Gluing herself to a rigid computer desk, freshman Alison Rittenberg took a deep breath.

‘No problem,’ she said calmly. ‘Just a few switches and then I can forget about this schedule.’

Navigating through the registration site in a bewildered trance, she began to lose herself amid endless lists of recitation numbers, seminar listings and time slots.

Submitting your request…Your request has been denied.

Situated in front of the same computer four hours later, the only thing Rittenberg can utter is a string of four-letter words directed at a five-letter acronym: SCORE.

The idleness, the restricted access, the impenetrable codes – it is all familiar territory to those who have strayed into the black hole of SCORE malfunction. Yet, for masses of the disgusted, disgruntled, and disenchanted, there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

This October, Computing and Media Services plans to implement MySlice, a fast-paced network that will replace SCORE and offer several Web applications in one portal.

A system comparable to ‘My Yahoo,’ the site will assimilate features in a self-service format, such as grade reports, emergency contact information and cell phone numbers.

‘This time I think we’ve got it under control,’ said Deborah Nosky, manager of client support and information for CMS. ‘The students will have access to one portal, one umbrella where they can build their own features and services within that.’

The upgrade has been an involved, 18-month process for more than 140 people from departments ranging from financial aid to human resources.

For many students, the change could not come soon enough.

‘I’m in course limbo right now because I can’t sign up for the classes I want,’ said Yanina Erman, a sophomore public relations major. ‘I’ve ended up signing up for arts and crafts because I can’t find anything else.’

Six years ago, when SCORE replaced endless waiting lines and painstaking paperwork, it was considered the more ‘accessible’ alternative. Since then, though, the sheer volume of registering students has revealed several holes in the system.

‘I’m in the honors program and got to register early and it was still too slow,’ said sophomore Brad Wood, a chemical engineering major. ‘I called CMS and, of course, the line was busy. Then I went out into the hallway to complain with other people.’

Junior Lynne Gertz, a psychology major and peer adviser for The College of Arts and Sciences, was attempting to teach freshmen how to use SCORE when the network shut down.

‘The other adviser and I felt really frustrated…we could talk them through the process but couldn’t actually fix their schedule,’ she said.

According to Nosky, MySlice will help alleviate slow response times during registration. The new system has already undergone a series of simulations called load testings, which gauge the network’s ability to sustain a large amount of users when busy.

‘There have been no red flags in the new system so far,’ she added.

MySlice also eliminates the frustration of students discarding their ever-irksome pin number.

‘The biggest reason people call CMS is, by and large, because they’ve forgotten their pin number,’ Nosky said. ‘The portal only asks for identity, and in name and password form.’

The concept of a more user-friendly registration site was partly inspired by People Soft, a program purchased by the Human Resource Department in the mid-90s. By upgrading its own version of People Soft from the network version used by Human Resources, CMS was also able to expand the functions of MySlice to payroll and address information.

‘If I wanted to find copies of my last three paychecks, I’d have to go digging around my house,’ Nosky said. ‘With MySlice, I wouldn’t have that problem.’

The expanded features and easier log-ins have many students eager to try the new system out.

‘It sounds crazy convenient,’ said freshman Patrick Clark, a psychology major. ‘It sounds better than SCORE was…SCORE went down the other day and it sucked.’

Another pro-Slice student, freshman Michelle Bluemle, an English and textual studies major, argues that a more accessible system will foster academic accountability.

‘I know I kept putting (scheduling) off because I didn’t want to use SCORE,’ she said. ‘I think people will be more efficient and get into the classes they want sooner.’

Many students, however, are apprehensive about the concept of a ‘new and improved’ site, such as sophomore Katerena Moustakis, another ETS major.

‘If this program will go faster and stop you from crashing, I’m all for it,’ she said. ‘But if it’s the same thing with a better name, then give me the old bullshit. This ‘slice’ better be the full orange, because if it’s not I’m going to have a talk with CMS.’

CMS hopes to gradually expand the registration portal to include additional applications, such as student voting, Nosky said. The hours of the new system have not yet been determined.

Confident in the success of the new system, Nosky ensures that no new training will be necessary in order to adapt to the new site.

‘If you know how to use SCORE, now you’ll be highly successful using the new (system),’ she added.

Published on September 8, 2004 at 12:00 pm