GPSC passed a resolution to allow students the choice of receiving grades, schedules and bulletins in printed form through the mail

The Graduate and Professional Student Council unanimously voted Tuesday to approve a resolution encouraging administrators to offer students the option to receive hard copies of grades, schedules and bulletins.

Students received notifications enclosed with their schedules for the fall 2002 semester stating that future grades, schedules and class timetables will no longer be mailed. Now, students will have to go online to retrieve this information.

Switching completely to the telephone and Internet systems will save $75,000 annually, and eliminating the printed schedule of classes should reduce headaches for students and academic advisors. Anne De Luca, assistant vice chancellor for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management, supported this, citing that the schedules of classes were changed at least 2,000 times in the past four semesters after they were printed.

“The administration originally proposed and implemented this change without requesting input from student bodies,” said GPSC President Amy Sileven.

Students also have concerns about the new policy.

“I don’t think they should do it,” said Angie Nicholson, a junior transfer student in recreation. Nicholson does not have a computer and said it will be kind of hard for some students like her.

“I think we should be given a choice,” she said.

Brad Jacobson, a junior in elementary education, has a computer and Internet at home and was less concerned about the change. He empathized with those who do not have computers.

“If I didn’t have a computer I would be pissed,” Jacobson said. “It doesn’t seem very fair.

Jacobson did concede that limiting grades and other materials to the Internet would be a good way to save money.

Students are not the only ones who feel inconvenienced.

Walter Sundberg, an undergraduate advisor in the Plant Biology Department, had concerns that limiting information to the web may present a problem for some.

“I think that if everything is done on the web, it discriminates against those students who do not have access at home,” Sundberg said. “It becomes elitist.”

Sundberg said he would like to see at least the bulletin printed. As an adviser, he now has to access class information on the web instead of picking up a printed version. He said he could not believe how long it took to access the information he needed on the web.

His office computer is relatively old and slow, but his department cannot afford new equipment.

“So far I have only used it once, but as far as I am concerned, once is enough,” Sundberg said.

Sileven and Undergraduate Student Government president Michael Jarard had planned to meet with De Luca this week to discuss several topics.

Sileven said she and Jarard would raise this topic with De Luca when they met.

The GPSC resolution urges the administration to reconsider this change in the interest of maintaining accessibility for all students.

Information can be accessed electronically at http://salukinet.siu.edu or through the UniLink telephone system at (618) 453-SIUC on a touch-tone telephone.

Reporter Evan Rau can be reached at [email protected]