Eastern officials have taken unprecedented measures to make sure that the increase of students will not mean overcrowded classrooms.

The university expected an increase in students early in the summer and devised a strategic plan to accommodate the students in the classroom,said Blair Lord, vice president for academic affairs. Classes may be at full capacity because of the increase, but the registration office added more class sections throughout the summer, hired faculty on annual contracts and added seats to certain classrooms to keep them from being overcrowded.

“We’ve done the very best to meet the needs of all students. I don’t want to see any students hurt by this,” Lord said.

Because freshmen constitute most of the enrollement increase, general education classes in the College of Art and Humanities and the College of Sciences have been the hardest hit.

The College of Sciences added 2,561 seats in general education courses and other classes attended by freshman, COS dean Mary Anne Hanner said. Hanner did not say how many extra sections were added because of the extra seats, but the department hired two full-time faculty members and two part-time faculty members on annual contracts to handle the added sections. Existing faculty have also taken on extra loads.

“The commitment of the faculty and department chairs to the needs of students is evident by their willingness to accommodate these requests for increased enrollment,” Hanner said in an e-mail.

The College of Arts and Humanities has added 35 new sections to their original schedule and also hire annually contracted teachers.

Sections were held by the registration office in the beginning of the summer and released throughout the summer as freshman orientation groups came to register. The sections were released strategically, so students could pick from a variety of hours and days to take class.

“We had never (held sections) before. Usually its first come, first served,” Lord said.

To make sure students can still graduate on time, some have also been allowed to take classes concurrently that should be taken one after another, Lord said.

The university plans on using the same model to register students in the Fall, since the plan has proved such a success, said Hanner.

“We are looking far ahead. We’re already thinking about this group when they become sophomores,” she said.

Lord said the university was well-prepared to handle the increase because several factors made it predictable.

There were more high school graduates in Illinois this year, and students are now required to take the ACT exam, he said.

The university has also hired more recruitment officers in the Chicago area who are concentrating on more high school and community colleges.