» Patrick Pierce
–ppierce3@my.apsu.edu
Twice every academic year APSU students are responsible for creating thier class schedule for the upcoming semester online through AP OneStop.
Whether a student is allowed to go in and register for the courses depends strictly on the number of credits earned, not including currently registered courses. However, that doesn’t seem to be the case for every student on campus.
APSU athletes and honor students are allowed to bypass the “Priority Registration Schedule,” which limits a student to wait a specified date to register based on earned credit hours.
Honor students and athletes are able to register on the first day of registration as if they were seniors with over 120 earned hours. This bit of information is seldom known and could possibly be because the information isn’t listed on the APSU website anywhere.
So what sets athletes and honor students apart from regular students on campus? Most athletes get scholarship to play a sport on campus by the university.
Honor students have to work hard to meet and maintain a list of requirements, including a high school class rank within the top 10 percent; a minimum ACT composite score of 26, and a commendable high school record, according to the APSU Honors Program webpage.
This by no means gives a student “priority” to register for classes earlier over other students.
Athletes get to register as early as seniors because they must plan classes around practice and game times. Giving these selected students early registration benefits allow them a first glance at courses for the semester so they can get into classes that fit around practice times.
This holds the same logic as giving a student earlier registration because he or she has a job off campus. There is no difference whatsoever. Yes, an athlete needs to make it to film sessions, practice and workouts on time, but the same should also apply to the students that work to keep a roof over their head and food to sustain them.
The argument behind giving honor students early registration priorities is because they have earned the right to do so through means of meeting the listed requirements mentioned earlier.
The “Priority Registration Schedule” is based on earned credits. This grants students who have over 120 credit hours first choice on classes. It doesn’t make sense for a new student who is part of the Honor Program or athletes to get access to offered courses earlier than a typical underclassman under 120 hours trying to attain his or her degree.
Each student at APSU should be given the right to registration based on earned credit hours. Not one student should be given special privileges over another when it comes to making and managing their schedule for the upcoming school semester.
Each student pays just as much per credit hour as the next. That means each student should be given the same priority to registration based on their earned credits hours.
