As students enrolled for classes, the university approved instructors’ contracts for the next school year.

Instructors are hired on a yearly basis because their contracts only cover the school year. Christopher McCord, dean of College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, said NIU had always been able to predict its needs.

“In the past, we have looked at enrollment trends, and we’ve seen with enough clarity and confidence to see what contracts we needed filled,” McCord said.

This year, however, is not the same. Compared to last year, enrollment is down. As a result, more instructors’ contracts are being withheld by the university.

Sandra Flood, kinesiology and physical education instructor and instructors’ union representative, said few current and incoming freshman have signed up for classes.

“There’s not a lot of students to fill out the classes,” Flood said.

Because instructors’ contracts are being withheld, the university will be short on course offerings for students next year, Flood said.

The university has already sent out letters of intent to instructors with seniority, Flood said.

Instructors must be given letters of intent by May 16 to be rehired, and the university is “supposed to be obligated to that intent, a legal letter of offering,” she said.

Instructors who haven’t been at NIU long do not know if they will be hired.

Flood said this problem is affecting instructors in all colleges, with the exception of the College of Business.

“Apparently, the College of Business has enough money, and they are not having trouble,” Flood said.

Money in other colleges is a problem. Flood said funding resources are fewer this year than in the past.

The exact cause for the lowered enrollment is unknown. One possible reason, Flood said, was that the new registration system, MyNIU, has slowed down the process.

“There are glitches in the system that still have to be worked out,” Flood said.

McCord said another possible cause for lower enrollment could be changes in the student body, and said the “events of the past year have affected enrollment.”