When signing up for classes for the fall semester, students may find their classes scheduled in buildings not typically associated with the class subject.

Cole Hall will not be reopened for classes in the fall and the resulting classroom crunch is a situation that needs to be resolved, Faculty Senate President Paul Stoddard said at Faculty Senate April 2.

Because fall enrollment is typically higher than spring enrollment, rescheduling classes with two fewer lecture halls became a larger issue.

To find a solution with the existing classroom space, the different colleges worked with the Provost’s office, said Christopher McCord, dean of Liberal Arts and Science.

In order to find a place for all scheduled classes, first, the normal schedule with existing classes was drawn up and unscheduled classrooms were noted, McCord said. Classes were relocated to free up larger spaces to move in large lecture classes, and when a sufficient classroom was not found, either the time for the class was changed or an alternative site was assigned, he said.

“Using alternative spaces, like the Carl Sandburg Auditorium, allowed us to find homes for classes that would not have otherwise had them,” McCord said.

The Carl Sandburg Auditorium has a 1,000-person capacity, compared to the 500-person capacity of each lecture hall in Cole Hall, according to NIU.

If necessary, a large lecture class would have been split up in two sections, but the issue never came up, McCord said. Also, the course capacity versus the course enrollment expectancy was considered for room reassignment when history suggests a class would not fill up, he said.

Also, the available technology in a classroom was a concern with moving classes, McCord said.

When a class time had to be altered, it usually involved an introductory class or a multiple section class in order to maintain student schedule flexibility, McCord said.

When drafting the rescheduling, time conflicts with students and teachers were considered.

“I was teaching Tuesdays and Thursdays at 11 [a.m.] in Cole Hall, which was changed to Tuesdays and Thursdays at five [p.m.] in Barsema Hall as a result of a classroom crunch,”

Stoddard said, “Teaching at five doesn’t bother me, but I suspect it bothers some students.”