MyConcordia SIS Criticized at Senate

NewsMichelle Pucci — Published October 6, 2015

Concordia Student Union President Terry Wilkings criticized the university for calling the SIS implementation a success, considering ongoing problems with registration and tuition payments.

“Some of the language, calling the SIS implementation a success is kind of a misnomer,” Wilkings told Senate on Friday. “I feel obliged on behalf of the students to mention this, given the distress some students have had using it.”

“I’m not trying to be disingenuous,” said Concordia Provost Benoit-Antoine Bacon. “It’s not my job to criticize or point fingers.”

Bacon and Concordia President Alan Shepard said the system is still being improved, but Concordia’s implementation of the SIS is considered exemplary, as other universities have gone over budget.

“It makes me upset that we spent a lot of money on it and it’s not very user-friendly,” Shepard said.

Concordia launched a registration hotline to help students register and Student Brigade workers were hired to help students in person.

Concordia Registrar Bradley Tucker said a student input committee would be created to improve the design of the SIS display for students.

“We will be going to the student associations for nominations to those teams,” Tucker said.

Student senator Aloyse Muller repeated a request made last semester to rename the “shopping cart” feature during enrolment. The shopping cart lists classes students are interested in, before they actually register for them.

Shepard agreed the shopping cart is an inappropriate name, and promised it would be renamed.