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Even on slow day, Enrollment Services staff deal with upset students
During the several weeks in which registration occurs, the second floor of Green Hall is usually buzzing with students in need of help for academic and financial questions. With Fall semester only a few months away, and registration in full swing, Enrollment Services is seeing its busiest time of the year.
Beth Ulrickse has worked in the office for seven years. On an everyday basis, Ulrickse and her colleagues deal with a variety of issues. Lines can sometimes reach long into the hallways outside the office.
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On this afternoon, however, between 2 and 3 o'clock, there was a lull. Ulrickse said that with the use of E-campus, students are able to handle some issues online instead of in the Enrollment Services office.
For example, "Students are now able to input permission numbers themselves instead of filling out forms and bringing them here . . . it makes the whole process a lot easier," she said.
URI's switch from the ARIES system to E-campus two years ago also has proven to have some negatives. Gretchen Hess, a junior from Long Island who is majoring in Textiles, Fashion Merchandising and Design, was here today because her permission number would not work. "This is the second number my professor has given me and it still does not work; that's why I had to come down here."
Although Ulrickse acknowledged that there are sometimes glitches in the system, the biggest issue, she said, is that "a lack of understanding of E-campus has caused many students confusion." Without knowledge of how the system works, it's difficult for students to know how the system can aid their academic and financial needs, she said.
"The biggest problem we deal with on a daily basis is students confused about drop dates," Ulrickse explained.
When it comes to dropping or adding classes, financial issues come into play, and Ulrickse said that unfortunately, "Sometimes students are misinformed about getting reimbursed." She went on to explain there is a difference between academically and financially dropping a class. Students can drop a class academically long after the financial deadline has passed.
Observing the goings-on in the office, I watched as Richard, an upset student, spent 20 minutes yelling and arguing - to no avail -- with an Enrollment Services employee about reimbursement for a dropped class.
Ulrickse said the only solution to this sort of problem is for "students to become educated on the academic calendar," which clearly states when students can receive what percentage of a tuition refund for a dropped classes.
Ulrickse noted that it not unusual for students to get angry or upset at the reality of their academic or financial status, even on a day like today when the office is relatively quiet.
She wanted to make clear, however, what Enrollment Services' main goal is: "We're here to help the students as much as possible."