Students need registration aids

   You don’t know this yet, but most of your counselors are as apprehensive about the upcoming spring registration in three weeks as you are.
   On the verge of the college’s implementation of a new database system that will replace Legacy in the spring registration, counselors and registrar staff are anticipating tough transitional challenges ahead. Most of the staff had just begun to receive their training for the new system late last week, and many will not be trained until November.
   Students need to know how they will be affected by these changes—both short term and long term. It is the urgent responsibility of the administration to inform students of the inconvenience and possible mistakes they may face when spring registration begins.
   More importantly, the administration should be more proactive in encouraging students to register early for next spring.   The officials’ current plan is to urge class instructors to pass along the advice in class. An information campaign may also be on the way, through which students will receive postcards regarding the changes.
   However, we believe the administration needs to do more in directly connecting to the students and emphasizing, especially, the importance of registering early.
  In a community where the majority of the students have other commitments outside of school and many more habitually wait until the last minute to register, it is even more crucial for students to understand they need to reserve more time this year for the registration process.
  Registering early will not only ensure students get into their desired class sections, it will also help them discover and correct any mistakes made because of the confusion of the new system before it is too late.
   “The final test will be when 30,000 students go to register,” Chris Smith, director of public relations and marketing, said in a released statement. “That is the great unknown. We are asking for everyone to have patience and remain optimistic as we undergo the transition.”
   College officials say while they are trying their best to ease the pressure and panic of their fellow colleagues, they are also focusing on updating the students as registration nears.
   For students who experience difficulties, volunteer advisors will be in registration areas on campus. Students can also get assistance via e-mail and phone contact.
   “The new system is quite intuitive, and most students won’t have a problem at registration,” Smith said.
   But many staff members know that it may not be a smooth ride.
   Chris Stevens, assistant director of admissions and registrations, repeatedly emphasized to her colleagues about surviving and bracing for the changes in a recent workshop for the staff.
   “This is a huge, huge project,” Stevens said in her presentation. “And not everyone is going to be completely happy about it.”
   What most of the students don’t yet know is that they too need to survive and brace for the spring registration.
   And it is only three weeks away.