E-Registration is a mixed blessing

by Pat Caldwell
For the first time ever at Grinnell, students did not have to brave the frigid walk to the John Crystal Center or stand in the long lines at the Harris center to finalize their registration. Instead, students were able to confirm their registration status from the comfort of their own dorm rooms as the Registrar’s Office implemented a new system for students to confirm their registration online when they returned to campus.
Registrar of the College Gerald Adams said he instituted the change because the previous method took a lot of time on the first Sunday back from break for faculty and staff members. Adams said that the new method so far appeared to be a success, and many students seemed to agree.
Victor Colussi ’09 initially was unable to log in and register when he arrived, but later on Sunday completed the process: “I thought it was easier [than before],” he said.
Arunabh Singh ’09 agreed. “It is way more convenient and should be persisted,” he said.
But the new form of registration did cause problems for some students. According to Adams, many students will be fined for late registration. The school attempted to remind the students about the change in policy with repeated e-mails. But Adams lamented that campus-wide emails are not always effective at disseminating information. “It upsets me that the official form of communication at the college is ignored,” he said.
The online confirmation process also required students to be on campus in order to register. The system would only allow students to confirm their registration through Pioneerweb if they were on a computer connected to the college’s network.
One student, Kat York ‘09, did not realize that she needed to confirm her registration until she was interviewed for this article on Wednesday. “It was kind of in the background and I don’t read the e-mails from the school; they send a lot of stuff,” she said.
Students also potentially face difficulties coordinating with professors without the central location at the Harris Center. Julie Edwards ’07 takes Piano lessons at the college and had problems scheduling a time for lessons with her professor. Where previously she had been able to meet with the professor during registration, she had to try to coordinate with the professor through e-mail which proved more difficult. “I wish there was still the option to go to the Harris Center,” said Edwards.
Many students even questioned the necessity of what they thought was a trivial process. Said Edwards, “I thought it was kind of silly; you only had to click two buttons.” However the office of the registrar views the process as an important function for the school. Adams said the system is important, because “We [the college] need to know physically who’s returning.”
According to Adams, the Office of the Registrar considers this a test and has not decided whether or not the online confirmation will continue. But one aspect of new registration will not change: first-year registration at Harris will remain a part of the Grinnell tradition.