Our Opinion: The University must make sure students understand the new system and are integrated into it well.
The University is integrating a new registration system for students to register for summer and fall classes.
The new program has beneficial features that will make it easier for students to sign up for classes and is designed to be better than the old system and is used by other colleges, such as UCLA and Stanford.
Louis Hunt, vice provost and university registrar, said the old system was written 25 years ago and that the University’s registration system needed to be updated.
We are glad that the University had students in mind when it decided to adopt this new system and it is about time to improve the registration process, but the University did not prepare students for the new registration system effectively.
Students needed more of a warning about the new system. The University should have at least sent out e-mails or done more advertising to tell students about the new system.
The University is putting a full page advertisement in Monday’s Technician explaining how to use the new system, but students started registering for classes as early as March 11. The University also could have advertised the changing of the registration systems on the University’s Web site.
Upperclassmen are generally the first students to register for classes, but upperclassmen are the ones having the most trouble getting used to the new system, according to Janell Moretz-Henderson, an academic advisor for the College of Natural Resources.
The University must make sure students, especially seniors, understand the new system so it does not affect the four year graduation rate.
There have been some complaints from students who do not understand how to use the system, and there is a tutorial on the Web site for students, but it is difficult to find. The tutorial should be the easiest link to find on the Web site.
We understand the University wants to have a smooth transition into the new registration system, but this doesn’t mean the University has to neglect explaining the changes to students.
The new system is better integrated than MyPack Portal was when it was first introduced by the University but improvements can still be made. The University needs to do all it can to make sure students understand the new registration site and should use whatever means necessary to make the transition as smooth as possible.
