With Ohio State’s first live registration for classes just around the corner, the Office of the University Registrar is increasing its efforts to inform students of this new opportunity. Wednesday afternoon, the office used a 40-foot-tall inflated gorilla, and staff members in ape costumes and safari attire to get students’ attention on the Oval.”Live registration means that when your window opens and you schedule for a class, you’re either in or you’re not. You know immediately,” said Glenn Donaldson, web master for the Office of the University Registrar.”It’s important for students to understand live registration so that they get what they want,” he said. Donaldson said this process is different because previously, when a student scheduled, their choices would later be processed with all of the other students’ requests.”We’re Going Ape Over Live Registration” was theme of the event on the Oval, and planning ahead was the message. Organizers handed out magnets and bookmarks printed with information about live registration, including a preparation checklist.Numerous students who passed the booth admitted that they knew very little about live registration. Other students had misconceptions about the process. One young man thought that live registration was simply using the Internet to schedule classes and another student thought it meant scheduling through your adviser.Brian Fulcher, a third-year English major, said he would use trial-and-error to get through registration this time. “It is becoming a pressing issue, I suppose, since scheduling is in a few weeks,” he said. “Hopefully, this information will help me out.” Registrar staff also passed out packages of animal crackers printed with the phrase: “Don’t monkey around, register early.” Connie Goodman, assistant to the registrar, said students will not be able to procrastinate and still have a successful scheduling experience.”Too many students wait until the end of their window and then beg and plead with their advisers to help them,” she said. “That kind of thing is not going to work with live registration.”Another reason to plan ahead for live registration involves prerequisites and special permission. The former registration system allowed students to schedule a class first and obtain necessary permission later. Now, students will not be allowed into a class until permission has been properly established. Amanda Wells, a freshman anthropology student, said she likes the idea of live registration. “Normally the upperclassmen and others get priority that makes trouble for other people’s scheduling,” she said.Wells said she has already done all the preparing and planning for her registration.”Come November, I’m ready to go,” she said.Jim Palavin, senior associate registrar, said the event was going fairly well. “The cookies are a big hit,” he said. “This is fun, and it makes people curious enough to get the information.”While the registrar staff was hoping students would ask more questions as they passed the booth, the important goal was to get basic information out that students may not have known how to obtain otherwise. “I think this is going well,” said Goodman. “Right now, they’re just getting information, but they’ll take a look at it later and realize the importance of it. That’ll get them thinking, and that’s the whole point of today.”