Illinibucks

Time tickets for registration are given to students on the basis of major, class year, and

whether the student is an honors student. Seniors and honors students generally get earlier

registration dates. After some time, the classes “open up” to the general student body with

some exceptions (e.i. major restrictions that apply to required courses within a program).

Afterwards, course registration operates on a first come first serve basis. Students who miss

their initial time ticket may begin to check course registrar obsessively awaiting an open seat

in a desired class. 

In the interest of student retention and timely graduations, registration with Illinibucks

should closely follow the current priority system. A program like Illinibucks could alleviate

some of the stress that follows the initial window of class registrations by moving students to

the start of the line formed once the priority basis is met. This would encourage students to

act swiftly when registering for classes within their program. Illinibucks for registration

should be a system that automatically enrolls paying students in open seats for the classes of

their choice. Each student would be endowed an amount of Illinibucks “I”. The university

could charge a pre-specified amount of P Illinibucks to reserve a seat for “non-priority”

students with the price depending on the popularity of the class. This system should carry on

until classes meet their capacity, or the end of an official “round”. Because subsequent

placement is dependent on unpredictable drops, the next round should be less pricey where

students pay for holds in the case that a seat opens. Between “holds” for seats and

automatic registration, students should be able to withdraw their Illinibucks so as not to lock

in a price and withstand insufferable waiting times. In this period, if the supply is severely

less than the demand, the university can plan future arrangements to prevent such

constraints. Because each student is allocated the same amount of Illinibucks, the system is

fair: students willing to pay more for any given class get priority. 

Some cons of such a system may be the lack of transparency. It would be nearly

impossible for students to know whether or not they are getting cheated. Another potential

flaw is the system mimicking the status quo. Angsty students might move their “hold” bucks

as they grow impatient. Perhaps for this reason, there should be some penalty for

withdrawing a “hold”. However, a possible benefit of Illinibucks could be that it boosts

morale and student GPAs and limit pesky drops in the beginning of the semester. People

willing to pay higher prices for  classes they want to take may also value their classes more.

They are also no longer “getting stuck” with classes that they don’t care about due to

registering late. The Illinibucks should definitely complement rather than replace the current

system to guarantee graduation and retention. Since the current system is fit to see that

students within a program take all of their required courses and can access program

electives, I believe being totally reliant on student preferences would decrease retention and

graduation. Another harmful factor to anticipate is that students endowed with a set amount

of Illinibucks at the beginning of the semester may compulsively use them for class

registration similar to the rich teen analogy. 

The Illinibucks might also be able to purchase more speedy and flexible advising

appointments. A proper way to utilize these Illinibucks for advising could be to implement a

system similar to Skype calls where students can “buy” time at intervals without having to

wait in a physical space for an advisor. If a student’s urgent concern is lengthy, they must

spend more Illinibucks and vice versa. Non-emergencies could follow the current scheduling

system.

If I could use Illinibucks, I would use them to make my registration time earlier. I am a

senior in economics and sociology. However, occasionally there are classes outside my

programs that I want to take. Sometimes it is impossible to act fast enough when I have

limited information. Incessantly checking course registrar is time intensive. I would much

rather pay to await a seat than to go through the process of waiting, checking, and

registering.