This spring, class registration will be different. Instead of registering in New Garden hall, students will be able to register on-line through the BannerWeb. The BannerWeb is found under the quickfinder on the Guilford homepage. Advisers give each student a personal number to logon to the BannerWeb. Students then can register for classes and immediately know whether or not they have gotten in.

Rob Whitnell, Guilford’s director of information technology, says, “Certainly, I think that it’s good. We tested on-line registration … and the responses we got were almost uniformly positive. It seems to make the process much more efficient.”

Many people are equally optimistic about this new way to register. Senior Ellen Yutzy said, “Since I was a freshman, they have streamlined the registration process a lot. I think this is one step further in the right direction.”

Last semester, several faculty members experimentally used BannerWeb with their advisees. Among these faculty were Carol Hoppe,

Dave Dobson, and Timothy Kircher.
English instructor Hoppe remarked, “I found the training good, clear, and easy to follow, and I am not a computer person, so it will make it easier for people who are more computer literate than I.”

Geology professor Dave Dobson said, “There are obviously going to be some little kinks that will have to be worked out. However, I found it very useful, and with it, I have the opportunity to check and see that everything is right on their transcripts.”

History professor Timothy Kircher commented, “On-line registration is an added convenience for both adviser and student. It represents the heightened importance of technology in the Guilford experience.”

Besides the good results experienced by these professors, faculty will be able to pull up student transcripts and other useful information.

Last semester, out of the ten faculty and 179 students who participated in the experiment, Norma Middleton, the registrar, said that they only had to call two students to fix their schedules because of mistakes that occurred during the process.

Currently, all faculty members are being
trained to use the BannerWeb. The hopeful outcome will be a quicker and easier registration process and a more accessible way to view students’ records.

When asked about his thoughts on this new registration, first-year student Collins Clarkson said, “It’s going to speed up stuff, and no more long lines!”

Another student, sophomore Joanna DiStefano, said, “On-line registration sounds great. If it saves me from making the hike out to New Garden, I’m for it.”