As some students look forward to hibernation during winter break, others plan to be in class five days a week for Winter Term.

Western officials, with the help of more aggressive advertising, hope they can keep those students with Winter Term dreams when classes start Jan. 4.

The Division of Extended Learning and Outreach has increased promotion of information about Winter Term deadlines and fee penalties this year to keep more students in Winter Term classes, said Alicia Bingham, DELO administrative assistant.

Western will offer Winter Term courses this year from Jan. 4 to Jan. 22 in classrooms on main campus and regional campuses as well as online, she said.

Some Winter Term classes last year had to be canceled because of low enrollment and students not paying their tuition, Bingham said.

This year, DELO increased advertising for the term in an effort to decrease the number of students who get dropped from classes for not paying their tuition, she said.

As of this week, 2,244 students are registered to take classes this winter, Bingham said.

“That is slightly less than last year at this time, but we’ve been more careful this year to make sure we don’t have the problem that we did last year with non-payment,” she said.

Classes that don’t have enough interest will be canceled by Dec. 12, Bingham. The last day for students to register is Jan. 3.

In addition to increased advertising, DELO boasts increased courses for this Winter Term.

Students had 260 courses to choose from last year, but this year they have 275 course options ranging from general education to upper level courses, Bingham said.

Fort Mitchell junior Josh Robinson will be among those taking a Winter Term class this year.

He plans on taking a psychology course.

“It’s a required elective, and I don’t have time in the spring or fall because I take 18 hours a semester,” Robinson said.

As a double major in creative writing and computer science, he said he plans to graduate after five years at Western. Taking courses in the winter will help him do so, he said.

Laura Harris, a junior from Evansville, Ill., took a Winter Term class online last year to catch up on general education requirements.

“I thought the class was very easy, and it went by really quick,” she said.

Instead of taking a winter course to catch up, Winchester senior Alicia Newell took one to get ahead.

Newell, an exceptional education major, said she did it so she wouldn’t have to worry about taking the class while student teaching.