Here is my much-anticipated reply to my highly “controversial” article from fall quarter regarding scheduling. Now maybe everyone was too filled with rage to really see the point, so I’ll try and tell it to you again. Take your Ridelin, or your Aderal, or whatever you might need to better understand just what it is I’m trying to say: Early registration isn’t fair.

I’m not going to any graduations and I’m not putting anyone down. I say congrats to the man or woman who overcomes adversity and is able to get this far with a learning disability. Nice job. However, I don’t think that gives you a right to pick what classes you want before I do. Can’t you accomplish the same feats while scheduling during the same week as everyone else?

Same to you athletes, I don’t see why some little freshman should be able to choose what classes he wants before a senior does. That makes no sense at all.

Now I’ve heard all the reasons why, and I think they are all BS. So some teachers don’t believe in learning disabilities and you need to get the teachers that do. Screw that. We all want certain teachers that we heard are easier, or are nicer to college kids, or whatever. Why should you get to take the better teachers first? Plus if you don’t pay the fee to get into LEP, and you do in fact have a learning disability, then you can’t register early. No matter how you slice it, this is a money-making machine. Anything that only applies to you if you pay the $800 extra is strictly in place to get the school more money. My props go out to D-Rock for being one of the only people who seem to understand this, and still be in LEP.

And I’ve heard about the athletes having to register around their practices, but I don’t buy that either. My roommate has to take a one-hour nap every day or he is cranky as hell, and even though he doesn’t get to register early, he still manages to schedule it in. Plus I know that, being a night owl, I have trouble with nine o’clock classes, so I have to avoid taking those whenever I can. Somehow though, I manage, and I too register at a normal time.

I think there are other more reasonable alternatives to the situation. Like priority sign-ins for athletes or LEP kids so they can get into classes they need to take and still schedule around their practices. Many larger universities do this, and it is a fairer system that gives older students the priorities they deserve. Or if you can’t handle that, then bump all the athletes and LEP kids to the top of the list in each grade. This way they get to register before everyone else in your grade, but some freshmen won’t steal a class from a senior who would rather take a class that interests him or her rather then some filler to meet graduation requirements.

Jerry Mitchell

junior