Editorial: Permission granted


Arizona Daily Wildcat
Tuesday, November 22, 2005

New WebReg system will improve efficiency

Academic advisers and students tired of nonmajors taking up all their seats may heave a collective sigh of relief after a much-needed computer program from the Office of Registration is put into place.

The program, WebReg Permissions, first developed in 2004, is ready for departments and could be used as early as next semester. It augments the current WebReg system by allowing departments to enforce such requirements as prerequisites and honors status.

It couldn't have come at a better time. Under the present system, it's not uncommon to see strange occurrences like junior nonhonors students getting into freshmen honors colloquia.

Now, the department of mathematics can make it so students can't get into 362 without taking 219. It should have been that way all along.

Indeed, the program comes far too late for many departments that have been using inefficient hand registration systems and other methods of ensuring that the right students get into their classes.

The Eller College of Management had even developed its own software, eSMS, to have an online registration system to put the right students in the right classes.

The main beneficiaries of the new system will be departments that will have to waste less time and fewer resources in policing course registrations.

Who will the new system hurt? Savvy students who had mastered getting around course requirements. It's no secret that prerequisites aren't enforced in many departments across campus. As long as the student manages to get registered, only an overzealous professor or adviser could keep students from the class.

It remains to be determined how widely used the system will be. Students who should be able to get into classes can only hope that most departments quickly adopt the program.

In the slow-moving world of online registration, which took far too long to replace the phone system R.S.V.P. and now has taken far too long to allow restrictions, we can only hope for incremental progress.

Still, for students who just want to graduate on time, these necessary changes are welcome.


Opinions BoardOpinions are determined by the Wildcat opinions board and written by one of its members. They are Lori Foley, Ryan Johnson, Damion LeeNatali, Aaron Mackey, Mike Morefield, Katie Paulson and Tim Runestad.