Starting in the spring of 1992, late registration, add/drop, and schedule completion at NIU will be done by touch tone phones.

A computer system will replace the present system of in-person registration at the Holmes Student Center. The computer will be accessible to all students and will make it easier to register for classes.

Richard Durfee, director of Registration and Records, said the computer system will be faster and more convenient for both students and faculty.

General revenue from the university budget will be used to pay for the computer and the only cost to the student will be for the phone call. Students will be able to register from any touch tone phone anywhere in the country.

Lou Jean Moyer, Associate Provost, said payments will be spread over several years but gave no exact cost for the system. “Additional software will be bought according to how much we can afford,” she said.

“The computer that we’re buying is called a ‘voice response unit’ which translates signals between the phone and the main computer and back again,” Durfee said.

The two-year delay is because NIU needs to program the voice responses for every possible audio response, and the computer to rapidly recall files in order to check prerequisites and other registration materials, he said.

Students will be given a specific time to call to register for classes and there will be open times during which schedule changes can be made, Durfee said. Students who have problems with the system can talk to operators during specific times, he said.

Students will be given a personal identification number and will use their social security number to identify himself and help the computer get his records.

Students waiting in line to register or to change their schedules last week said they would rather register over the phone but only if costs remained the same.