With the fall semester coming to an end and finals creeping up on students, stress is increasing and the addition of challenges presented with registration could increase the frustration felt by the student body.
Shelby Green, a 3rd-year communications major, said, “Every registration I have had a difficult time getting all the classes I need. It is always the most stressful part of my semester above finals and midterms. I think Sonoma State needs to tend to the difficulties registering brings to students and cater to their needs above all else.” Green expressed her frustration with the school and their lack of empathy for students. She believes that the school has a responsibility to make processes easier.
Fernando Centeno Olmedo, a fourth-year English literature major, said, “If the tuition is going to increase, the least they can do is make it easier to apply for classes. The student portal is slow and the process is complicated, which is only made worse with how old the system is. I should not need to have three windows open to look at my options.”
The Office of Registrar homepage states, their goal is to deliver effective, precise, and user friendly services that will support drawing in, keeping, and graduating a diverse student body.
Academic advising at SSU allows students to develop an academic plan for which classes to take and when to take them, but this plan does not take into consideration the limited seats available for each course.
Add codes are allotted to some students in need of certain courses for graduation, but there is no guarantee students will get into the class they need.
Jeff Keating, SSU’s Strategic Communication AVP said, “Our registration process has gone smoothly and our waitlists are being managed effectively.” Keating suggested that anyone having issues should contact their advisor or the chair of their department. “It is important that students provide specific information to their advisor or department chair or send a message to [email protected] detailing the kinds of problems they are having.”
While specific problems students may have during registration could be solved through the help of an advisor, the state of the registration has caused some Seawolves stress.