Officials at Southwestern Oregon Community College say the economy, efforts to woo new students and increased interest in its programs have led to a 7 percent increase in enrollment.

Those 300 extra students fit right in the 5 percent to 10 percent spike college officials originally expected.

“One of our goals is to have sustainable growth each year, regardless of what the economy is doing,” said Tom Nicholls, the executive director of enrollment management.

The college aims to add 3 to 5 percent more students per year, and rakes them in via college fairs in untapped areas and targeting college hopefuls by interest level to help them through the application process. Nicholls said there are 3,824 students attending Southwestern in Coos Bay and Curry County.

Nicholls said the college also experienced 35 percent growth in online classes from fall 2008, but he’s not sure why more students are enrolled in Web-based courses.

The college has increased some class sizes and added more general education courses. Federal aid applications are up to 3,088 from 2,947; there are 35 more student athletes and enrollment in Southwestern’s Oregon Coast Culinary Institute has reached an all-time high with 120 students — 27 more than 2008.

With more students sardined into dorm rooms, college housing managers are trying to  prevent student scuffles.

Many students have just graduated high school and don’t have much experience living with people other than their families. With housing already packed, Assistant Housing Director Jeremy Jones said there isn’t too much the college can do if they have problems with each other.

“We don’t have the option to move them across campus,” Jones said.

The college’s dorm population typically is in the high 300s, but this fall 422 students paid for room reservations.

That required the college to fit more students in the larger dorm rooms, creating double and triple-person rooms. Housing director Jeff Whitey said they were able to accommodate 401, and the rest of the students either found alternative housing, didn’t show up or pushed their first day of school to the winter term.

The college also has devised a program to try to deal with conflicts before they happen.

“It’s just ground rules for living and interacting with other people,” Jones said.

The rules suggest using common sense, such as asking permission to use each others’ video gaming systems or explaining to roommates how they’d like to be confronted over problems.

College officials are hoping that if they can maintain a harmonious living situation it will help with long-term student retention.

If “students feel more comfortable in their environment, they’re more apt to stay,” Whitey said.

Despite the student spike, Nicholls noted the college is down in part-time students, as a $7 tuition increase may have made them think twice about taking a class or two. Administrators canceled 43 courses on the  main campus, including individual voice lessons, ballroom dancing and orchestra, due to low enrollment. That number also included readjustments of faculty workload to meet higher demands in other course areas, such as writing and speech. The college also hired part-time instructors to teach classes originally expected to be cut, including journalism.

At OCCI, the increase in student chefs is definitely a positive, said Executive Director Shawn Hanlin. He had hoped to grow the program, which has room for about 20 more bakers and culinarians. Since fall 2008, it grew from 93 to 120. Hanlin attributed the increase to the institute’s reputation and recruitment efforts via summer cooking camps, college fairs and culinary programs at high schools.

“We’re very pleased. It’s a testament of all the work all the instructors have done,” Hanlin said. “We just want to see our program grow.”