CMS believes new software will be launched successfully

By: Meredith Phares

Posted: 9/29/04

Despite a negative reputation at some colleges and universities across the country, Computing and Media Services officials believe careful customization and testing of PeopleSoft's registration software MySlice will prevent problems at Syracuse University.

Students and faculty have encountered problems when attempting to register online or use other functions of PeopleSoft programs at several colleges and universities, including Cleveland State University, University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Indiana University and the University of Florida.

"Everybody hates the program, including the professors," said Amanda Hagberg, a sophomore at Indiana University.

Hagberg encountered problems when registering for classes in the spring. OneStart - the Indiana equivalent of MySlice - signed her up for two overlapping classes, and she wound up with problems with her schedule.

After returning to campus from summer break, many students at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst were unable to register for classes when their entire online scheduling program suddenly crashed.

Not all colleges and universities, however, have been unsatisfied with PeopleSoft Inc. programs. According to the PeopleSoft Inc. Web site, all California State University campuses will use PeopleSoft's Web-based student registration by 2007, and an informal survey at Fresno State reported that 88 percent of students were satisfied with online class registration.

At SU, MySlice will allow students to perform several different functions, all in one location. They will be able to view grades, change their address, fill in phone numbers, view work-study paychecks and register for classes online.

Although other colleges and universities have had difficulties with similar systems, Deborah Nosky, manager of client support and information at CMS, said they have confidence in the program. There have been 140 people in many departments working on the program for the past 18 months, customizing the software for SU. The program has been in the final testing stage for the past six months, and will be launched seven weeks before student registration.

"We're feeling pretty good about it," Nosky said.

The Web site is an entirely new piece of software, but it will very similar to the current registration program, S.C.O.R.E.

Nosky said that MySlice will not be faster or better than S.C.O.R.E., and students who wait until the last minute to add or drop courses will most likely have a delay, just as with the current system.

Future plans for MySlice include adding OrangeMail, the university e-mail program to the site.

"MySlice sounds like a good idea, but if it fails, it will cause a lot of problems," said Mara Leibowitz, a junior elementary and special education major. "I hope that they check it really well."