Today: Mar 19, 2024

Registering for classes changes due to COVID-19

Kaitlyn ReganOnline Editor

This semester, PIN numbers are not required to register for classes due to COVID-19, said registrar Alicia Carroll.

To ease the burden of contacting someone for advising, Carroll said, Southern decided to do away with PIN numbers this semester for registration.

Registration for the Fall 2020 semester began for seniors on Tuesday, April 7. Juniors will register on April 13, sophomores on April 15 and freshmen on April 20.

The Registrar’s Office staff is working remotely and available Monday-Friday 8:00-4:30 p.m. by phone or email. Registrars are available from 6 a.m. to 6:30 a.m. if students need assistance during early registration hours.

Historically, Carroll said, the 6 a.m. to 6:30 a.m. start for registration has been rough. Students received time out errors on the server, and it was not handling the volume.

Prior to COVID-19, the Registrar’s Office decided to implement a new registration system for this semester. Students will now register according to their current class standing.

Nationally, this is the standard for universities and how other universities in Connecticut operate. Southern was an oddball, Carroll said, because seniors and rising juniors would register at the same time.

“But it was because we were building up class standing that way that was really bogging down the system,” she said. “We had to change something. We couldn’t keep having registration have technical issues every time it opened.”

Over 1,000 students were online for senior registration on Tuesday, April 7. Around 4,500 seats were filled for classes, Carroll said.

Psychology major Jalitza Mathews, a junior, who is also a part of the Honors College program, said registering for classes went smoothly.

“I registered on Tuesday with the seniors at 12,” Mathews said. “I emailed my advisor and we talked about my classes that way.”

Special education major Chandler Johnson, a graduate studentsaid she is graduating in the summer and has already signed up for her critical issues class along with a few practicums.

“I think it was harder to meet with an adviser, but registration is easier for me because the classes I signed up for are limited to certain students who have met the prerequisites,” said Johnson.

Communication major Alyssa Couture, a freshman, said she already registered for classes since Honor College students receive early registration and a generic PIN.

“I made an appointment with my advisor March 11. I was my advisor’s last in-person appointment before students were told to pack up later that night,” said Couture.

Special education major Samuel Martin, a freshman, said he made an appointment with his advisor in March where he discussed his courses for next semester.

“I do not think that the difficulty of registration was affected by not being able to be on campus,” said Martin.

Part of this process involves learning about how things can be done differently in the future, but Carroll said it might be the case that pins are back in November.

Interdisciplinary major Devon Short, a senior, said Southern should consider keeping pins out of the registration process.

“I definitely think signing up for classes without a PIN makes things easier,” said Short. “I don’t have to remember, ‘Oh I should contact my advisor just so I can register for classes!’ I could just do it.”

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