Printed copies of The University of Memphis’ Spring 2002 Schedule of Classes will cost 50 cents, and will only be available in the University Center bookstore.
The new price tag is the beginning of a plan to phase out printed schedules altogether and move entirely to online registration, according to U of M registrar Noel Schwartz.
“What we’re really hoping is that no one will want to buy a schedule, because the information on the web is so much better,” Schwartz said.
Schwartz said the online version of the Schedule of Classes, which is already available, is much better for students because the online information can be updated, but the information in the printed schedules cannot be changed.
Since the printed schedules have to be sent to press weeks before they ever make their debut on The U of M campus racks, some of the information in them, such as class cancellations or additions, is obsolete before the books are even opened.
But the web version can reflect those changes almost immediately, and can also include ever-changing information like seat availability in a particular classroom.
“Because everything is online, and because there are so many labs students can use, all the thousands of copies we distribute may be money that’s not wisely spent,” said Kenneth Lambert, Faculty Senate president at The U of M.
Schwartz said the revenue generated from the sale of the Spring 2002 schedules will go toward the cost of printing and distributing the schedules, which “severe” state budget cuts have made increasingly difficult to pay.
Budget woes also spurred the decision to reduce the number of printed schedules ordered from 35,000 copies last semester to 20,000 copies this semester.
Schwartz said that when the printed schedules were free, students would take multiple copies, then trash them, presumably knowing they could get another copy.
“In the past, students didn’t think twice about picking up five or six copies then pitching them,” Schwartz said. “We found them in the bathrooms, all over the place. That was an irresponsible way to spend the state’s money.”
Schwartz said The U of M used to print as many as 50,000 schedules per fall term for its student body of about 20,000 people to cover people taking more than one schedule.
But with the free online version, new 50-cent pricetag for paper copies and fewer copies to chew through, Schwartz said she hopes only the people who really want paper copies will buy them.
“Hopefully now the only people who will buy the schedules are the ones who really feel like they have to have one,” Schwartz said.
The desire to have a paper copy and the possibility of students not having adequate access to computers are two reasons the schedules are being slowly phased out instead of discontinued all at once.
“The plan is to quit printing the schedule by Spring 2003, but we won’t stop printing it if people still have this real need and desire to hold a copy in their hands,” Schwartz said.
Schwartz said the sales of the Spring 2002 schedules will determine how many copies are printed in future semesters.
Some students were miffed at first to hear of the new fee.
“I am very disappointed with this,” said Apryll Cosby, a senior. “We pay enough money that we should get a printed schedule for free.”
Freshman Adrienne Douglass was also unhappy with the fee.
“They probably just need the money to build new buildings,” Douglass said.
But both Cosby and Douglass admitted they use a computer to register, and would probably not buy the paper schedule.
“I guess it is a waste of money to give everyone a printed copy,” Cosby said.
“If things start getting complicated on the computer, I might miss the book, but if all goes well, I’ll be fine,” Douglass said.
Freshman Erica Carter agreed. “You shouldn’t have to pay for a paper copy, but 50 cents isn’t too terribly expensive,” she said.
