All it takes is time.

That’s what several NIU staff and faculty are saying about their experiences with MyNIU.

“It’s like any new system, people are going to have to get used to it,” said Sabryna Cornish, assistant professor of journalism.

Nursing program coordinator Connie Uhlken expressed similar sentiments.

“It’s taken a little more time to get used to it,” Uhlken said. “But once I learned how to find it, it was okay.”

Cornish said most of the frustration she has encountered is related to advising students and her inexperience with the new system.

“The system won’t let you add students to a class after the first week,” Cornish said, noting that under the old system, it was possible to add students to a class during the second week.

Because of the restrictions of the new system, Cornish said MyNIU “forces the student to think a little bit earlier,” in terms of advising and to be responsible about their schedules.

Cornish said she likes that the system lists the number of students enrolled in a class, and the ability to enter grades online can be a benefit for some teachers.

But despite the benefits, there were still plenty of criticism to be found with the MyNIU system.

Uhlken said she found the new degree audit report to be more confusing than its predecessor. And although staff and faculty underwent training for the system, Cornish said, “It would have been nice if there were some more comprehensive training.”

Communications instructor Jason Akst offered criticism of the MyNIU system.

“I use MyNIU as little as possible because it’s the worst system ever developed,” Akst said. “It’s abysmal.”

Akst said that he was left with a very bad impression of the system when it was first introduced, and the system was “rammed down our throats” after the Feb. 14 shootings.

Akst admitted MyNIU has more potential for options than the previous system, but said he doesn’t see how that aspect is advantageous.