Registration: SU’s uphill battle

“I’ve filled up seven times since last Monday.”
Airrielle Waivers, a sophomore architecture major, along with several hundred students complained about the long lines associated with registration for the fall semester. 
Waivers arrived at the J.S. Clark Activity Center at four a.m. on Aug. 13 to secure a seat in the financial aid line after being denied several days previously. The New Orleans native claimed she filed her Federal Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) before the March 31 preferred deadline, but had not been given a housing assignment and was selected for verification. 
Waivers, like many students, was commuting between the two major Louisiana cities, and after being denied entry into the financial aid line six straight days, claimed that the driving was putting a toll on both her body and her wallet. 
While long lines are usually the norm during fall semesters, the 10 to 12 hour waits were enough to garner the attention of several local news stations.
During one of the news media’s interviews, recently instated Southern University chancellor  Kofi Lomotey apologized for the long waits and the lack of staff within financial aid, while addressing several ‘registration woes’ after observing the registration and financial aid process for several days.
“It’s a pained process, and one thing is very clear,” said Lomotey. “The process is flawed. The university takes full responsibility and things are running a lot more smoothly. We are short staffed in financial aid, and with 90 percent of the student population receiving financial aid, it can be a burden.” A burden that Lomotey said does not reflect on the students, rather a strain on the remaining staff to register over 7,000 students, of which 4,000 are incoming freshmen.
Numbers that are lost on students like Jasmine Lewis, who, after six hours, is still confused at the registration process. Lewis, a junior nursing major from Amite, said financial aid either misplaced or lost several key files to complete her registration. “Yesterday (August 12) changes were made on my billing statement. I came up here this summer because my paperwork wasn’t straight and I had summer school. They (financial aid) told me I was situated, but now they’re saying I haven’t filled out my FAFSA, but I did, online before summer school.”
Bryan Scott, seated next to Lewis, nodded in agreement. Scott, who said he came on campus at one a.m. and slept in his car until three a.m., complained that in his six hour wait, he had only moved three rows.
“It’s over-crowded in here,” said the junior urban forestry major from Greensburg. His issues are similar to that of Lewis and Waiver: lost financial aid documentation, a housing fee on his billing statement and being rendered homeless until his tuition is paid.
Several students reported that there were balances on their billing statements that were incorrect or, as one student put it, “made up.”
After waiting in line for seven hours, students with outstanding balances on billing statements were instructed to report to William Wallace Stewart Hall to clear all charges, then report back the following day, as the line to enter financial aid closed at 8 a.m.
After three failed attempts, Luke Ajala, a sophomore electrical engineering major and Baton Rouge native, was hopeful. After being the second person in line to be helped, Ajala was turned around because his verification application was incomplete.
“They lost it,” he said. “All they have to do is employ more people; I know there’s a better way.”
Problems with registration are not limited to undergraduate students. Christopher Wilson, a spring graduate confessed that he was discouraged after he heard he may not been seen after waiting several hours. The Shreveport native was also selected for verification, and said that the administration needs “to make students a priority. It may be incompetent staff. But someone needs to take care of the student.”
“It’s not always our fault,” said Jeanine Kent, a sophomore psychology major from New Orleans. “Students sometimes fall short, but there needs to be more than two tables, more than three people helping us. It makes no sense that the line to come in closes at 7:45. It’s a waste of time. If we were at a white school, none of this would have happened.”
Her sentiments, and several other complaints from parents and other students, were not ignored.
“Right now we’re just applying band-aids,” said Lomotey. “We’ve increased staffing and will upgrade the technological resources for a smoother process.”
During the summer months, the Office of Financial Aid lost four staff members. Only two new hires have been trained, forcing an inexperienced staffer to help thousands of students.
Lomotey said his main focus is “student centeredness. We want to focus on the students by next semester by having online registration, and initiating BANNER, an online program used by Baton Rouge Community College.”
“We want to be student centered, and we will remain in registration until it’s done.”
Lomotey said the late fee that usually begins on the first day of class will be waived and in upcoming semesters, he plans to have adequate staff, trained students and better organization.