Registration changes office atmosphere
Whitney A. Stewart
Issue date: 11/8/07 Section: News
It's a question she asks more than a thousand times each semester: "Are you working toward a B.A. or a B.S.?"
For the last week and a half, Susan Marsh, an office assistant in the registrar's office, has sat at a card table checking students' home addresses and degree type as they file through the office to reserve their seats in spring semester classes.
Marsh and her coworkers, Aides to the Registrar Madeline Haslam and Shirley Swander, chat with students milling about the office. Marsh knits a bright red scarf during lag-times. A bowl of Tootsie Roll Pops sits atop the desk for students waiting to pick up class schedules.
"They seem to have all of the elements," Registrar Doug McArthur said, referring to the lollipops with a smile. "They take care of the oral fixation. They're hard, so you can hit stuff with them."
Preregistration wraps up Nov. 9, but students may modify their schedules through the registrar's office until the first day of next semester, when registration begins and add/drop cards are required, McArthur said.
McArthur said some classes, like art and honors seminars, fill quickly. And the classes President Larry Arnn and Provost Bob Blackstock teach often fill up the first day as seniors rush to reserve places.
The catalog lists 648 class sections, including individual sections such as music lessons, thesis research and labs. By Wednesday, 95 classes had closed. McArthur said that's a typical number as registration closes.
For most students, registration went smoothly.
Freshman Jake Morgan said he breezed through the registrar's office in mere minutes when he registered. He made sure to grab a sucker on the way out.
But some students - especially upperclassmen - found themselves shut out of required classes.
Senior Zach Good said by the time he registered, his last required English class had filled and his first two choices for Constitution had capped for seniors. His English class -Victorian to Modern British Literature with Associate Provost David Whalen - eventually expanded, and a rush to Central Hall's basement secured him a seat in it.
"I got a call at eight in the morning from a friend who had heard the class had opened up," he said. "I had to run up the hill to try to compete with juniors for a spot in the class."
McArthur said preregistration changes his office's typically slow pace.
"For the regular staff, it's a very busy time," he said, adding: "Everybody enjoys having the students come through. It's an opportunity to make someone's day when they get into a class they want."
Hillsdale College Collegian, 2007
For the last week and a half, Susan Marsh, an office assistant in the registrar's office, has sat at a card table checking students' home addresses and degree type as they file through the office to reserve their seats in spring semester classes.
Marsh and her coworkers, Aides to the Registrar Madeline Haslam and Shirley Swander, chat with students milling about the office. Marsh knits a bright red scarf during lag-times. A bowl of Tootsie Roll Pops sits atop the desk for students waiting to pick up class schedules.
"They seem to have all of the elements," Registrar Doug McArthur said, referring to the lollipops with a smile. "They take care of the oral fixation. They're hard, so you can hit stuff with them."
Preregistration wraps up Nov. 9, but students may modify their schedules through the registrar's office until the first day of next semester, when registration begins and add/drop cards are required, McArthur said.
McArthur said some classes, like art and honors seminars, fill quickly. And the classes President Larry Arnn and Provost Bob Blackstock teach often fill up the first day as seniors rush to reserve places.
The catalog lists 648 class sections, including individual sections such as music lessons, thesis research and labs. By Wednesday, 95 classes had closed. McArthur said that's a typical number as registration closes.
For most students, registration went smoothly.
Freshman Jake Morgan said he breezed through the registrar's office in mere minutes when he registered. He made sure to grab a sucker on the way out.
But some students - especially upperclassmen - found themselves shut out of required classes.
Senior Zach Good said by the time he registered, his last required English class had filled and his first two choices for Constitution had capped for seniors. His English class -Victorian to Modern British Literature with Associate Provost David Whalen - eventually expanded, and a rush to Central Hall's basement secured him a seat in it.
"I got a call at eight in the morning from a friend who had heard the class had opened up," he said. "I had to run up the hill to try to compete with juniors for a spot in the class."
McArthur said preregistration changes his office's typically slow pace.
"For the regular staff, it's a very busy time," he said, adding: "Everybody enjoys having the students come through. It's an opportunity to make someone's day when they get into a class they want."
Hillsdale College Collegian, 2007
