Students enroll in the Nigh University Center. Photo by Allison Rathgeber.
By Tiffany Brown, The Vista Staff Writer
The University of Central Oklahoma recently introduced a new waitlist system that allows students to sign up for classes that are filled.
“We’ve just implemented it in the last two weeks,” said Jerry Legere, assistant vice president of Enrollment Management. “We’ve not had that capability in the past.”
The program is already being used for some courses.
The biology department and College of Business have both decided to use the waitlist system.
The waitlist program may not be implemented for all courses or all colleges on campus.
“Every department has been given the opportunity to participate,” Legere said. “It really is going to vary from department to department. They can choose to [use] it on all of their courses, some to their courses or none of their courses,” he said.
Each academic department will also decide how many students can be waitlisted.
If a class is dropped, students on the wait list will be given the opportunity to fill the dropped seat on a first come, first served basis
Students don’t have to constantly check the enrollment list to see if a student has dropped a class, Legere said.
Students highest on the waitlist will be emailed when a seat opens, but they will have a limited amount of time to enroll.
“There is an expiration date and an email will be sent to the next student on the list,” Legere said.
Students will have 24 hours to enroll. Each department can decide if they will extend or limit that time. It can be shortened to 12 hours or extended to at least 48 hours for some courses. If a department does not choose a time frame, the time will automatically default to a 24-hour period.
Once a student is passed on a waitlist, the process cannot be reversed.
Photo by Allison Rathgeber.
“We have no way of accounting for that,” Legere said. “They need to be constantly checking their account.”
If a student is passed or dropped from the waitlist, one of the few options they will have is to re-place their name on the list again. No exceptions will be made for students who miss their opportunity to enroll.
Legere said students should check their e-mail at least twice daily.
“The e-mail could come at any time of the day,” Legere said.
Although the system has its benefits, there are some drawbacks.
Students must meet the course prerequisites or they cannot be placed on a waitlist if it is available, Legere said.
Also, if students have holds placed on their accounts while they are waitlisted, they cannot enroll, Legere said.
The amount owed on an account cannot exceed $50, he said.
Also, students should make sure the time of the class waitlisted does not interfere with any other classes they are enrolled in.
For complete information about the new waitlist system, the policy and instructions on how to used the system can be found on UCONNECT near the top of the page before available classes are listed.
