The University has attempted to make its final exam schedule user-friendly -- but the change may be more of an enemy to some.

The list of finals for University Park students and undergraduate Commonwealth Campus students can be found on the Gopher computer system this semester. The list can be accessed at any student computer lab or through the PSUVM mainframe.

The University registrar's office will not print an advertisement listing the schedule in The Daily Collegian, as it has in the past.

Students can use the Gopher program on IBM personal computers, Macintoshes, the PSUVM or private computers with the correct software, said Chester Smith, assistant professor of computer science.

But when Karen Poleto (junior-accounting) read an ad in the Collegian yesterday informing students of the change, she said she pictured students flocking to the computer labs as if they were rushing to the registrar's office to sign loan checks on the first day of school.

"Everybody reads the paper, but not everybody knows how to use the computers," said Poleto, adding that the crowded computer labs might not enable her to find out in time if she needs to register any conflicts with her final exams.

To help students, there are pamphlets available at computer labs that should have some information on how to access Gopher, Smith said.

J. James Wager, University registrar, said the University has been moving toward the change for the better part of the year. Wager said printing the schedule in the Collegian was inconvenient for the students. If students did not read the paper that day, they missed their one opportunity see the schedule, he said.

In response to the registrar's decision, the Collegian plans to publish a magazine this Wednesday that contains the complete finals schedule, said Walter F. Gorba, Collegian business manager. It will be inserted into all 19,000 papers and distributed around campus, he said, adding that an additional 6,000 copies will also be printed and distributed for the students' convenience.

"We're providing a lot more than we normally would because we realize how important it is to the students," Gorba said. The Collegian will sell ads to offset the cost of producing the magazine, he said.

Poleto said the change could be a hassle because students have to take the time to write down their schedules. In the paper, a student can just cut it out and save it, she said.

Wager said the system is easy to access. According to the ad in the Collegian, students should go to any student computer lab or PSUVM mainframe and choose "Courses" under the "Penn State Information" menu choice.

Although students are not able to select and print the exam schedule for just the courses they are registered for, they are able to print the entire schedule that is 50 to 60 pages long.

Smith still does not know if the number of computers will accommodate all of the students. In spring 1992, the student-to-computer ratio was 39-to-1.

"It's impossible to tell," he said, adding that he has not yet received any student response.

But Wager said students were questioned about the plan before they implemented the system and the response was positive.

Ruben Estrada (junior-electrical engineering) said he won't have a problem with it because he uses an account frequently and knows how to access it.

"Even if you don't know how to use the computers, you can always find a friend who does," he said. "There's always someone there to help."

John Trusa (junior-industrial engineering) said that even if students miss the day the schedule comes out, they can still access Gopher.

"It's a lot more convenient for it to be on the computers, I think," Trusa said, adding that he thinks it should still be in the paper for people who do not use computers.

Collegian Staff Writer Kathy Broderick contributed to this report.