As students prepared to register this week, many departments’ course offerings had already filled and turned to waitlists.

Students hoping to take courses in economics, art, Spanish and Portuguese may have to wait until Spring Quarter begins to see if they’ll have their desired schedules.

“I know it’s going to be impossible for a lot of students to get into classes,” said Myriam Schroeter, a Communication junior who is also majoring in Spanish. “I’m stuck because I need to take two Spanish courses this quarter, and I only signed up for one.”

This quarter, about 1,130 students took classes in Spanish and Portuguese and about 250 people are majoring or minoring in Spanish, said Josef Barton, chair of the department.

This presents a strain in ensuring each student is able to take the courses they need, he said.

“It causes some sleepless nights, (but) it’s a good problem,” Barton said. “This spring we’re having to improvise.”

Heather Colburn, director of the Department of Spanish and Portuguese, said although many classes filled up by the beginning of registration week, she took into consideration majors and minors who pre-registered.

“Every quarter we always accommodate our majors and minors,” she said. “We have the largest enrollment of any language department on campus, and that’s a challenge.”

Schroeter said the fact that there are waitlists for classes prior to pre-registration week proves course availability is an issue. Last year there was a quarter when she couldn’t take any of the Spanish courses she needed, she said.

“I don’t think they know the reality that exists,” she said. “There’s just not a lot of options for us. It pushes us back.”

Students with two majors have a difficult time enrolling in needed courses despite the pre-registration period because they have to consider requirements for both majors,

Schroeter said. Students can only pre-register for two classes.

“There’s a disconnect between what the Spanish department offers each year and what student need to take to fulfill major, minor credit,” Schroeter said. “That’s sort of unfortunate. I feel like there aren’t many routes.”

Spanish major Margaret Truesdale said the department recognizes issues with course registration.

“They’re all talking about the changes they want to make next year,” the Weinberg junior said. “They’re hiring now … but at this point it’s sort of in a sad place.”

Barton said the department is attempting to deal with the “gratifying strong interest.”

“Last year we appointed three short-term people to teach in the spring,” he said. “Like all departments in Weinberg, we like to have our own faculty, whom we’ve hired. So this year and next year, that’s what we’re planning to do.”

The department is in the process of interviewing four candidates and hopes to hire a new faculty member for next year, he said. It plans to expand from 27 to 33 Spanish literature classes next year, and if there’s a new faculty member, four additional courses will be offered, he said. To accommodate students this spring, the department plans to create new sections of courses or raise enrollments caps.

As one of many students on a waitlist, Truesdale said she recognizes the department’s efforts but is still stuck in a state of limbo.

“I’m just sitting around hoping, crossing my fingers,” she said.[email protected]