Tuesday, Jan. 14, 1997

Registrar may offer students OASIS on World Wide Web

By BRIDGETTE BLAIR
Collegian Staff Writer

At some point this semester, a dramatic change is expected to occur in the Open Access to Student Information Systems (OASIS), according to University Registrar J. James Wager -- it will, hopefully, become accessible through the World Wide Web.

" I think putting the choice in the students' hands was our goal. "

- Sharon Entenberg
Undergraduate Student Government President

"It is our intention and goal to release (the system) to all the students before the end of the semester," he said.

More details as to where the system will be available and other specific information will be available later in the semester, he added.

Students now either have to go to OASIS stations, such as those in the HUB, to use the system or they must have special software, he said.

But OASIS, which a number of students used to request their grades last semester, is already available on a very limited prototype, Wager said.

However, even with the availability of students' grades through OASIS last semester, Wager said 38,906 students made 149,558 phone calls to the grade reporting system. These figures average almost four calls per student.

In addition, Wager said 6,973 students requested their grades be mailed home.

"I view this as reaching kind of a nice balance," Wager said about the number of callers compared to the number of those requesting mailed grades.

Giving students the ability to use different options to receive their grades was the point of making the three systems of reporting available.

"I think putting the choice in the students' hands was our goal," said Undergraduate Student Government President Sharon Entenberg. "I personally opted to have (the grades) mailed."

The option of having grades mailed is not as easily accessible at the Commonwealth Campuses, said Jason Getz, Council of Commonwealth Student Governments director of governmental affairs.

"I think that that's part of the University's fault and it's also part of our fault," he said.

Getz said he hopes the restructuring of the Commonwealth Campuses will include easier accessibility to University services such as requesting grade reports to be sent.

Students can still pick up a printed copy of their grades at the Registrar's office, 112 Shields, although unofficial transcripts will not be printed this week, Wager said. Also, students can use OASIS to look at grades, or they can call the telephone system.