Some students are unhappy with recent changes to priority registration and have expressed concern to the Student Government Association.

As a result, SGA will be having an open forum on the issue with Gordon Emslie, provost and vice president for Academic Affairs on Nov. 12 at 5 p.m.

The changes involve the creation of two tiers of priority registration, one based on need and the other on benefit.

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In addition, those same qualifying students will be allowed to register for a maximum of 16 hours during the priority registration period. Students may add three more credit hours worth of classes once open registration begins. Seniors and graduate students still register before those with priority registration and are not subject to the 16-credit hour limit.

This was initially proposed by Emslie.

SGA members have recognized the confusion, debate and disruption the changes have caused the student body.

During Tuesday night’s meeting, senator Tyler Scaff brought opposition from honors students to the senate.

“One of the issues I wanted to bring to your all’s attention was an issue that I was made aware of by a concerned student of Ogden College, and it’s the idea of the new registration process,” Scaff said during the meeting. “Said concerned students, actually, are Honors College seniors who are applying for honors classes, or will be trying to get into classes next semester, that they can augment to become honors classes.”

Scaff said the students are concerned that they won’t be able to register for their classes prior to other seniors.

“That actually is an issue that has caused a few people to talk to me and say they were actually considering dropping the honors major and just going on regular,” Scaff said. “They didn’t really see any point anymore in keeping up with the honors requirements if it required they stay for another semester.”

SGA President Keyana Boka said she did not have an official stance on the matter yet.

“We were getting a lot more incoming reactions out of the news that registration is changing,” Boka said. “That’s why we’re having an open forum Nov. 12 to have students come and discuss it and have Emslie answer anyone’s questions on it and any other academic related issue.”

SGA previously approved of the priority registration changes through Mark Reeves, SGA executive vice president, who represents SGA at University Senate and who voted in favor of the change there.

The proposal did not require any legislation on the part of SGA, and was only mentioned by Reeves during SGA’s regular weekly meeting on Sept. 10.

“The provost is also proposing redoing priority registration,” Reeves said during the meeting. “Currently, there are 12 student groups that get priority registration, and as he said priority for everyone means priority for no one.”

Reeves said he cannot speak for the rest of SGA, but he personally is still in favor of the changes to priority registration.

“As a representative to University Senate, I was making SGA aware,” Reeves said of his report to SGA on Sept. 10. “SGA could have passed legislation saying we disapprove of this matter, but it’s not something that requires student government’s input.”

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