Spring Quarter registration is under way, and so is the scramble for popular classes and spots on department waitlists. A new pilot program might simplify the waitlist race for some students.
Northwestern’s Office of the Registrar is offering a new electronic waitlist function for several classes through CAESAR, the university’s electronic registration system.
“The expectation was this will be beneficial for both students and departments,” said Suzanne Anderson, university registrar.
The function has been available since NU started using CAESAR software in 1999, Anderson said. It was not immediately used because the university was concentrating on revamping its registration system and making it electronic.
“It really wasn’t a priority in 1999,” said Anderson. “Our first priority was Web registration.”
Since then, Anderson said, certain departments have expressed interest in changing their waitlist procedures, which usually involve students calling or going to the department and adding their names to a paper list.
Debra Webster, coordinator of undergraduate studies in the School of Communication, said her department is trying the new waitlist function to help registration for two of its most popular courses: Interpersonal Conflict and The Marketing of Popular Culture.
Debbie Zutty, a Communication sophomore, was waitlisted for Interpersonal Conflict when she tried to register early this week. She said she liked the new system because it adds students to the list according to the time they tried to register for the class instead of when they contacted the department.
“I think it’s more fair because it’s based on time rather than how early you stalk the professor,” she said.
But Weinberg sophomore Mike Loquercio said a lack of faculty contact might hurt some students’ chances of getting into a class, because professors still can decide who gets into the class from the list CAESAR compiles.
“By making yourself known to to the professor, you increase the likelihood you will get into the class, as opposed to just staying a name on the list,” he said.
Normally, Webster said, Communication students would e-mail professors to be added to the waitlist for their classes. The electronic waitlist system means faculty members no longer have to keep track of their own lists.
“I would think particularly with a class that is very popular where the professor will get a lot of e-mails, this will take some of the pressure off for having to keep track of the list,” Webster said.
The system also will help clear up confusion about the waitlist process, said Sanjay Mehrotra, undergraduate director for NU’s industrial engineering program, which also is trying the electronic waitlist system for one of its classes.
“Students don’t know where to go when a class is closed sometimes,” Mehrotra said. “Once they reach the administration, they can handle it, but until then, there is a lot of confusion.”
On the new system, students will be notified if the course they want to take is full and given the option of adding their name to the electronic waitlist. If added to the class, they will be e-mailed a permission number, Anderson said.
She said departments and professors will maintain their discretion in determining who is added into a class.
Steve Lavender, a Weinberg senior, said he thought the program was a good idea “as long as CAESAR works.”
Problems with CAESAR last Fall Quarter delayed registration for many students. But Anderson said her office made sure the waitlist function would not hinder registration.
“We would have never put it in if it impacted negatively the registration process,” she said.
If the pilot is successful, the system could be extended to the entire university.
“Like we do with any pilot, we will get together with the folks that participate,” Anderson said. “We will make the evaluation and the decision after registration is over and we’ve had a chance to visit about it.”
