Faith Williams – Contributor
The end of the semester comes and students wait for the final grades of their classes.
Unfortunately, due to issues out of professors hands, students are forced to wait another few days to get their final grades.
Once finals are done, professors are allotted a certain amount of time to get each student’s final grade to the university for students’ records. Some may think it is a simple process, but it becomes frustrating for students.
“As a graduating student, having to wait for my grades can be annoying, because I want to know what my grades are so I can make sure everything is good,” business management major Sean Wilder, a senior said.
There can be various reasons for a slight delay in grades, and professors not turning in their grades is one of them. It can be assumed that when something goes wrong with computers, it is because of a technical issue.
When asked about it, Southern’s I.T. department confirmed that when things like registration and grade releases happens, they make sure that the technical side of things is all set up for the influx of use of Banner Web.
According to Southern’s IT department website, the department also routinely maintains the system so that it continues to run smoothly.
On Friday, Dec. 20, students received an email from the Registrar’s Office stating that grades were “taking longer than normal to process.” The email said it would take up to three days before grades would be released, and not only this but degree evaluations and transcripts were also unavailable during that period of time.
A few hours later, students received another email saying that the issue was fixed and grades were finally available. These setbacks can be frustrating for students because they are uncertain when they will receive their grades.
This is not the only issue students come across when using Banner Web. During registration time, students wake up at 6 a.m. to register for their classes to ensure they are in the classes they need. However, when registering for spring semester, seniors experienced technical issues. This caused immediate concern.
This time however, was a technical issue. As stated before, the I.T. department ensures that the system can continue working when there are hundreds of students using the site and registering for the same classes. The uncertainty of being able to register for a class necessary to graduate is one no student wants to be in. These technical issues ultimately require patience from the students.
From grade releases to registration for the next semester, Banner Web is not always the easiest site to navigate for students and faculty. Technical issues are inevitable as technology is not perfect, but with patience and preparedness, issues will be at a minimum.
