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Registration troublesome for students
By Amber Reese
Staff Writer
For some students, registration for the
current semester was fraught with problems
largely due to poor communication or a lack
of communication.
Senior Kirsten Larson cleared her holds
a week before registration to ensure that she
would be able to register the day it started. A
few days before registration an administrative
hold was placed on her account because
the Financial Aid office had not received a
scholarship check from a third party.
"Since the writing of the check for the
scholarship was out of my control, I don't see
why such a hold was placed on my account,"
Larson said.
Interim Student Financial Aid Services
Director Paul Cosda said that the hold was
placed on Larson's account because the check
was from a private scholarship provider and it
is the student's responsibility to keep in contact
with their private scholarship providers.
Cosda continued, saying ^at students can't
attend Guilford for free and the Finandal Aid
office has to place a hold on accounts if money
needed for tuition isn't in yet.
Another hold placed on students' accounts
dealt with thank you letters to scholarship
providers. In October, students received an
e-mail stating that if they didn't send a thank
you letter to their scholarship provider, a hold
would be placed on their account pending
receipt of the letter, which would prevent
them from registering.
"It turns out I was one of many, many
students who did not get the original letter
requesting that we write thank you notes to
scholarship donors," senior Ruth Lowe said.
"Many students who got the second, more
demanding letter disregarded it since they did
not understand what it was referring to."
Lowe was able to register because she
contacted Financial Aid and the Registrar to
find out what the letter was referring to.
Other students, however, did have
problems registering because they didn't
contact financial aid to find out what the
e-mail was referring to.
"This was something new this year, and
basically, the Institutional Advancement had
asked us to help them out with this process,"
Cosda said.
An initial e-mail was sent to students who
were receiving scholarships from donors, then
a check was run to see who hadn't turned the
letter in yet and a second e-mail went out. On
Nov. 9 a third check was run to determine who
still hadn't turned in the letter and holds went
up.
"It is important that we find out where the
breakdown is. We're talking to Institutional
Advancement because this was something we
did for them and we know there were some
folks that were affected at registration time,"
said Cosda. "It's not about passing the buck
to any other department it's about starting
the process with the award letters and I know
thafi s in the plans."
Senior Sari Schutrum-Boward also had a
problem with this hold, which then caused
another problem at registration time.
Schutrum-Boward is dyslexic and because
she was unable to register on the first day of
registration, she was subsequently tmable
to enroll in dasses that are appropriate for
students with learning differences like Real
World Chemistry and Biology 112.
"Because I couldn't register on time I was
unable to get into a (sdence) dass for a while
and I e-mailed all these teachers who said,
'sorry, we're full,' because by the point I could
do it, everything was completely full except
the really hard ones," Schutrum-Boward said.
As a final-semester seruor, Schutrum-
Boward didn't have the option of taking a dass
at University of North Carolina-Greensboro
since their semester ends later than ours.
She was able to communicate with the
faculty and staff and managed to enroll
in Biology 111; however, on the first day
Assistant Professor of Biology Tom Tucker
said that Biology 111 is recommended for
sdence majors and that it will be difficult for
those who are not sdence-minded, while 112
is tailored to non-sdence majors.
"We do not have priority registration (for
students with learning differences) and it's
my personal opinion ffiat we shouldn't have
priority registration except in a few very rare
cases," Disability Services Coordinator Kim
Gamer said.
"The American Disabilities Administration
is designed to level the playing field. It doesn't
speak to preference, it doesn't speak to getting
you things that other people wouldn't get."
Assistant Academic Dean for Advising and
Academic Support Barbara Boyette said that
about 400 students at Guilford have learning
differences and it would be imfair to those
without one to give a quarter of the population
priority at registration.
Senior Raji Ward also had a problem with
class scheduling. Ward's dilemma began
in late summer when she was notified via
e-mail that a necessary nutrition class had
been cancelled. The e-mail gave no reason or
alternate class.
"I had it all worked out, I was going to
have all my prerequisites done and then they
threw this in my face," Ward said. "There was
nothing, there wasn't anything like, 'We'll
help you find another way to do it.' There was
no helping out and I was really stressed out."
Ward enrolled in a class at UNC-G, but
because she didn't receive guidance, she
discovered that she had accidentally enrolled
in a graduate-level class. By the time she
figured out her mistake, the under-graduate
class that she needed at UNC-G was full.
"In the four years I've been at Guilford,
I've felt like I've been very supported by the
Guilford faculty and staff," Ward said. "And I
didn't feel very cared for during all this."
Guilford didn't offer another nutrition class
this semester and like Schutmm-Boward,
Ward was unable to utilize UNC-G this
semester and will have to take the class after
graduation.
They were not the only students who had
scheduling issues.
"We know it was tight this semester, we
know it was a tough scheduling, and so I iHnk
we're going to do things to address that," said
Boyette, "but (if you have) any other creative
ideas, we'd love to hear them."
Cosda emphasized the importance of
constant and proactive communication on all
parties involved.
"I would let all students know, whether it
has to do with finandal aid or anything else
going on, pay attention to your e-mail, pay
attention to the Beacon and Buzz because we
use those tools to get information out," Cosda
said. "Check your e-mail, check your e-mail."
Present your academic or creative work at the
Guilford
Undergraduate
Symposium
1 ebruarv 26
Present individual or group work you have
done for a class, an independent study or
internship, or thesis.
Submission Deadline:
January 29
For more information, check out the Guilford
Undergraduate Symposium Moodle site or contact
Robert Whitnell ext. 2295 rwhitnel@guilford.edu
BRUCE B. STEWART AWARDS
Two Teaching Awards*
Criteria for the Bruce Stewart B. Teaching Award include:
1. sustained teaching excellence
2. demonstrated commitment to both intellectual
challenge and student learning ^
3. service as an advisor to provide guidance and direction to stuaents
4. integration of scholarship and/or professional
growth and experience wim her or his teaching
5. promotion of the practical application of
knWledge in the College community
One Community Service Award**
Criteria for the Bruce Stewart B. Community Service i^vard include:
1. ^ecific contributions to the quality of community life
at Guilford College, with preference to student life
2. concrete outcomes of those contributions
3. demonstrated concern and respect for others
For lorms and selection Infoitnatiott,
please visit the GniltordBeacon
The deadline for nominations is Wedn^day,
March 17,2010, Hease return nomination
forms to the Office of the President.
mi
*Any full-time faculty member is eligible to receive an award, though one award
will go to a tenured teacher and one will go to a non-tenured teacher.
**Candidates must have a minimum of five years of consecutive full-time
Guilford College employment and must devote at least 50 percent of their time to
administrative/staff duties per their official appointment with the College.