Registering For Classes

Technological Change & Registering for Classes 

One of the coolest things about oral history is how it can help us understand how people’s memories about different subjects get bundled together.  In the “College Life” project, we stumbled into a kind of evidence about prior generations’ experiences of college studentness that we hadn’t necessarily known we’d get from our pilot project interviews: stories about how registering for courses used to work in the 1970s - early 2000s.  When we asked some interviewees who attended UWL in those years about the technological context (circumstances) they lived and studied in, conversations ultimately turned to two specific registration systems: the punchcard system (1967-1987) and telephone-based registration (1994-2004).

The twice-a-year ritual of course registration is an indelible part of the college experience.  While the technologies associated with registration have changed over time, the stress associated with trying to get into required classes and building the perfect schedule around other commitments definitely unites college students across multiple generations.  Since 2004 UWL has used online registration systems (TALON from 2004 - 2009 and WINGS 2009 - present).  For 21st century students, growing up with technologies like WINGS can make it challenging to imagine how previous generations of students registered in a world before online-based registration systems. In this post, we’re featuring interviews from the “College Life” oral history project that include the interviewee’s experiences with older forms of registration. 

How did Students Register for Classes ca. 1967-1987? 

The Card System

Several “College Life” interviewees described the notorious process of collecting cards from tables in Mitchell Hall to build a schedule.  As you listen to Mike and Peter, notice how discussions of the technological context for college students in the 1970s-1980s leads them into an explanation of the punchcard registration system.  One additional facet of their explanations that’s also echoed by Harry: the importance of various kinds of personal connections and loopholes students might be able to use to get a card ahead of time.  Knowing a sophomore, junior, or senior, or volunteering to help on registration day could earn someone a much needed course card?

Because OHP’s present-day staff is not familiar with the inner workings of the punchard registration system, we did some additional digging using primary sources available in Murphy Library’s Digital Collections.  Turns out it was not just the “College life” interviewees who found loopholes. Other students frequently wrote articles in the UWL Campus Newspaper, The Racquet, sharing their experience with in-person registration and tips for hacking the system.  In a January 20, 1983 commentary published in The Racquet, Kevan Kavanaugh explained that two kinds of people might be relied on to acquire a much-needed card for a course.  “For a small fee - a six pack of beer, perhaps – you can have an upperclassman pull your cards for you.”  A second option, which might be more daunting, was to approach the course’s instructor, who might “have at least one or two class cards in his desk.  With a good sob story, a little sweet talking, and some pleading on your hands and knees, most instructors will surrender you a card if they don’t ha[t]e your guts” (p.9) You can read Kevan's entire article here. 

Phone Registration as a Transitional Period Between In-Person and Online Registration

Another “College Life” interviewee, Karolyn, helps us understand the new technology that replaced the punchard system in 1994.  The “touch-tone” registration system involved using a landline telephone (standard in each dorm room) to sign up for classes.  At their appointed time, students made a phone call, and when prompted they typed in numerical codes for the courses they wanted to enroll in.  One hypothesis is that this new system improved the integrity of the system (no more bribing students who registered earlier to steal cards for other people).  But it also presented new complications (trying to make early morning phone calls while a roommate was sleeping).  Karolyn explains what it was like to use this phone-based registration system and how students' views on registration have changed with the creation of online registration systems. 

Production credits: writing by Shaylin Crack, Julia Milne, and Tiffany Trimmer, research and conceptualization by Shaylin Crack and Julia Milne, web design by Olivia Steil, collection processing by Shaylin Crack, Julia Milne, Isaac Wegner.