"This is definitely more [unregistered students] than usual," said Registrar Gerald Mager. "This is twice as many as usual. I have no explanation."
One hundred and one students failed to register by the Feb. 8 deadline and, while 52 students were allowed to register on Monday and Tuesday, an unusually high number without complete schedules remained.
"We call [unregistered] students in right away; if we don't hear from them, we prevent them from eating at Valentine, which is usually successful-students get hungry," said Dean of Students Ben Lieber. "If students still fail to register, we send them home."
The administration could not indicate any reason for the exceptional number of unregistered students, though financial complications may account for some of the students registered for zero classes.
"It's a great mystery to me [why students fail to register]," said Lieber. "Occasionally financial issues are the cause, but if students talk to us in advance then we don't have to apply draconian measures. We can work out ways for them to be here officially, even if there's a delayed payment."
According to Mager, this was an unusually active add/drop period; every third student changed at least one class prior to the registration deadline
"[Faculty] have said that there was an inordinate amount of 'shopping' this term," said Dean of the Faculty Lisa Raskin. "I don't think most faculty are satisfied with the add/drop period-most say it is too long."
While many students view the two-week add/drop period as a time to shop classes, with the assumption that little or no work will be assigned, the Faculty has reserved and is exercising its right to assign work as early as the first class meeting.
"I can certainly understand that the faculty may not want to sacrifice a full week to accommodate a different notion of the add/drop period, so I think it's entirely justifiable to assign work during the first week of classes," said Lieber. "If that makes add/drop more difficult, then so be it; frankly, the quality of classes should take priority."
Some of the class changes were caused by students who had to rearrange their schedules after being cut from over-enrolled courses.
"It's frustrating when classes like [Professor of Political Science and Jurisprudence Austin] Sarat's Political Science 60 only enroll about one-third of the students that pre-register," said Natalie Brooks '04, who was cut from the class. "I knew it was limited enrollment, but students still have to work their schedule around classes they really want and then rearrange their schedule if they don't get in."
The administration suggested that the solution to this problem lies in a different perception of the add/drop period, where students sit in on more classes than they intend to take.
"Students ought to sit in on five to six classes, especially if they know they may be cut," said Lieber. "I think that's how the add/drop period was originally conceived and it's my ideal conception of how it would work."
However, such a change would not address professors' concerns that essential course material cannot be presented to an ever-shifting audience.
"In some of my courses [like Russian 22] I might consider starting with longer works in the first couple of weeks," said Professor of Russian Stanley Rabinowitz. "But I'm reluctant to do that in part because of the uncertainty about who is taking the course."
Some faculty have suggested cutting the add/drop period to one week; however, no action has been taken.
"Every year, numerous faculty members say they want to cut add/drop to one week," said Mager. "But that has never gone anywhere in the past."
Additionally, many students wait until the end of the add/drop period to get their advisors permission for changes. This has caused some to question the role of advisors, whose suggestions can't be followed at so late a date.
"Presumably, a lot of advising goes on during pre-registration," said Lieber. "That preliminary conversation needs to be taking place; if it is, then it's less of a problem for the forms to be signed at the end of the add/drop period."
Some faculty suggested that changes to the official registration process will be ultimately ineffectual.
"There will always be a moment at which registration closes and just before then (and just after) there will always be students rushing to register," said Dean of New Students Frank Couvares. "I occasionally hear about advisors who weren't at their last office hour, but I think most of the problems come from students who have put things off until the last moment."