As the dust settled and students got into the rhythm of the classes they did or did not want for the semester, it was a trying process for some as disenrollment, waiting lists and full classes obstructed students’ educational goals.
When registration for classes was initially closed on Dec. 19 some students wondered how their schedules would pan out and whether registration would reopen.
“I found it stressful to be told multiple registration beginning and end dates, particularly because I wasn’t sure how financial aid would be affected,” said Bethany Boren (senior, Social Sciences.)
Ernesto Martinez (junior, Political Science) was one of a number of students who was disenrolled from his classes and had to wait until Jan. 23 to try and re-enroll.
“I paid the first installment a few days after they disenrolled me, but since the first payment was a month before school, I had to wait a whole month to re-enroll,” Martinez said. “ The first day of school I didn’t know which classes I was in.”
He did, however, get into classes that were not full. On the other hand, Nick Hernandez (junior, social sciences) struggled with waitlists.
“I got waitlisted for 3 classes and I had to get a bunch of backup classes,” Hernandez said. “[It was] frustrating because I’m trying to graduate and into the credential program.”
These factors, however, didn’t affect all student on campus.
“I had no problem with registration because no one is taking my classes,” Elya Assourian (senior, physics) said.
Elya said that his classes were typically smaller because of his physics major.
Some of the faculty empathized with the registration issues students faced. Dr. James Payne of the
Sociology Department noticed the stress of some of the students.
“I see a certain amount of panic . . . Students are dead serious about everything,” Payne said. “They aren’t getting the classes and they are panicking.”
Payne said more students were trying to add his classes this semester versus last semester. He allowed at least twelve waitlisted and non-enrolled students to add one such class.
“I hate saying no because I was one of you,” Payne said. “I know what it’s like to be a student. I spent a long time in school and it seems like your giving tons of money . . . and what you’re getting back is not as much anymore.”
Yet Payne also had insight into the value of education and how perhaps students are taking it more seriously.
“One of the positive sides is that education has become valuable,” Payne said. “It’s like diamonds; diamonds are scarce. Education is becoming scarce and so it’s becoming more valuable and you guys are taking it much more seriously because it’s a valuable scarce commodity.”
Categories:
Registration Troubles
By Kristen Sederquist
•
February 6, 2012
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