UpDate - Vol. 11, No. 39, Page 6
August 20, 1992
SIS Plus data base speeds info search, record keeping

     SIS Plus, the student data base, has streamlined and speeded up
student record keeping at the University since its installation in
1990, according to Susan Cover, manager of computing and network
services.
     Joseph Di Martile, University registrar, who chaired the steering
committee recommending the installation of SIS Plus, concurs. "It used
to be that each unit, including housing, admissions, financial aid,
the registrar's office and student billing each had its own system. It
was cumbersome and time-consuming to log out of one system and into
another," he said.
     "Now, there is one, integrated, cross-functional system serving
the University so that information is available immediately by simply
changing screens," he said.
     All students, including matriculated parallel, part-time and
continuing education students, are recorded in the database.
     The English department was one of the first to use SIS Plus, and
George Miller, assistant chairperson, has nothing but praise for the
system. "It has been advantageous for staff and students. By allowing
us to monitor enrollments, we can add sections when needed. It is more
efficient for drop/add and saves students time. When the semester
begins, most drop/add adjustments are made," he said.
     Dan Boulet, assistant dean of engineering, said the college uses
SIS Plus to make adjustments in student records that used to involve
paper transfers to other offices on campus. "The college is in the
process of utilizing SIS Plus for course advisement and senior
check-out, to make sure that students have the credits needed for
graduation. We are using SIS Plus in conjunction with the manual
system in place to act as a checkpoint. Test cases indicate the system
is working well," he said.
     Susan McLaughlin, assistant dean of the College of Human
Resources, calls SIS Plus a "tremendous asset. It has cut down our
paper trail considerably and helps us to provide immediate service for
students. It is efficient in adjusting student schedules, and we feel
it is important for students to get off to a good start by having
their class schedules in place by the beginning of the semester," she
said.
     SIS Plus plays a vital role in making the new Student Services
Building a reality this fall, where students can make one stop for
information and getting organized, instead of having to travel across
campus, Di Martile said. It will be similar to a bank with the
"teller" able to summon up records of all transactions.
     In time, SIS Plus will enable students to drop/add classes by
touch telephone, following the pre-registration process.
     There are several other advantages, Cover said. There is less
liklihood of errors. Since the University was an alpha, or test, site
of SIS Plus, the system is designed to meet its particular needs and
ways of doing things.
     For example, the admissions office has procedures for evaluating
applicants to the University. Input about applicants is put into the
data base and SI S Plus can estimate a student's performance in
college based on factual information.
     In addition, she said, financial aid is more quickly disbursed to
student accounts, and there are fewer bottlenecks in financial
transactions.
     Academic departments and other student-oriented units are
becoming part of the SIS Plus system, which will benefit students and
staff, Di Martile said.
     For example, the advisement center of the College of Arts and
Science has 12 advisers who deal with 2,400 undeclared majors.
     Formerly, the advisers relied on two terminals and paper files.
Now, all have work stations, each with immediate access to essential
academic information.
     The SIS Plus network is an efficient tool that enables staff
members to more easily serve a large student body, and, Di Martile
added, it can be used for further improvements as more departments
come on-line.
                                        -Sue Swyers Moncure