Ohio State is following a trend that is picking up speed at universities around the country. Over the next few quarters, several changes will be made at the Office of the University Registrar to better utilize technology and keep up with other institutions.
“We want to take the fullest advantage of technology and be the most cost-effective with our resources,” said University Registrar Brad Meyers.
These changes will include the elimination of many of the registration functions, such as the BRUTUS telephone application and paper class rosters.
The BRUTUS registration telephone line will be turned off in July.
“It’s becoming impractical to have both the telephone and e-mail versions,” Meyers said.
During winter quarter, only 18 percent of students used the telephone system to register.
“We’re seeing fewer and fewer students using the phone,” Meyers said.
Present seniors are the largest portion of students still using it, Meyers said. They have been slower to move toward the online system because it was not available to them until their second year here.
The numbers of freshmen and sophomores using the telephone application for registration is overwhelmingly low, he said.
Beginning in September, paper class rosters will no longer be available. Faculty and staff will only be able to access them electronically.
“Online rosters are already actively being used, and we want everyone to utilize them,” Meyers said.
Many faculty members are in favor of this paperless approach.
“Paper rosters have been rather useless,” said John Uglietta, a professor in the philosophy department. “By the time you get them, they don’t reflect who’s in your class anymore. It’s easier to do it online.”
In addition, paper grade rosters will be eliminated. Beginning autumn quarter all grades will be submitted online, allowing for a quicker turnaround, Meyers said.
As a result, there is a possibility over the next year or so, senior finals will no longer be necessary, he said. Thus, seniors will be able to take finals during finals week along with everyone else.
“Many students and faculty hate having early finals,” Meyers said. “It forces students into a position to attend class and cram in their finals.”
To better assist students, the registrar’s office will no longer assign registration windows during holidays or weekends.
“We recognized this was an issue for students,” Meyers said.
In order to accommodate these changes, equipment will be added to several departments for better accessing and loading, he said.
“From our perspective, we are concerned about the people who are less technologically savvy,” Meyers said. “We are being very sensitive to the fact that this is a change.”
The university is planning to help students with the changes through online tutorials and possible training sessions.
“We need to reach out to those who are less technological in a special way to help bridge that gap,” Meyers said.
These changes are taking effect sooner than planned because of resource issues, he said.
“A year from now, this was something that we would have done anyway,” he said.
Students have differing opinions on the matter.
“When you don’t have a computer in front of you, you can still do it over the phone,” said Hannah Palumbo, a junior in criminology and sociology. “I think it’s stupid to get rid of the telephone system.”
Michelle Eramo, a sophomore in English, disagrees.
“Our university is catching the wave of the future and forcing students to use the technology,” she said. “It’s only going to help them in the future.”
