Online registration coming soon

by Kevin A. Schneider
THE POST

Ohio University students annoyed by the Touch-tone Registration and Information Processing System recording can now register for their classes online.

Students can access the OU Office of the University Registrar Web site, enter their registration access codes and either their OU personal identity codes or social security numbers to schedule classes, said Tom Perry, OU assistant director of administrative systems at the Computer Services Center at last night's Student Senate meeting.

Some technical difficulties have affected the online registration system, but Perry said he expects students will be able to schedule Summer Quarter classes in the next few days. Students also can register for Fall Quarter classes beginning May 15.

The system uses the same data base as TRIPS and will be available to students from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday, Perry said.

The new system allows 48 students to register online and 83 students to register via TRIPS simultaneously, he said.

Senators said the online registration option is long overdue.

"I think OU should've moved toward this a long time ago," said Brian Doehle, academic affairs commissioner. "Hopefully, it will make scheduling easier for students."

In other matters, senate adopted a resolution urging the university to allow students to park near the Ping Center between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.

"This is targeting people off-campus who live pretty far from the area," said Senator-at-large Jim Hintz, a sponsor of the resolution. "We believe parking spaces are available if they do a parking shift."

Students pay for the right to exercise at Ping, and they should be permitted to park near the facility, said Jason Barron, university life commissioner and a sponsor of the resolution.

OU students paid a $69 recreation fee each quarter for using the Ping Center before the university rolled the cost into a general fee in fall of 1999, said Mike Sostarich, OU interim vice president for student affairs.

On the record:

• Senate adopted a resolution urging OU to cooperate with the Athens Transit system and develop regular campus routes to transport students via buses. Senator-at-large Mike Waterhouse, a sponsor of the resolution, will be chair of a senate Communiversity Transportation Taskforce to look into the issue further.
• Scott Hooper, deputy treasurer of Vote '99 and OU professor of neurobiology, said OU students are to blame for the April 2 time-change disturbance.

Hooper, 43, said students must vote to hold city officials accountable to students.

"It wouldn't have happened if it were people my age lining the street," he said. "All that you need to do is go out and vote."