Course registration changes aimed at preventing students from holding classes to be tested

A new course registration program will be tested out for the spring semester in the hopes of lowering the amount of students who save class spots for other students.

The university is looking into wait listing. Some classes that tend to fill up quickly will have a wait list, so when a student drops, it is immediately filled by another student who needs the class, said Registrar Karen Hutslar.

A number of students hold spots in classes for other students, said Diane Fleming, associate director of client services for the Office of Scholarship and Financial Aid. In the student bulletin there is a note in bold that explains students must register for their own academic classes.

“The policy is set up for a reason,” Fleming said. “Registration favors upperclassmen first and when students violate that, there has to be some kind of consequence.”

If a student is found in violation of this policy, they are brought into the Registrar’s Office.

“If we become aware of a student saving a class for another student we call them in,” Hutslar said. “We delete their registrations and put them on hold to sign up until phase two of registration. We then send them to the Office of Student Life.”

Clarkston freshman Lauren Culver said the policy sounds a little strict, especially when it comes to completely wiping out a student’s classes.

Tony Voisin, assistant dean and director of Student Life, is contacted when students violate the policy. If a student were to violate the policy, the Registrar’s Office can make the decision to refer them to Student Life for a possible code of conduct violation, Voisin said.

As the credit hour total for a student increases, the number of courses available to them becomes limited.

Freshmen have a larger selection to choose from, and to hold those classes is not fair to upperclassmen, Hutslar said.

Testing the new program will hopefully help to solve the problem of students holding classes, she said.