Feb registration elicits complaints

Author: Thomas C. Drescher

An online petition calling for BannerWeb adjustments intended to eliminate alleged registration disadvantages to Febs has prompted the Student Educational Affairs Committee (SEAC) to resurrect the ever-contentious issue of Feb registration policy in an attempt to develop a workable solution that will satisfy all parties involved.

Emily Nelson '07.5, the document's author, met with Wonnacott Commons Dean Matt Longman to discuss reform efforts, and began her online petition, which had garnered over 160 names at the time of press. "When we came to Middlebury, we were told that Febs are not behind and are at no disadvantage. This has proven to not be the case in terms of registration, and this needs to change," the petition reads.

"I understand the argument that we have fewer credits than rising juniors, but we need to take the same classes before we go abroad," said Nelson. "We would like to be pushed up [to register with the class graduating in May 2007] or at least register between [sophomores and first-years]. They should just make a subcategory."

"I just spoke on a panel about being a Feb and how wonderful an experience it has been so far," explained petitioner Molli Freeman-Lynde '08.5. "I would hate to be proven wrong when it comes to registration."

Nelson expressed disappointment with the responsiveness of College administrators. "The school prides itself on student leadership and voice, but on this issue the only people who would listen to us were commons deans," she said.

Though the issue at hand is registration policy logistics, Nelson feels it could have important implications for the larger "Feb-Reg" dialogues that have taken place over the course of this academic year. "It's kind of odd that in every aspect we're considered 'Regs' except for registration," she said. "It's funny that on one hand they're making an issue of the 'Feb-Reg' dialogues, but at the same time not addressing this issue."

According to an e-mail sent by Dean of the Faculty Susan Campbell to all sophomore Febs, it would be impossible to make last-minute changes to the current registration process, but future alterations are in the works. SEAC Director Scott Buckley '06.5 reiterated this assertion, noting that the complexity of the issue does not permit a hasty change. "We don't want to rush a decision," Buckley explained. "We need time to evaluate all positions and thoughtfully process all the issues surrounding Feb registration."

Buckley cited one possible system overhaul based on "inter-day staggering." According to Campbell's e-mail, such a concept would break the current groups into smaller categories with staggered registration times throughout the day. This would allow students with three regular terms of credit to register later in the day, after students a semester ahead of them. However, Campbell cautioned that while such a change would help Febs during spring registration for fall classes, it would be disadvantageous for those same students during fall registration for spring classes.

Currently, Febs are permitted to register with Regs ahead of them in fall, but must register with Regs one semester behind in the spring. "The suggested solution only benefits [Feb students] in the spring, while it puts them at a disadvantage in the fall, compared to our current system," explained Campbell in her e-mail. "When the current registration system was designed, we were aware of this pattern and felt that the fall and spring circumstances offset one another."

As an additional advantage, senior Febs currently have priority when registering for their final fall semester.

Buckley pointed out that while many Febs are currently frustrated with what they perceive to be flaws in the system, simply allowing these students to register with their September-matriculating classmates each semester would unfairly disadvantage Regs. As an example, Buckley explained that Regs attempting to fulfill major or distribution requirements with courses only offered in the fall would be competing with Febs who have an additional semester to take the course.

Both Campbell and Buckley acknowledged the complexity inherent in dealing with Feb registration policy, but expressed a desire to develop a universal remedy.

"Several campus offices will be meeting over the next few months to discuss discrepancies in communications regarding Feb class status for various campus processes" Campbell's e-mail read. "Any changes we make to the registration process as it relates to Febs will need to be part of that larger discussion. Moreover...any changes we might make to the system would influence large numbers of students, both Febs and Regs, and we would need to consult with a broad spectrum of students from both groups before deciding that a change was both fair and desirable."



- Additional reporting by Taylor Johnston