The 4 p.m. deadline for the registrar is as outdated as the Stony Brook Patriots.
The registrar deadline of 4 p.m. is outdated by decades and should be changed to 11:59 p.m. Why? This is the age of the Internet and of odd shift hours.
And, every time I complain about registering for classes, my mother always reminds me that in her day there were no computers and she had to stand in lines that wrapped around the Administration building with a first, second, third and fourth choice of classes, in case her class of choice was full.
This is where the 4 p.m. deadline comes in. When Stony Brook first opened its doors, the world was a different place. Stores couldn’t sell liquor on Sunday. In fact, most, if not all stores were closed on Sunday, and the end of the business day usually landed around 4 p.m. But the world has changed, and Stony Brook has changed, too.
We became the Stony Brook Seawolves in 1994, ID cards have replaced many keys, and the Stony Brook Police department recently debuted the release of Rave Guard. But Stony Brook has not changed enough. The 4 p.m. deadline is one of many outdated “traditions” and should be changed. I propose that the add/drop deadline, and all other 4 p.m. registrar deadlines for items that can be done without the assistance of the registrar be changed to 11:59 p.m.
Why? This isn’t 1975, where there was no SOLAR and every time you wanted to drop or add a class you would have to go to registrar and have them do it for you. Today most things can be done from you home or dorm computer.
A 4 p.m. deadline was under-standable when the registrar had to drop the class for you because the deadline had to fall during buisness hours. But now, they aren’t needed to drop or add a class. By forcing students to adhere to the 4 p.m. rule, it makes life not only difficult, but stressful.
Stony Brook gives us enough stress as it is; why should they go out of their way to make our lives more difficult? They should make it easier, one hand washes another. Other colleges have changed such deadlines to the end of the actual day, and not the business day.
First of all, not all students have 24/7 access to a computer students work. Contrary to popular belief, not everyone has a data plan or the opportunity to log on to SOLAR during work. People in general can have crazy shifts at work and students are more prone to obscure shifts as we are trying to fit in class, studying, work, meals, bathing and, if we’re lucky, sleep.
Secondly, there are classes held after 4 p.m. If someone has a class that starts at 5:20 p.m., they should have the chance to make a decision whether or not they want to drop it after having the same amount of class time as people that go during the day.
Why should it be at 11:59 p.m. instead of 4 .p.m.? There has to be a deadline on a specific day. 11:59 p.m., obviously, is just before midnight, which gives students the widest opportunity to obtain access to a computer. Also, let’s face it, people can have slow connections, and computers can freeze and get virus as in a millisecond.
We all know how our computers and our cars have a habit of breaking down when we need them the most. So by changing the time to 11:59 p.m., students can have a chance to try and find another computer to complete the transaction if something happens to their own computer.
So, Stony Brook, let’s remember the saying “one hand washes another.” Stress-free students make for happy students. Happy students makes, for a happy campus, and a happy campus makes for a relaxed atmosphere for everyone, including workers.
