The struggle when it comes to class registration is well-documented and felt by students on campuses across the country. While usually I am heavily disappointed in the advising services and administrative structure in the College of Arts, Media and Design or CAMD, the most recent fall registration period brought about a new level of anxiety and uncertainty felt across the college.

I love the forward-thinking nature of Northeastern and I celebrated when the Art and Design program announced a new degree structure aligning to the wishes of students. What followed suit, however, confirmed a theory I’ve observed across the university:  that the focus is so finely narrowed in on expansion that the necessary foundational structures go neglected, in turn harming the students such improvements are meant to aid.

Generally stated, CAMD lacks the communication channels and organizational structure needed for a college of its size, which continues to grow. When the new majors [BFA in design with a concentration in experience design, BFA in design with a concentration in interaction design and BFA in design with a concentration in graphic and information design] were announced, very few details were offered and course descriptions were virtually non-existent while the department website was riddled with broken links and out-of-date information.

Excited about the new opportunity, I met with my academic advisor, looking for additional information since all that was announced was the name of the major, but he was even more in the dark than I was. Is it not the job of the academic advisor to have information on the classes offered, especially a major renovation of the academic curriculum?

My peers and I then were tossed from person to person through CAMD just to try to uncover what the majors actually meant and their availability to already enrolled students – the latter was flip-flopped for months, and varied by whom you asked. Such an example highlights a pain I, along with students across all aspects of the university, have felt:  advisors whose main focus is to get a student out of their office in the shortest amount of time.

But perhaps the most mind-blowing part is that, as a top-level university famous for its co-op program, almost no help exists for CAMD students who work 9-5. The usual registration runaround becomes almost impossible because of faculty and staff that only offer limited afternoon office hours and are virtually unresponsive via email.

I understand that advisors have a lot of students and juggle many roles, but they are a vital resource and often serve as the only gateway a student has to the administrative side of the university. This is where organization and connection with students becomes crucial and the lack of such is detrimental.

CAMD is renowned for the deadly trifecta of strict major requirements, chains of prerequisites and limited sections of classes, thus turning every registration week into a virtual battle for the classes needed to graduate. Even as a sophomore, if you don’t get into class A, you then are delayed in taking classes B through Z.

The best example of this glaring problem started with the recent declaration that students in certain majors could only go on spring co-op, assuring students would take a certain class before co-op. Then, come time for fall registration, too few sections of that class [Web Design and Development] were offered to accommodate the students that needed to take it, while another crucial class was only offered in the spring [Programming for Digital Media].

Computer availability is often cited as an issue, but when you only offer one section of a class with 16 seats and 30 need to take it, a real problem emerges. When a frustrated classmate saw President Aoun on the street, he told Aoun that he did not get into a single class he needed. Aoun immediately took out his phone, made a call, and the student’s schedule was perfected.  The thing is:  we all don’t have Aoun’s personal number, so instead are forced to campaign, bombard and elbow our way into classes, often having to sacrifice along the way.

What I am asking for is not unheard of and is executed beautifully in other areas on campus. Communication-wise, I have had an amazing experience with the CAMD co-op department, with an advisor who goes above and beyond to be available and helpful to her students. For organization, look no further than the advising department of D’Amore-McKim, who gives its students clear and detailed plans and always seems to be well-informed.

There is absolutely no reason CAMD can’t do the same simply by ensuring that every new improvement is completely developed and well-executed before moving on, communicating across all the areas of the department and, perhaps most importantly, listening to the students. We are here because we are passionate and want to get the most out of our education, and when given the chance to become more involved in the decisions that directly affect us, can create something that benefits all.

–Emily O’Brien is studying for a BFA in design with a concentration in interaction design.

Photo courtesy Emily O’Brien.