The Enroll & Pay system is being upgraded, which will make it easier to use for students, faculty and parents.

The upgrades are focused on allowing easier navigation through the Web site for users.

Martin Maina, Kenya graduate student in International Studies, said that the system didn’t have many problems for the most part, but that “sometimes it’s difficult to log in to.”

Bob Turvey, associate administrator for Student Success, said that while the current system was considered “cutting edge” in the spring of 2003, they “knew that the system was not what it needed to be in 2006.”

Sheri Phillips, information systems analyst for the Office of Student S\uccess, said that the current version made it difficult for users to access all of their information because they had to follow different links to view each piece of data.

“The self-serve aspect was not the most user-friendly,” Phillips said.

With the new version, users will be able to see all of their academic and personal data on one page, as opposed to having to follow links to view each piece of information.

The page will include information about enrollment, graduation and class schedules, as well as addresses and telephone numbers that each student gave to the University. Turvey said that students’ holds will be displayed more clearly in the updated version because students often don’t follow links to find out about their holds, and during enrollment periods they are informed that they cannot enroll in classes.

“That’s been very frustrating for people,” Turvey said.

Another feature in the updated version will allow students to select which classes they want to enroll in before their actual enrollment appointment. At the time of the appointment users will simply press a button and, assuming the classes aren’t full, enrollment will be complete.

Turvey said that about one or two dozen schools have already made the upgrade, but that the University was still ahead of a significant proportion of academic institutions across the world in terms of updating the current version. He said that feedback from other institutions that used the new system had been positive.

While the system will become easier to use, the improvements haven’t come without a price.

Turvey said that the University originally bought a yearly contract for the software with PeopleSoft, which has since merged with Oracle, for approximately $145,000. However, when making the decision for an upgrade, the University had to pay an upgrade lab $70,000 for initial work and a group of consultants $20,000 for additional work last summer.

Turvey said that while he does receive complaints — many of which are from parents — students have not been negatively outspoken about the system.

“I think it’s fine the way it is,” Brent Pitts, Olathe sophomore, said.

That doesn’t mean however, that an upgrade wouldn’t be beneficial.

If it’s going to be more user-friendly, all the better,” Maina said.