by Caleb Fort
Daily Lobo
Some students are gathering signatures for a petition to bring back paper schedules at UNM.
Mike Mooney, ASUNM vice president and one of the students behind the petition, said he does not want to go back to sending a schedule to every student.
"We just want some copies available maybe at the adviser, or registration - not sending out 25,000 copies. That's entirely expensive," he said. "That way, if someone doesn't feel comfortable using the Internet, or doesn't have it at home, or they just really like paper schedules, that's an option."
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Kathleen Sena, registrar, said it is unlikely that there will be any more paper schedules at UNM. It cost from $35,000 to $40,000 per semester to print and mail schedules to all the students, she said.
However, the biggest reason for getting rid of paper schedules was that they were often inaccurate because teachers made changes to their classes after the schedule was printed. She said her office has received about 50 requested changes per day since April 1.
"It's out of print the minute that we go to the printer," she said. "What a student is looking at may be a basis to investigate the possibility of something being offered, but the reality of it is that when a student is on the Web, it's real, live, correct information."
Liz Caldwell, the student who started the petition, said there needs to be a gradual transition to an online-only schedule.
"There should be some sort of integration process," she said. "There shouldn't just be the jump for students at UNM."
Caldwell said the online-only schedule is unfair to students with medical problems such as photosensitivity or migraines, and also to students who do not have much experience on computers.
Student Daniel Gonzales said printed schedules were more convenient than the online-only version.
"The paper schedule was a big help," he said. "I could have been looking at it right now."
Student J.D. Harding said he likes the online schedule better.
"I think that it's more convenient," he said. "I thought it was an upgrade, and I've always been annoyed by the paper schedules every semester."
The online schedule is part of UNM's transition to LoboWeb, an academic software package that allows students to do things like register for classes and view their financial aid status.
Harding said students just need time to get used to the system.
"At first, when I looked at it, I thought this was a pain, but after I spent some time with it, I thought it was a lot easier," he said.
Mooney agreed, but UNM needs to give students a chance to make the transition, he said.
"There's going to be a few students out there - not the majority - who are inconvenienced by this new system," he said. "But I think the majority of the University's going to find that they won't be too inconvenienced by it. And once they get used to it, I think they'll appreciate it."
Sena said she has received about 150 complaints so far.
"I was expecting it. We all advocate that we can be change agents - that change is good, that change is healthy," she said. "But when it hits us right in our daily needs and our daily business, it can be hard to be accepting of it."
She is willing to listen to any concerns students have about the online system, she said.
Mooney said nothing can be done about the lack of paper schedules this semester, but depending on the results of the petition, ASUNM might pass a resolution in the fall asking for paper schedules to be available.
Students can sign the petition in the ASUNM office in the SUB basement.
