Registrar evaluates priority enrolling

The current undergraduate enrollment process may undergo changes that could affect many freshmen, upperclassmen and students who utilize priority passes, possibly starting fall quarter.

Academic Affairs Commissioner Addar Weintraub presented the registrar’s office with some possible changes and also brought her ideas to Judith Smith, vice provost for undergraduate education, last December.

Weintraub’s policy changes include excluding advanced placement units during the assigning of enrollment times, limiting the maximum number of units to enroll in priority pass from 10 to six units and allowing freshmen in general education clusters to only have priority enrollment for winter quarter.

Smith was not available to comment, but Anita Cotter, the university registrar, said that Smith is currently working on her own draft proposal and will submit it to the Undergraduate Council of the Academic Senate for approval.

The Undergraduate Council is an administrative group that authorizes, supervises and regulates all undergraduate courses and programs.

Cotter said that the registrar’s office will not made any changes until given approval by the Undergraduate Council, but these will most likely be implemented for next fall quarter.

Weintraub said that the enrollment time-assigning process should not include advanced placement units students accumulated during high school. She also said that the times should depend on class year rather than class standings.

Fourth-year sociology student Norlyn Asprec said she believes that these changes could be harmful.

“Having (advanced placement) units is how people finish college faster,” Asprec said. “The (registrar’s office) should leave it the way it is.”

Professor of psychology Bernard Balleine said that he has rarely encountered fourth-year students unable to register for his upper-division psychology classes due to underclassmen filling the spots, though he is sympathetic to upperclassmen when this occurs.

“It does present a problem for graduating seniors,” Balleine said. “They should have an opportunity to enroll earlier than others.”

Another enrollment change that may take place is the allowing of students with priority to sign up for a maximum of six units during priority pass and a maximum of four units during first pass.

Cotter added that many upper-division classes are six units, so she wanted to ensure that each student could enroll in a course of choice.

Second-year psychology student Sai-Han Ackerman said that students should still be able sign up for 10 units during priority pass.

“It’d be more convenient to enroll in more than one class that you think will fill up quickly,” Ackerman said.

The last change requested of Smith is to discontinue year-round priority enrollment for freshmen in general education clusters because they have already been guaranteed enrollment in the clusters.

“They don’t really need priority for all of the quarters because they’re taking GEs and they can usually work their schedule around it,” Weintraub said.

First-year business economics student Ling Ling Tsang, who is enrolled in a general education cluster, said that she used her priority to ensure her spot in English Composition 3 which satisfies the university’s Writing I requirement before earning Writing II credit by completing her general education cluster in the spring quarter. But Tsang said that many cluster students do not enroll into cluster sections during priority appointments.

“I think that is a misuse of priority,” Tsang said.

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