS is always busy at the start of a semester, and this year is no different. He said he did not know of a decrease in courses offered.
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