Nov. 11 marked the last registering date for the upcoming spring semester, but was only the beginning of a possible struggle for students in order for them to complete their new schedules. “Classes fill up really fast,” said Longwood Registrar, Vikki Levine. Even though this is common information, it shouldn’t be taken lightly.
For some, the problem began with holds on their accounts, most likely because of the common occurrences of not paying dues including balances, parking fees, library fees or not meeting requirements with degree applications and immunization records. Others had issues competing with upperclassmen for seats in the classes they had planned on applying for.
As if the process wasn’t competitive enough, a reoccurring problem has become more serious for this semester’s registration.
“I’m hearing that upperclassmen are filling up all their credits in order to save seats for friends,” said Levine. Although the appearance of this complication isn’t new, it is one that has brought up a considerable amount of controversy for our most recent registration. Doing this takes away the opportunity for all students who registered after upperclassmen, which is a violation of Longwood’s honor code.
“Longwood has an honor code that’s well respected. You don’t do that t Longwood. You register for the classes you need, not others to protect yourself or save them for friends,” said Dr. Tim Pierson, vice president for Student Affairs. Due to this issue, the greater struggle for classes has proven to be student caused, therefore can be solved by students themselves.
“I would think SGA and students should help each other, since it’s more of a student problem,” said Levine.
Although it may be tempting to take advantage of the system, there are ethical ways the registration office advises students to take in order to help students get the classes they need. These include having backup plans for classes, attending advising appointments to help gain information, such as overriding in particular or advanced classes. According to Levine, “things always shake out over winter break. Don’t give up hope, bring your pins home over break and check regularly to see if any seats have opened up.”
Registration is a flexible process that has an abundance of solutions to almost any problem that could arise. “There’s always problems,” said Pierson.
As true as this statement is, along with understanding that registration is a year round necessity, it’s no surprise that complications occur and the majority aren’t avoidable, but have to be dealt with as effectively as possible. The use of resources such as the registration office, advisors or even trusted professors can be the best defense towards beating the battle of completing student schedules.
