NIU athletes register for classes today.

Well, most of them.

Starting today, student athletes will register for classes, while club athletes must wait for their assigned registration times. Each semester, qualified student-athletes register early to ensure a schedule that fits with team practice and competition.

“Early registration helps me as a student athlete because I have many hours of practice during the week, and I have to be able to fit my schedule around my practice times,” said Lindsey Curnock, a sophomore psychology major and member of the NIU women’s soccer team. “If we registered at our normal registration times, classes that work with our schedule may be filled.”

Gabby Kasper, a sophomore nursing major, can see why student athletes may need to register early but thinks she works hard enough as a member of the women’s rugby team to register early. Since rugby is not a part of the NCAA, the team does not qualify for early registration, she said.

“Unfortunately, the girls whose schedules overlap their practice times have to choose between class and practice,” Kasper said.

This hurts some of the team, because overlapping schedules often affect player’s grades and playing time in weekend games, she said.

NIU paintball club player Dave Moore, a junior management major, said early registration does not matter to him because his club practices on weekends. Despite being one, Moore does not think club athletes should get the same advantages as NCAA athletes.

“Club sports are club sports because they don’t attract enough public attention,” Moore said. “It is the club’s responsibility to get enough good PR to stand a chance at becoming an NCAA-qualified team.”

Ian Kalanges, a junior communications major and president of NIU’s hockey club, thinks club-sport athletes should be able to register early so players can balance education with dedication to their sport.

“I guarantee we get more fan support than most of the NCAA teams on campus,” Kalanges said. “The hockey team is run just like an NCAA team and deserves more credit.”

Kalanges’ team is at a disadvantage when it comes to scheduling practices, he said.

“We have to hold practices at 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. at night because some players cannot get early classes,” he said. “All players on the team are told to register for early classes but most of them cannot get into earlier [classes] come registration.”

Kalanges thinks measures should be taken to help merge club sports into the athletic department.

“We are a real sports team,” Kalanges said. “We should be treated equal.”