SOUTHEAST STUDENTS SOON TO BE ABLE TO REGISTER FOR CLASSES BY TELEPHONE

Starting Nov. 8, Southeast Missouri State University students can let their fingers do the walking to enroll in classes.

Students will be able to register by telephone, thanks to a new computer system installed in Academic Hall. The system will also allow students to add and drop classes.

It will list the courses a student has signed up for, the number of total credit hours, and the building location and times the classes meet.

If a particular class is full, the system can list which sections of that course are still open.

No longer will students have to wait in line at the registrar's office to enroll for classes, university officials said.

Telephone registration systems are in place in a couple of hundred college campuses nationwide. But Southeast is the first public, regional school in Missouri to have telephone registration, officials said.

"We are very excited about it. We think it is wonderful," said Trish Kogge, associate registrar whose taped voice students will hear when they register by telephone.

Kogge said the new system should make it more convenient for students to register for classes.

The university has made a concerted effort to inform all of its students about the new registration system. "We have talked to everybody and their brother about it," said Kogge.

"We are not doing away with people," she said. "We are still offering all the assistance we always offered." The university, she said, is "just trying to make it easier" for the students.

The system, called SAVRS -- Southeast Missouri State University's Automated Voice Response System -- could in the future aid students in other ways such as providing information on student loans.

"All of those things now have possibilities," said Ken Dobbins, Southeast's executive vice president.

"It will change how we do business at Southeast, I think, more than people realize," he said. "It will change the whole registrar's operation totally."

Dobbins said, "The system provides a method for students to get more information without having to talk to a person."

It's not only convenient, it's quick, he said. It's estimated it will take only two to five minutes for a student to enroll in classes.

There are 20 telephone lines coming into the system so 20 students can register at one time.

"You can call from anywhere," said Dobbins, noting students can register without leaving home by calling the SAVRS number, (314) 651-6611, and consulting the printed schedule of classes.

The automated system will only work with Touch-Tone or Pulse phones that simulate the Touch-Tone sounds.

But university officials said students that have rotary dial phones can still use the automated registration system by making use of telephones or computer terminals that will be set up in the five college advising offices, the registrar's office, the graduate office, and the Campus Assistance Center.

The computerized system from Periphonics of New York costs about $50,000, which included hardware, software and training, said Dobbins.

He praised the efforts of the staff of the university's Computer Center and registrar's office in getting the system on line.

"We didn't get the equipment until Sept. 1, and it's up and running now," said Dobbins, pointing out that the system is currently being put through final tests.

"This is a real-time system," said Dobbins, noting that when students use the automated system they will be enrolled instantly in whatever classes they choose.

Students will be able to enroll in spring semester classes from Nov. 8 to Dec. 4. The system will be operational from 4 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and from 4 a.m. to noon on Sundays.

Dobbins said he expects some students will be up at 4 a.m. registering for classes.

Students must meet with their faculty advisers before they can enroll. The adviser then must access the automated system and provide the clearance needed for the student to gain entry into the computerized enrollment system, said Dobbins.

Following the registration period, the university in early December will send out a student's schedule of spring semester classes and a bill for payment of fees.

From Jan. 3-14, students will be able to drop and add spring semester classes via the telephone.

"That is a real major change and it is a real convenience to students," said Dobbins. For example, non-traditional students who work during the day have difficulty taking off to come to the campus to enroll in classes, he explained. With telephone registration, enrolling will no longer be inconvenient for such students, he said.

University officials said all this should be good news to students. Said Kogge, "They're going to love it. There's no question about it."