Most people associate true evil with the number 666, but if you ask some NIU students, they might tell you a completely different number: 753-8900.

That is the number for the Telephone Registration Add/Drop Class Schedule System, which, along with its Internet counterpart at www.reg.niu.edu/connect, has received decidedly mixed reviews since registration began Nov. 12.

“I hate registration all of the time,” junior communication major Karen Frost said. “The Internet part didn’t work, and my account had a hold on it and the university didn’t let me know that I had an unpaid bill until I attempted to register.”

Sophomore psychology major Alison Boutcher registered successfully.

“I’m happy about my registration,” she said. “It wasn’t too frustrating.”

That has been the norm according to Bruce Oates, assistant director of registration and records.

“Registration has been going very well. The system has operated as we expected it to,” he said. “We are very pleased.”

The process is frustrating for many students because they don’t get the classes they want as a result of either technical errors or class availability.

“The registration is easy to work with, but it is difficult to register if the class is only offered at one time,” said junior history major Jamie Chochola, who registered in about 30 minutes. “Being upper [classmen] should give you privileges — not complications of trying to get in the class you need.”

Some students noted that Internet registration went more smoothly than phone registration.

“I like the Internet for registration because it’s a lot faster,” said Justin Dole, a junior industrial technology major. “It took five minutes on the phone and one second on the ‘Net.”

Rebecca Anderson, a sophomore early childhood studies major, has a suggestion to improve the registration experience.

“I would keep the Internet and phone registration, but also have somewhere you can register in person,” she said.

Oates said that is not a possibility for a number of reasons.

“It’s a question of resources,” he said. “Plus, we don’t want to make students come to a central location. We can help students at the office if there is a problem and there is an operator they can talk to if there is a problem with TRACS.”

Sophomore accounting major Marcia Joslin, who registered in ten minutes, doesn’t think that change is absolutely necessary.

“This is my third time registering and I have not had any problems,” she said. “I thought it was pretty easy.”

It would be best not to tell that to Frost.

“This time I was very angry because it prolonged what classes I got into, and basically screwed me over,” she said.