Removal of registration PINs proves SGA involved in some changes

It happens every semester.

You make an appointment with your advisor after toiling through several prospective classes so they can tell you what you already know in order to get your hands on those numbers to register online.

Then, of course, you shove that slip of paper into your notebook and, for some reason, when the time comes you don't have it when you need it.

So there you are, stuck trying to get through to your advisor so they can confirm those silly numbers you need in order to register for the classes you have to take to graduate.

It is a huge hindrance in the registration process, and the WVU has finally admitted it.

After the Student Government Association meeting last week, the University made the decision to lift those PIN numbers previously necessary to register for classes every semester.

Unfortunately, that meeting with your advisor still stands, but we are now one step closer to a more convenient registration process.

This is one of the better decisions made by the University this year.

There were several revisions made to the registration process as a whole that will cut back on unnecessary time and effort.

According to The Daily Athenaeum, after you meet with your advisor this semester, your MIX account will be unlocked and ready for registration via Star.

Even if you decide you want to take clogging at the last minute or finally
see an open spot in the non-major ceramics course you've been eyeing, you can continue to make changes to your schedule without having to remember that PIN number every time.

Also, if you procrastinate, instead of fighting the lines at the Office of Admissions the first week of class, your advisor will now give you an existing PIN so you can register online.

It takes a little more hassle out of such a dreaded, lengthy method.

While SGA wasn't solely responsible for this change, you should thank your student representatives for the time they took to help make this possible.

It is an incredibly difficult task to juggle classes and the concerns of their fellow student body, but at times like this, we can see their efforts aren't pointless.

Through the progression of this year's SGA election, I had hopes the efforts both tickets were making to get the student body involved would show results.

Granted, some went as far as showing up on my doorstep as well as shouting at me via megaphone while I waited on the bus in front of the Mountainlair.

This is a little excessive, but I would like to think that they were trying.

If they go to these lengths to get our vote, my expectations and trust lie in the fact that those same efforts will go into fighting for the issues students feel strongly about.

However, I felt a little taken aback at the results of the student voter turnout after the election.

According to the DA, of the 28,839 students enrolled on campus, only 5,935 voted in this year's election.

This was an increase of 535 students from the previous year. Although we saw an increase, it is still a low number compared to the student body as a whole.

There were several more opportunities this year to hear from the candidates and get to know their platforms.

The DA even provided a live feed of both debates and profiles of each candidate on the Web site.

To those who did not vote, I ask you: What was more important than 15 minutes of your time?

It is moments like these when we are finally heard that make that little bit of time worth it.

Imagine how seriously the University Board of Governors would take our student representatives if they saw they were truly representing the student majority.

Imagine what they could do for us then.