Re: Electronic registration with advising holds?

[Joel Rauber <Joel_Rauber@SDSTATE.EDU>]

> All,
> We are preparing for electronic registration here at Northern
> Kentucky University. We are being told we cannot get advising holds
> on the registration. Faculty are arguing for advising holds and that
> this is an academic matter that should not be decided by non-academic
> units. Currently, faculty sign registration forms. Our department is
> very concerned about loosing this advising control.

We are fighting a similar battle with respect to phone registration!  and
are losing it.


> We have heard conflicting arguments about other institutions. One
> side says that others schools with electronic registration don't have
> advising holds. The other side says all other schools with electronic
> registration do have advising holds. Things get more complicated
> since we are told some students will have advising holds here at NKU.

Arguement by what other institutions are doing is a bad idea and a cop-out.
You should have advising holds if you think it is a good thing regardless of
what other institutions are doing.  Our administration makes these kinds of
arguements all the time and I'm reminded of what one's parents used to say
when you said, "all the other kids are doing it".  This invariably got the
response, "If all the other kids jumped off a cliff . . ."; unfortunately
many if not most administrations have forgotten this excellent parental
advice.

Thus endeth the sermon.

Joel Rauber

> Does anyone have experience with electronic registration and advising
> holds? Can you give specific institutions and details?

Technically the advisors are supposed to have PIN numbers to hand out to
there advisees to guarrantee that the advisees at least visit their advisor.
But the process is really out of control of the advisors.  Several of my
colleagues haven't even gotten those numbers yet and pre-registration has
started.  This tells me that students have a work-around for this impediment
of having to visit the advisor.

And yet technology causes a further degradation of services.  "the computer
won't let us do it that way".  Whereas, a human could do it that way.  rant
rant, rant rail . . . .

> Thanks in advance.
> Ray