Web-TRACS a click in the right path

It’s easier, it’s faster and now thousands are doing it.

Registering online has taken over NIU. Chances are you hit the computer rather than the phone this semester while picking classes & and saw the positive results.

Having a schedule on the screen eliminates the furrowed brow and possibility of coinciding classes. No more will the schedule books be clutched or dorm phones fought over at registration time.

And, it’s about time. DePaul and Northwestern universities have had these conveniences for some time; however, there was due concern. The online registration was tested by the colleges of Engineering and Health and Human Sciences, as well as the College of Visual and Performing Arts, before presenting the option to the whole campus. And a good idea it was. The last thing NIU students need is to lose their schedule and have to register twice because of a system failure.

So now this hurdle has been crossed. And more ideas are in the works. Bruce Oates, assistant director of Registration and Records, said he wants to see the online system include a link to students’ DARS reports and additional information about the classes, virtually eliminating the need for a schedule book.

“… Hopefully, in the future, we can do some of those things,” Oates said in an April 19 Northern Star article. “Anything to get more information into the students’ hands.”

And though we’ll miss the original artwork seen on the covers, this is the direction NIU should head in. Having a faster, more efficient and reliable registration process for students means less hassle in the end.

Ease for students isn’t just an advantage, it’s a marketing tool & and students are looking closely. Though there still may be students without access to a computer, having a few rather than one method of registering makes NIU more accessible. That makes a difference, especially during freshman orientation.

So prepare your last will, TRACS voice. Your vocal chords are losing their necessity with every click of the mouse.