After years of frustrating registration experiences, Yeshiva students will soon benefit from expectedly convenient and user-friendly online registration. The Yeshiva administration recently purchased software that will web-enable Banner, the University computer databasing system. The web-enabled browser, known as Banner Web, will offer students the option of registering for classes and accessing their financial information entirely over the Internet.

Although Banner Web will not become widespread until the spring semester in 2003, at the earliest, the Office of Enrollment Management is working diligently with the Management and Information Systems Department to develop and test all aspects of this technology as quickly as possible.

"The realistic view to take is that there will be an implementation happening gradually over the course of the year," explained Director of Enrollment Management Dr. John Fisher. "We are hoping to have a pilot program up as early as this fall, but that may not be realistic. It's foreseeable, however, that the first group of students will be able to utilize the system for the spring 2003 semester." The pilot program would allow a select group of students to make use of the technology before the balance of the student body in order to ensure that the system is functioning properly.

The Office of Enrollment Management, which is overseeing the implementation of Banner Web, has three initial priorities for the system: online registration, student finances online, and a "faculty module." Online Registration will give students the opportunity to register online, thereby allowing them to bypass the hassle of going to specific university buildings and waiting on long lines. "Online Registration is on the cutting edge of technology and it's definitely the way to go," asserted Main Campus Registrar Dr. Lea Honigswachs. "The students have been clamoring for this, and it is going to greatly assist with an efficient registration process."

Establishing access to student financial information online will allow undergraduates to fill out financial aid applications, complete credit card payments, and view their financial status entirely through the Internet. According to Fisher, this would also assist with an efficient registration process. "It is no secret that lately the Office of Student Finances has been struggling to keep up with the students," he began. "Because of that, registration has become especially [and unnecessarily] difficult. Using the web to facilitate finances helps registration to become hassle-free."

The third priority, the "faculty module," will provide the faculty with a direct access to class rosters and an easy way to submit grades over the Internet. According to Associate Director of Enrollment Management Amy Rotheim Sullivan, however, this third priority, aimed at benefiting the faculty, is not as important as the other two, which hope to convenience the students themselves. "Since Yeshiva is a student service institution, [our primary goal is to] benefit the students," she elucidated. "This project is therefore primarily for them." Because of this, the student aspects of Banner Web will have precedence over the faculty facet.

Many student however see the implementation of the faculty module as beneficial as well. "Anything that helps the teachers invariably helps the students," remarked one junior.

Expounding upon this sentiment a Yeshiva College Senior explained, "Teachers often have trouble with incomplete or not current rosters and submitting grades if this makes their jobs easier then it should be fast-tracked as well."

Several other projects planned for the Banner program include allowing students to access grades, unofficial transcripts, and class schedules online. Students will also be able to add and drop classes via the Internet, and prospective students will be able to complete applications online. This final component is likely to raise the number of applications received by the admissions office by making applying to Yeshiva easier, however the exact figures or impact of this service is not yet know.

Anticipating possible student and faculty concerns regarding security over the Internet, Fisher emphasized that Banner Web will be thoroughly inspected to ascertain its reliability before it is put to use.

The primary reason for the delay in purchasing the software to web-enable Banner remained Yeshiva's tight budget. "There is no new money for this project and we had to show that this venture was a high enough priority to receive the proper allocation of funds," Fisher acknowledged. Another issue delaying the programs purchase was the lack of urgency for this particular project at an institution like Yeshiva, where students were always able to make their way over to Belfer Hall to register. "Because most students are not commuters -- Yeshiva is primarily a residential college -- and most students do not work, they are basically on campus all the time. We therefore did not have a sense of urgency that this project needed to get done right away," he explained.

Although several of the graduate schools, including the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law and the Wurzweiler School of Social Work, requested a web enabled computer system several years ago, the administrators reasoned that it did not make financial sense to purchase the system for only a couple of the schools. With the current purchase of the software, all the Yeshiva University undergraduate and graduate schools will be able to take full advantage of the technology.

Many in the Yeshiva community are viewing this latest advance as evidence that Yeshiva is indeed dedicated to improving its undergraduate resources. "I'm glad that there is an obvious commitment to technology at Yeshiva, and if this [purchase] doesn't prove it, nothing will," Sullivan said. This sentiment was closely echoed by Yeshiva College Sophomore David Borg. "This shows that the University is serious about making true strides in improving themselves technologically," he stated.

Some students, including one Yeshiva College Junior, are more cautious about the application of this new technology. "In a small institution like Yeshiva University where there are a limited number of classes and where so many people end up getting signed into them, I can't foresee online registration creating an efficient process," he pointed out.

Most students, however, are excited at the promise and potential of a web enabled University computer system, specifically allowing for online registration. "I am elated about the prospect of online registration," acclaimed Yeshiva College Sophomore Jonathan Wiesel. "The old registration system was archaic and a nuisance. I'm glad to see that Yeshiva University is taking another step into the 21st Century."