As students schedule for next semester, they rarely think theywill have to redo their schedule because they were deniedenrollment in a specific course. However, that has happened to asmall number of students this semester.
According to an Oct. 13 e-mail from University Registrar RobertK. Doolos, registration for the spring 2005 semester began at 5p.m. on Oct. 24 for graduate and professional students, graduatingseniors and students with scheduling priorities.
Students with scheduling priorities include those who receivespecial assistance provided by the Office of DisabilityServices.
Students who receive these services include those with attentiondeficit hyperactivity disorder, are deaf or hard of hearing andthose with physical, systemic and psychological disabilities,according to the Disability Services Web site.
Benjamin Cornwell, associate director for disability services,said there are more than 1,000 students who receive services fromhis department, and of those, approximately 600 received priorityregistration.
But, for some of those students, the priority status did nothelp them enroll in English courses they wanted to take nextsemester.
Shortly after completing registration, some students receivede-mails from the English Department saying they could not beenrolled in particular courses because they were not graduatingseniors.
Rhonda Amis, administrative specialist for the Englishdepartment, said students registered with disability services whowere not allowed to enroll in ENGL 2002, business writing, and ENGL3002, technical writing, were mostly freshmen or sophomores.
Amis said they were not allowed to enroll in these coursesbecause there are only a few sections being offered next semesterand there are several graduating seniors in agriculture,engineering and business that must take those courses tograduate.
Amis said she sent the e-mail to 28 students.
Amis did say they had one student who contacted them about notbeing able to take the course she had registered for, but thatstudent had other options available to her.
Cornwell said in order for any department to deny enrollment tostudents with priority registration status, the course they weredenied must be geared toward graduating seniors.
In this case, neither ENGL 2002 nor ENGL 3002 require studentsto be graduating seniors according to the 2005 General Catalog. Thecatalog states the only prerequisites for these courses are ENGL1002, 1003 or 1005. However, due to the high demand and necessityfor graduating seniors to take these courses, they receive priorityin enrollment.
Cornwell said he had not received any information about studentsnot being able to enroll in courses they need within the Englishdepartment or in any other department on campus.