Spring Break
Advisors look to ease freshman registration pains
Caitlin Gray
Issue date: 11/16/07 Section: News
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The Office of Academic Advising, Retention and Diversity has developed a new way for freshmen to register for classes to reduce technical difficulties resulting from student overload on the system during the morning of registration.
According to Antoinette Torres, director of the OAARD, freshmen will be divided into two groups, arranged alphabetically. Students whose last names start with the letters A through K can register beginning Nov. 26, while students with last names beginning with L through Z can register starting Nov. 27.
Students will also be randomly divided into five subgroups per night. Every half hour between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m., a new group's time ticket window will open and students in that group will be able to register. During that time, advisors will be in the college and school advising offices to answer student questions about using the system. Each student's time ticket will remain open until Dec. 30.
Torres said that students whose time ticket windows open on the second night of winter term will be able to register the first night of spring term.
"Part of the overload issue is due to how Banner needs to access multiple data tables for each student's registration," Vice Provost for Academic Affairs John DiNardo said. "This new process will ensure that the system will not be overloaded so students can access Banner to register when they log in. Staggering registration times will reduce the number of students logged in simultaneously. Other universities and colleges that use Banner stagger registration as well to avoid these issues."
The Office of Academic Advising, Retention and Diversity worked with the Office of Residential Living and the Office of Commuter Student Programs and Services to set up a series of programs that would teach freshmen how to register for classes. Two-hour workshops were held in the freshmen dorms, commuter lounges, and Ross Commons Nov. 12 through Nov. 15.
"The workshops are part of a larger effort to educate students about the course registration process, and, in particular, how to plan their schedules before their time ticket opens so that they can register efficiently and expediently," Torres said.
According to Antoinette Torres, director of the OAARD, freshmen will be divided into two groups, arranged alphabetically. Students whose last names start with the letters A through K can register beginning Nov. 26, while students with last names beginning with L through Z can register starting Nov. 27.
Students will also be randomly divided into five subgroups per night. Every half hour between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m., a new group's time ticket window will open and students in that group will be able to register. During that time, advisors will be in the college and school advising offices to answer student questions about using the system. Each student's time ticket will remain open until Dec. 30.
Torres said that students whose time ticket windows open on the second night of winter term will be able to register the first night of spring term.
"Part of the overload issue is due to how Banner needs to access multiple data tables for each student's registration," Vice Provost for Academic Affairs John DiNardo said. "This new process will ensure that the system will not be overloaded so students can access Banner to register when they log in. Staggering registration times will reduce the number of students logged in simultaneously. Other universities and colleges that use Banner stagger registration as well to avoid these issues."
The Office of Academic Advising, Retention and Diversity worked with the Office of Residential Living and the Office of Commuter Student Programs and Services to set up a series of programs that would teach freshmen how to register for classes. Two-hour workshops were held in the freshmen dorms, commuter lounges, and Ross Commons Nov. 12 through Nov. 15.
"The workshops are part of a larger effort to educate students about the course registration process, and, in particular, how to plan their schedules before their time ticket opens so that they can register efficiently and expediently," Torres said.
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