Beginning next spring semester, international students at
the American University in Cairo (AUC) will be able to register for classes
online without the assistance of the International Student Services Office
(ISSO).
The responsibilities for academic advising for all international and study-abroad
students will be transferred from the ISSO to the Office of International
Programs under the Provost’s Office. Continuing international students
are tentatively scheduled to begin advising with the new office on November
11.
According to Randa Effat, the new director of international academic advising,
the change was made in response to increasing enrollment from abroad.
The idea was to alleviate the burden on the ISSO and create a more fluid
system for international students to use in registering for classes.
“I want to make sure students have an easy way to register;the problem
is we have to find a way to get around the system that requires the approval
of departments regarding pre-requisites,” said Effat.
Tomader Rifaat, dean of international student affairs, has been with the
ISSO for 23 years and said her office has always handled the academic
advising and enrollment for international students. “There are a
lot of services that are changing,” she said.
The new registration system will entail online registration and an online
advising service similar to those that most international students use
at their home universities. The online advising system, which Effat hopes
to implement soon, will also give students the opportunity to ask questions
and plan classes more carefully before arriving at AUC.
“[The new system] will enable you to register from your home university
before you leave,” said Effat. “When you log on to register,
all problems will be taken care of beforehand.”
Another projected change in the system, though it will not be implemented
by next semester, is discontinuing the reservation of classroom space
for international students. International students, said Effat, will be
treated as equals with AUC students. “I believe all students should
have the same chance,” said Effat. “We want to make sure everybody
gets a spot.”
But freshman biology major Sarah Abuelreich, agrees with the current practice
of reserving space for international students. “The international
students are only here for a semester, the AUCians are here for four years.
They come for the experience so it’s only fair they get to enroll
in classes they want,” she said.
Freshman Mohamed Abdel-Latif said he believes in first-come, first-serve
enrollment, but added, “I don’t care whether they reserve
the spots or not; if I want the class I’ll register early.”
Ben Barclay, a study-abroad student from Carleton College, expressed concern
about the bureaucracy of the new process and said he is glad he won’t
take part in the transition. “The division of responsibilities between
two offices can only promote additional confusion in the international
student experience. Though the current registration process isn’t
ideal, [it’s] better to leave one office in charge of the international
students,” he said.
“We would like to work as much as we can with the ISSO so we can
offer the best services to the international students. Having each of
our offices focused on a certain area will help enhance our services to
international students,” said Effat.
In the former system of advising and registration, Rifaat handled each
case on an individual basis, taking into account pre-requisites, student
majors and class capacity. She reserved spots for international students
and attempted to offer helpful alternatives. Though she recognized this
sometimes made her unpopular with international students, she said the
process was necessary to keep registration in order.
Effat has concerns herself about the process and how students will work
with or against the system, especially in the preliminary stages.
“I’m willing to adapt and change,” said Effat. “I
hope international and continuing students will bear with us this semester
and be as cooperative as possible until we pass this first phase.”
The new international student advising email is ipoadvisor@aucegypt.edu
Guidelines for International student advising will be located under an
International student tab on the AUC website. According to Effat, the
link should be added soon.
