Only two weeks into the quarter, students have already received thir registration notifications and are planning their winter quarter schedules.

But unlike usual, students will begin scheduling Oct. 21 without hassles from a PAC code or the telephone.

“PAC codes are a residual by-product of the telephone,” said Ali Brown, a senior in math and philosophy and a member of the Office of University Registrar’s Student Advisory Council. “In a couple of years, no one will know what a PAC code was. The question now is access, but the phone system was old.”

PAC codes were originally assigned to students so they could schedule over the phone with a restricted key pad, Brown said. When computers were created, the system had to be uniform.

The decision to eliminate scheduling through Brutus, the telephone system, brought the end of PAC codes.

Instead of PAC codes, students will schedule by using their Ohio State account name and password, said Mike George, associate registrar for Student Support.

Passwords for these accounts are chosen and completely controlled by the student. OSU has no record of the passwords, which meets the criteria of an electronic signature.

Discussion on deleting PAC codes started in July 2001 when electronic-signature criteria was debated by the Department of Education and the Department of Commerce, George said.

“We have eliminated an irritant by getting rid of the PAC codes and without jeopardizing security,” George said. “Scheduling is more secure than ever before, in terms of student PAC codes.”

Using passwords instead of PAC codes makes life more simple for the student, George said. Students should easily remember their passwords because they are regularly using it in the classroom and to check their e-mail.

Students leary about the security of their password can change it at any time, Brown said. Online passwords should be changed regularly regardless of security issues.

The new system will cost students who get on the wrong track extra time and money, said Mike Day, professor of animal sciences and adviser of 18 freshmen.

“Students should (correspond with their adviser) without us twisting arms,” George said. “Students are responsible enough.”

College departments can lock students out from registration as a last measure, he said.

Students have about a month to plan schedules and meet with advisers, George said.

Scheduling windows will open 10 days before they have in the past, which will help alleviate congestion from no phone services during scheduling.

As with any online system, there may be faults, but the system has been tested, Brown said. There may be online delays, but Brutus lines also sometimes rang busy.

Additional changes for winter-quarter scheduling include no window openings on weekends and only online copies of the master schedule, Brown said.