Katie Armes

Review staff writer

Waitlists for classes have been added to Webadvisor in an effort to streamline the course registration process.

Professors previously created waitlists for individual classes by themselves, but the first students to notice class openings online could ultimately register before anyone looking on a paper list.

“The first person who saw openings could get in faster than someone who had talked to the professor about it,” Registrar Eileen Bourassa said.

If a class with a waitlist opens, an e-mail is sent to the first person on the list automatically, and they have until 2 a.m. on the third day after receiving the e-mail to register for the class before notification is sent to the next person on the list.

Students who decide not to add a class they were waitlisted for are asked to go to “Manage My Waitlist” on Webadvisor and remove their name from the list. In this window, students can also see how many people are on the waitlist for a course.

Bourassa said waitlist systems have been available for Webadvisor for some time, but, unlike today’s automated system, they had to be manually maintained.

“The fact that waitlists needed someone to virtually baby-sit them is why we didn’t use them,” Bourassa said.

Classes that require a professor’s signature do not have waitlists, and professors can request that their classes do not have waitlists, she said. None of the creative writing classes, for example, have waitlists online. Instead, hard copies are being kept by the English department.

Although the waitlists operated on a first-com first-served basis for registration this year, in the future, students who need particular classes to graduate or for a certain major may be given preference on the lists.

“We may test that if professors want it to be done,” Bourassa said.

Most students believe the computerized waitlists are a good idea, but they are not sure how helpful they will be because the system just became available.

“I think it’s a good idea because if you were supposed to get into a class but you were late to register, it means you get to register before someone with a later registration time,” senior Annette Hemshorn said.

Bourassa said Linfield has considered a formal waitlist program for the last few years, but it waited until the system had been tested by other schools, such as Willamette University and Lewis & Clark College, to introduce it to students.

Still, Bourassa emphasizes last week’s registration featured only a pilot of the waitlist system. If it is not accepted well, then it will not be part of registration in the future.

“This is one of those things where electronics are great if they work,” Visiting Assistant Professor of Biology Elisha Wood-Charlson said.

Students with questions about registration should contact the Office of the Registrar in Melrose Hall.