The university has cut about 7 percent ÷ or 231÷ of its undergraduate class sections in the last two years, although the number of undergraduate students at UA has grown by 7 percent in the same period.

This year, there are 3,119 classes ÷ 69 fewer than last year ÷ offered to accommodate the 28,278 undergraduates currently enrolled.

While there are 2,020 more students here than there were four years ago, 257 class sections have been cut over those years.

Budget cuts have left colleges no choice but to combine and cut classes in order to make cuts, said Rick Kroc, director of assessment and enrollment research.

Administrators are looking at options to alleviate the pressure put on students finding classes partly by hiring graduate students to teach classes, Kroc said.

"From the president on down, we have a very strong commitment; but it's also a real tough time," Kroc said.

More students, fewer classes Year Undergraduates Class sections Subsections 2002-2003 28,278 3,119 1,039 2001-2002 27,53 3,188 1,139 2000-2001 26,404 3,350 1,088 1999-2000 26,258 3,376 1,030

The state's budget deficit and resulting cuts to the UA have forced the university to cut courses.

Budget cuts last year cost the university almost $16.6 million ÷ 4.8 percent of UA's annual state funding ÷ last year which has brought the UA to its current predicament.

The UA has lost an additional $10 million more so far this year.

"How could you not take a cut that deep and not impact one of the most important things you do (offering classes to students)?" Richardson said.

"I think that we are going to do everything we can with budget cuts to accommodate students," he added. "Does that mean no students will be affected by canceled classes? Absolutely not."

The institution's goal, Richardson said, is to make sure each student who wants a full schedule ÷ at least 12 units ÷ is able to receive one, and that each of those classes apply to the student's major.

But graduation would still be delayed for students in "Finish in Four," which guarantees students will graduate within four years if they stick to an academic plan.

"What we hope is that there will be times when students can take 16 to 17 units to catch back up," he said. "Winter session enrollment may go up and summer session up as well."

But not all classes eliminated were cut for budget reasons, said Randy Richardson, vice president for undergraduate education.

Even before budget cuts really affected the institution, class availability could change during the time between when a student registered and when the class started for a variety of reasons, including teachers leaving, time changes and class section cancellations.

If a student's schedule is changed, he or she should meet with an advisor, Richardson said.

Priority registration ends tomorrow, which means making an appointment with an advisor will be much easier, he said.

The university is working on a new online feature to Student Link that will help alert students know when their class schedules have been changed. A memo will flash when students sign on, letting them know to check their schedules.

Kroc advises students to keep an eye on Student Link in case a class they are enrolled in next semester is merged with another course.

Class schedules for next semester are not yet final and can change up to Jan. 15, the day classes begin.

While administrators look for solutions to the limited class options, students can look for ways around the problems themselves.

"I think if a student doesn't have an adviser, they ought to go see someone," said Tom Bourgeois, assistant director of curriculum

and registration. "You don't want to pick and choose without getting advising."

The best way to navigate through classes in order to quickly earn a degree is to take classes that apply to the major one is working toward. To do this, students need to be open to taking classes at different times of the day.

"You need to be less choosy about the time of day your classes are and go for classes that count toward your degree," he said.

Richardson said students, faculty and staff will have to work together as an institution. Everyone is going to have to be flexible, he said.

Having to take different individuals and societies classes than students wanted, is better than if the university weren't able to offer tier classes of that tier at all, he said.

Students who aren't able to enroll in certain classes that apply to their major should seek advising because there may be equivalent alternatives that students don't know about, he said.