Sophomores, juniors and seniors recently finished registering for spring semester classes under a new system. While many upperclassmen were anxious about registering for courses the apprehension might be unfounded: the new class registration system is similar to previous years. The new system removes the “initial course election,” or ICE, phase from the process and introduces randomized registration times within class cohorts and a renewed emphasis on Cultural Life Program (CLP) event credits.

Brad Barron, the registrar, said the new system should eliminate confusion with the registration system.

“The benefits we derived from it didn’t outweigh the costs for students (understanding and completing the task) and faculty (explaining the process),” Barron said via email. “What we’ve changed to, registration with staggered start times, is a standard feature of our student information system and easier both to explain and complete.”

The most poignant change to the registration system, which will directly affect students, can be found in how and when those designated registration signs are assigned:

Students are randomly assigned an arbitrary start time for registration within their cohort of class peers. Seniors were given first priority and began registering in October. Juniors registered for their classes the following week, followed by sophomores. Finally, freshmen will begin registering for their first spring semester classes Nov. 15.

Additionally, the revised registration system grants priority status within the class groups to students who are up-to-date with their CLP credits. Falling behind on the expected number of four CLP credits per semester will require students to wait until the rest of their classmates within their age cohort have registered before they can submit their class choices for the upcoming term.

Students were invited to student forums Oct. 20 and 24 that sought to clarify the new process. The registrar’s office also plans to send information about the registration process via university email prior to the next registration cycle, according to the registrar’s website.