Don't be surprised to hear RSVP's monotone recording utter something like the following when you register for the fall semester.

"Welcome to the University of Arizona Voice Response System. Effective with registration for the fall semester 1996, the university approved a change that decreased the maximum number of units undergraduates can enroll in, during their priority registration week, from 19 to 16."

"This change only affects the allowable maximum study load available during priority registration. Undergraduates are still allowed to take a maximum study load of 19 units, but can only enroll in 16 of those units during priority registration."

"On April 27, after priority registration ends, an open registration session will begin that will allow undergraduates to increase their load to 19 units, the maximum allowable credit load available without a dean's signature."

Yes, they changed the policy. And yes, that monotone voice will surely become even more annoying to students when they hear it blurt something like, "Sorry, but you cannot register for more than 16 units at this time."

First, many students don't even know about this change. It was discussed in the Jan. 11-12 Arizona Board of Regents meeting, and was given a bit of space in the Wildcat on Jan. 23, but other than that, the only publicity the change has gotten is by word of mouth.

Why?

Simple. Because the registrar's office sent a memo to all deans, directors, and department heads on Feb. 12, but for some reason did not include students on the mailing list.

That figures. Students are always the last to know about the things that affect them the most.

Let's move to the policy and the university's rationale behind it. In the June 1995 regent's meeting, the board reviewed a report that discussed the irresponsible practice of students who pad their schedules with excess credit hours, and then end up dropping several classes early in the semester.

It's true that students have a tendency to overload their schedules. Last spring, 57 percent of the 2,788 undergraduates who registered for 17 to 19 hours ended up dropping classes. Those students froze 1,589 spaces in classes that other, more well-intentioned students could have filled.

The registrar's memo said the new policy is intended to curb this abuse of the drop/add policy by encouraging "undergraduate students to plan their schedules more carefully and make decisions as to their most important classes."

This intention is admirable, and in this respect, the policy is a constructive mechanism to get students to take some responsibility for carefully assessing which classes they need to take.

The regents should be rewarded for being aware of such abuse and calling on the UA to make an effort to solve the problem. But unfortunately, the new policy's negatives far outweigh its benefits.

For example, the memo also said the policy is meant to "provide more students with the opportunity to register early for their first-choice classes."

This reason is ludicrous, because it contradicts the entire purpose of "priority registration" which is supposed to give upper-class students an edge in registration for smaller higher-level classes.

Here's an illustration of the contradiction. Senior "priority registration" week ends on April 5. If a graduating senior needs 17 or more units to graduate, then under the policy, s/he has to wait until April 27 for the open registration session to add another class.

In the meantime, the class that senior needs could be filled by a junior, sophomore, or freshman whose "priority" registration week is later. Basically, the open registration session nullifies the meaning of "priority," for the chances of upper-class students getting classes they need during the open session are the same as anyone else's.

In effect, seniors (and juniors and sophomores for that matter) are automatically relegated to freshman status under this policy, just because they need to take more than 16 credits to move on in their programs.

The UA must realize that this change is a disservice to students, especially graduating seniors, who need to take more than 16 units. The policy punishes an entire campus community because of an irresponsible minority, and it unnecessarily prolongs the drop/add process.

The Executive Summary for the regents meeting, however, said the policy "is not unduly burdensome to students."

Tell that to a senior who needs 19 units to graduate after hearing RSVP say, "The section you requested is closed."

Adam Djurdjulov is a journalism junior. His column appears every other Thursday.

Adam Djurdjulov