Upper classmen looking to reap the benefits of being the first to sign up for spring semester classes encountered some difficulties during the first few days of registration.

According to Senior Alex Geden, an E-Star system coordinator at the computer help desk, students were barred from accessing Web Advisor due to a system overload. Those who were able to access Web Advisor, said Geden, complained that the system was slow to log them on.

The preferred list feature, which allows students to formulate an ideal schedule on Web Advisor, gave users impetus to search for available classes electronically, as opposed to the registration packets, which has been the traditional method for preregistration. The result, said Geden, was an overwhelming amount of students accessing the program at once.

“I had to register for classes on Thursday and it took me five hours or so,” said Geden, recalling his own experience, which required him to repeatedly log on to the system.

Students who were unable to sign up via Web Advisor were forced to register at the campus Registrar’s office.

The university, Geden said, is attempting to remedy the problem by implementing new hardware, including two new servers, in order to accommodate the large number of users.

“The school is definitely trying to combat the problem,” he said.

For some students, the circumstances made for a situation that was both tedious and inconvenient. Junior Kristen Menard claims that although she was able to access Web Advisor initially, the system eventually logged her off, after which she was unable to sign in again.

The process, she said, ran a lot smoother once she went to the Registrar’s office.

“I probably waited in line for like five minutes,” Menard said.

“They were really accommodating to us. That might be how I register for classes from now on.”

She added, “Luckily all my classes were still open, but it was a pain.”

According to Menard, the university did not attempt to notify students of the fact that a problem existed, or guide them on how to proceed.

“It was just weird that they didn’t do anything about it,” Menard said.

Junior Amanda Romig claimed that her boyfriend, who was registering for her, struggled with a sluggish loading procedure.

“He was on it for like 40 minutes, and nothing would load on it,” Romig said. “It was just loading really slow.”

Personnel at the Registrar’s office, however, quickly fixed the problem.

“It was fine,” she said. “That part was easy.”

Junior Kaitlin Taginski was skeptical of claims attributing the problem to the preferred list feature.

“I made a preferred list my freshman year and sophomore year, and it never was a problem,” she said.

Registration through the Registrar’s office, she said, was problematic because students who had been assigned later times were signing up hours in advance, allowing them to fill spots that would have gone to other students.

“They didn’t ask everyone what their times were,” Taginski said. “They weren’t consistent. It just wasn’t fair for people who had a good early time.”

Reached close to press time a university spokesperson was unable to respond.