Registration hits the Web

For next year’s registration the only class schedule pages

students will be reading will be on the Internet.

Beginning with the fall registration, an interactive Web site

will replace the printed booklets previously issued each

semester.

“What’s different for this coming fall is that we’ve

discontinued the hard copy,” said Associate Registrar Nolan

Oltjenbruns. “It’s out of date basically the day after it’s

printed.”

Oltjenbruns said the schedules have been available online for

about six years and that the university has decided to switch

completely to this system because it will provide students with the

most up-to-date information.

Gaye Digregorio, assistant director for the Center of Academic

Advising and Student Achievement, said the schedules available

online will be different from their previous versions.

“It’s a greatly improved online model,” Digregorio said.

Digregorio said the online schedule guide was previously a PDF

file, but now the site will be interactive. It will allow students

to search for classes based on criteria like the All University

Core Curriculum or seating availability.

However, this calls for more Internet reliance for students.

“Because all registration is done on the Web every student

really has to have some sort of Internet access,” Oltjenbruns

said.

Some students expressed concerns over this new development.

“It’d be OK if you have Internet access,” said Soleil Lean, a

freshman open option major. “At my house we don’t.”

Lean said she had not heard that the hard copy would no longer

be available.

David Page, a sophomore speech communications major, had also

not heard about the plan.

However, Oltjenbruns said the Registrar’s Office is planning to

advertise the change in formatting, including sending an e-mail by

student FYI.

Page was also worried about the problems with dealing with his

Internet access.

“It might be harder because our Internet sucks,” he said.

Page also said he would miss the convenience of having a booklet

at his fingertips. The online format would no longer allow him to

flip through the guide and simply skim over available classes.

“I think it might be harder in general to find classes,” Page

said.

However, Kevin Donahoe, sophomore construction management major,

was already aware that the course schedules had been online, and he

thought the change could be convenient. He also pointed out an

ecological motivation for the paperless format.

“We’re saving trees,” Donahoe said.

There will be a hard copy supplement, but it will only be

available for students who are unfamiliar with the registration

system, such as incoming freshman and transfer students.

Registration will begin on April 5 and the class schedules will be

accessible through RAMweb.