Oracle Online

The old policy, which was based on numerical preference, was rarely followed and mostly ignored. Students would often e-mail professors and ask their chances of being admitted, and wait-list as many courses as they wanted. Because the online wait-list system was not automated, students would often mistakenly believe that they were enlisted in courses which they had wait-listed.

The new policy was the result of dialogue between the Registrar’s Office, the College of Liberal Arts Dean’s Office, the Registration and Records office, and Campus Scheduling. The policy change, while heralded as a comprehensive and needed change by its proponents, has been met with mixed reviews by students and faculty.

First-year Pete Andrus said, “I couldn’t get into any of the classes I wanted, and needed to track down several professors to register.” Other students experienced little difficulty with the new registration process. Aaron Evens said his class registration was unaffected, despite his underclass and transfer status.

Professor George Gaetano had a cautious opinion about the new policy. Gaetano said the new policy “placed the burden on professors” when it came to admitting students to wait-listed classes. Gaetano expressed the desire for more faculty input on the decision, and said the change occurred very suddenly for him and other faculty members. Gaetano expressed concerns about students having to track down professors and justifying their need to enroll in a course, which was one of the initial problems with the wait-list system. Ultimately, like many others, Gaetano said he “hasn’t figured out how he feels” about the new policy.