Students should solve own schedule problems
As students register for classes in the fall, they may notice a change in ESTHER. Beginning next semester, ESTHER will block students from registering for two or more courses that are scheduled for the same time (see story, page 1).The primary reason for this change is to get professors to realize that they need to schedule courses so that they do not overlap. However, we feel that this change will punish students instead of the professors. If Rice wants to notify professors to stop scheduling overlapping classes, it should do so by simply telling them instead of inconveniencing students. Monthly Faculty Senate meetings would be the perfect venue for the administration to bring up this issue.
There is a way to track which classes overlap without actually changing the system. The administration could keep track of which classes get dropped more often and ask those professors to move their classes. In fact, these types of statistics should have been tracked since ESTHER's inception.
Another detrimental byproduct of this move is that students have less flexibility when they are shopping for classes. The shopping period has already been shortened to just two weeks, and barring students from registering for two classes scheduled at the same time just compounds this problem.
This change will supposedly make registration easier for students so they will not erroneously end up with an overbooked schedule, but what aspect of filling out a Special Registration Form - which involves printing and filling out the form, possibly explaining to your professor why you are not registered, convincing them to sign it and turning it into the Registrar's Office between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. - is easier than simply registering online? We do not need to be babied. We feel that Rice students are smart enough to realize when they have made a mistake such as registering for two overlapped classes. If not, they probably should have gone to a different school.
More from The Rice Thresher
Jeremy Zucker is no longer a ‘sad-boy troubadour’
Jeremy Zucker’s arms, like most of his body, host a scrapbook of tattoos — a faded clementine peel, his childhood pets (Rusty and Susie), a Pinterest doodle of Sonic the Hedgehog with a bouquet of flowers. His middle finger is etched with a single tooth, hanging off a thin branch wrapping around the rest of his hand.
Jeremy Zucker headlines second-ever Moody X-Fest
Jeremy Zucker headlined Rice’s second annual Moody X-Fest in Founder’s Court on April 19. In advance of Zucker’s set, student groups like Basmati Beats, Rice Philharmonic and BASYK performed. The festival also offered complimentary merchandise and food from Dripped Birra, Cane’s and Oh my Gogi.
Jones wins men’s and women’s Beer Bike races, GSA snags alumni
Jones College won both the women’s and men’s Beer Bike 2024 races, while the Graduate Student Association claimed the alumni team win. Hanszen College bike teams were the runner-up in the alumni and men’s races, while Brown College was the runner-up in the women’s race. Martel and McMurtry Colleges did not bike in the alumni race, according to the Rice Program Council’s final report, and the GSA was disqualified from the men’s race for accidentally sending out two bikers simultaneously.
Please note All comments are eligible for publication by The Rice Thresher.