Out with the old and in with the new as EC begins abandoning its paper notifications for registration dates in favor of online registration dates through the MyECC website.
“There was no incentive to do it. Last year, we needed a way to communicate with students and our most reliable way was via e-mail,” Jeanie Nishime, vice president of student services, said.
In an effort to make students use the MyECC Website, EC will begin abandoning mail-outs which cost the school more than $27,000 in the winter and spring semesters and more than $34,000 in the summer and fall semesters.
“We want students to use MyECC because we want to be sure students get information from El Camino,” Nishime said.
Nishime cited the other reasons for change to online such as saving more than $60,000, as well as integrating more students to a digital way of doing things and to have them use their MyECC account.
“Like many other colleges, students will be able to utilize the college e-mail and will be able to use the MyECC as a learning tool to prepare for universities,” William Mulrooney, director of admissions and records, said.
Another issue which pushed for the change was the fact that students often moved or provided incorrect information, and thus, registration dates were not recieved.
“We have approximately 3,500 letters returned to us every semester,” Arvid Spor, dean of enrollment services, said. “Students lose out because of this. Online posting is just faster and more cost-effective. Sending out so many mail-outs can become quite expensive.”
EC’s efforts to make registration more Web oriented began in the fall 2007 and since then the faculty has been hashing out ideas for how it could work.
“Every year, online functions improve not only for students but for the administration,” Mulrooney said.
Students on campus fear that by going only online that it poses a problem for students who don’t have a computer and also a question of what will happen if the server crashes.
“One of the problems is not having a computer. What are you supposed to do then?” Ronnie Gray, criminal justice major, said. “Another problem is the server. If the server crashes, then everyone is in trouble.”
The administrators said they are aware of such issues and that students need not worry.
“We realize that not all students have Internet access. So we let people know that they can go to the computer lab or the library. We have other opportunities available,” Spor said. “We are always going to have some people who cannot (register online) or are not comfortable enough with going online to (register), so we do still have the phone service and the class schedule available.”
Mulrooney said that telephone registration, the kiosk on campus and the school computers will still be available.
He said that if they were not, he probably would not have supported the transition.
“Had it been a situation where it would have been only computers could be used, I would not have supported it at this time. We encourage students to go online or use the phone registration, but not everyone has a computer,” Mulrooney said.
Spore cited high levels of success at other colleges for the reason EC has decided to abandon the paper system and go for the online system of registering.
“It is searchable (referring to the website), a lot of information is available at their fingertips and students won’t have to flip through the schedule,” Spor said. “Within the last five or 10 years, more people have been going online more, so it will be easier for them.”
Mulrooney added that once students start using the MyECC Web site more that students will begin to see the other options the Web site offers.
Currently, Mulrooney said, about 80 percent to 85 percent of EC students apply and register online.
Only 10 percent to 15 percent of students still use the paper application.
New students have already received notifications of the new policy through the mail.
Current students, however, will just have to adjust to this transition.
“I never check the mail anyways, but I am always online and it will make things easier as well as save a few trees. But there are people who don’t have a computer at home,” Micah Mounts, 17, undecided major, said.
The main focus of the change, however, is to make registration easier for students and for MyECC to be able to provide more services to them.
“It was really all about greater convenience and customer service,” Spor said. “This was more about reigstration dates as well, as students can still register over the phone, which has been an option for a while. They can also register in person, but that is something most students most likely would not want to do because it is so time-consuming.”
