The high number of interested students poses challenges for registration, which is conducted both online and in person
By RACHEL GAUER — features@theaggie.org
The UC Davis Craft Center is widely known for its variety of art classes that both students and community members have the opportunity to enroll in. Ranging from ceramics to woodworking to screenprinting, students can find their medium to express themselves and spend some time away from the everyday stress of university life.
However, the registration process has proven to be a struggle for many prospective Craft Center students. Due to the high volume of interested participants, course space tends to be limited. As a result, Davis students have commented that enrollment has become highly competitive.
During the winter registration period, Juliana Renert, a third-year design major, attempted to enroll in Flameworking 101, a class focusing on glass work, but was unable to do so due to her high spot in the online queue. Renert commented on her experience with the enrollment process.
“I hit the registration button and got 409,” Renert said. “It was a little disheartening. I understand how it’s supposed to be random and fair for everyone, but I was trying to get into a very specific class with some friends and it just didn’t work out.”
By the time that Renert entered into the portal, both sections of the course were filled and she only was able to waitlist for the courses — ultimately, she was not granted a spot in the class. The online registration system assigns users a random place in the line, where a high number indicates more time to wait, according to Renert.
“I know a lot of people tried to use their computer and their phone and a different device just to try to get a better spot,” Renert said. “It’s a confusing system.”
Ella Swadley, a fourth-year human development major, successfully registered for a Handbuilding Basics class during fall registration but later faced difficulties registering for a Wheelthrowing class during winter and was ultimately unable to register.
“Overall it was just a stressful experience,” Swadley said. “The online registration with the queue was hard, I kept getting logged out and things weren’t loading.”
Though the online registration has proven to pose difficulties, it ultimately is a result of the center’s goal to limit long in-person lines, which proved to be an issue in past years.
Grace Lawlor, a UC Davis alumna who currently volunteers at the Craft Center, commented on the problems that arise from registering solely in person, a method the center used to rely on.
“I remember two years ago, my best friend waited in line for six hours or something ridiculous like that,” Lawlor said. “As it grew in popularity, it became heavily impacted, and I think since then, the Craft Center has tried to figure out a way to make sure no one waits in line for too long.”
Renert also commented on the in-person option, which she experienced during her first year registering.
“I did the physical registration where you wait in the long line, and I ended up getting the class I wanted because it wasn’t a very popular one,” Renert said. “But, I ended up waiting for two hours, which was not my favorite — but I was just glad I got into the class.”
In response to the issues with in-person registration, the Craft Center has also tested solely online options, which also resulted in challenges as the site was often too heavily trafficked during the registration process.
Lawlor explained that for online registration for campus recreation, UC Davis utilizes an external website called Fusion.
“Fusion is a completely third-party program,” Lawlor said. “The second that everyone got online to sign up, it crashed. It wasn’t the Craft Center’s system, we’re not the tech guys, we just use the university’s programs.”
Though the center’s registration system still utilizes Fusion, they have implemented both an in-person and online option to limit excessive traffic on the site.
Swadley commented on the registration process, highlighting the large number of students trying to register as the primary cause of the issues.
“The hybrid registration system is tricky, but I don’t know what else they could even do with the high demand that there is,” Swadley said.
Lawlor also commented on the fact that Craft Center spaces are limited due to the nature of the small class sizes, which often tend to host a single-digit number of participants.
“Our studio spaces and the ability for our instructors to teach a high volume of students are pretty limited,” Lawlor said. “You want to have good class sizes and you want everyone to be able to fit in the studio safely.”
Lawlor also commented that due to the high volume of students interested in expanding their artistic abilities and participating in classes, perhaps a larger change could be necessary at some point down the line.
“The Craft Center is an amazing space, and I think expanding and investing in our studios is a good idea — since there is a pretty huge demand for fun extracurricular activities,” Lawlor said.
Written by: Rachel Gauer — features@theaggie.org
