Nearly 1500 students registered with disability services could be affected by a sudden change coming to course registration. Students with approved academic accommodations are now no longer automatically guaranteed priority course registration.
The change was announced in an email and states that students are required to apply for early registration, and the accommodation will be granted on a case-by-case basis.
Junior Kennedy Boston is currently registered with the Office of Disability Services and said she wishes that the office had announced this change earlier.
“I'm still heated because we haven't received any other notification about it … we haven't heard anything,” Boston said. “I haven't felt the support that I need.”
According to the email sent out to students, students are given until March 28 to find appropriate documentation, which is not specified in the email, and to apply if they need priority registration. Course registration begins on April 4.
Some students who are registered with the Office of Disability Services, and previously or currently benefit from priority registration, did not receive the email notifying them of the change.
One student who found this change confusing was sophomore Ella Nutt, who has a physical disability and uses the priority registration accommodation so that she can choose classes in accessible locations.
“Priority registration would be helpful so that I can see…where each class is being held,” Nutt said. “That way I can pick classes that are held in places that I can actually get to easily on the campus.”
Nutt uses a partially motorized wheelchair to navigate campus and is confused that she did not receive the email and has to find documentation before the cut off date so she can receive the proper accommodations.
“I need to find out exactly what documentation they need, because that was not something that was stated in the email,” Nutt said. “All it said was that they are making a change so that students are no longer just automatically given priority registration for classes if they are affiliated with the office.”
Director of Disability Services, Susan Wise, declined an interview with Elon News Network, but wrote in an email statement to ENN that the decision was made to make Elon more in line with other peer institutions.
“Most Universities do not provide a ‘blanket’ approach to priority registration; they approve this accommodation on a case-by-case basis, as all other accommodations are,” Wise wrote. “In making this change, we will be more in line with other peer and aspirant Universities with regard to priority registration accommodations.”