Beginning Winter Quarter, College of Letters and Science students will have to submit a petition in order to enroll in a class for a third time.

The new regulation requires students who have failed a class twice to obtain permission from the involved department’s dean before enrolling for a third time. The change in pol-icy was announced in a message on GOLD earlier this quarter.

According to Mary Nisbet, Acting Dean of Undergraduate Education for L&S, the policy is designed to ensure that classrooms are not overcrowded with students repeating courses.

“Because between 200 and 300 seats in often impacted courses are taken up each year by students taking a course for the third time, this new implementation will release those seats to students taking the class for the first time or even the second time,” Nisbet said.

Nisbet added that the policy was proposed by faculty who were concerned that students attempting classes for a third time would ultimately be unsuccessful, and end up taking longer to choose a major and graduate.

“The staff and faculty in the College Advising Office and in departments have been in-creasingly concerned over the last few years about students who try to get into a major by repeating pre-major classes several times and still fail to get into the major,” Nisbet said. “The longer students do this, the less likely they are to find a major direction that really suits them and that they can do well in, and the less likely they are to graduate in a timely manner.”

Whitney Langston, a fourth-year business economics major, believes the policy is neces-sary due to this year’s budget restraints.

“With budget cuts, spots in classes are even more competitive,” Langston said. “If you’re not going to utilize the class — like show up and take notes — the spot is more deserved to give to someone that will.”

However, Nisbet said that the university will be sympathetic to requests from students who need a particular course to complete their requirements for graduation.

“We can all continue to work together and help students meet their educational objectives,” Nisbet said.