Honors program changes track

The UW Honors Program has ditched the way its students obtain add codes, much to the dismay of those who lived for waking up at 4 a.m. to wait in a three- or four-hour line.

During previous quarters, add codes were given to Honors students via an early morning, first-come, first-served manual registration. Counselors believed it was the fairest way to distribute add codes, said Aley Mills, the Honors program's counseling services coordinator.

Honors students were encouraged to wake up early to snag a place in line outside Mary Gates Hall before the counseling center opened at 7 a.m. The most ambitious students woke up at 4 a.m. to guarantee they would get the add code they needed.

The Honors Program has since changed its policy to a more structured year-based system. Students who have been at the UW the longest have earliest priority. Graduating seniors were allowed to register for honors courses yesterday.

The Honors Program has been considering changing the system for a few years now, in an attempt to create optimum fairness for students, while still allowing personal contact between students and counselors, Mills said.

Students still have to appear in person at the counseling center to obtain an add code, however.

"This year we got some really good feedback from our students about changes they would like to see," Mills said. "We're trying it out to see if it works."

Yesterday the longest a student had to wait in line was 15 minutes, although Mills said most graduating seniors do not actually need courses requiring an add code.

On Friday, a wave of freshmen in the honors program will have their chance to participate in the new policy. It will be a true test of the system, since freshmen compose the majority of students looking for add codes, Mills said.