Banner 1010: ACCESSing Banner

Today the new student record system, Banner, makes its live debut at Utah State University, just in time for Fall 2005 registration. Banner’s intuitive, click-and-point interface will completely replace the older student information system SIS+ – and the QUAD – at the end of the summer sessions.

This important update represents a tremendous technological advance for USU’s students, staff and faculty – we have outgrown the functionality of the former system. Still, the Registrar’s Office recognizes that, as with any path to progress, one experiences a few bumps along the way. We ask for and appreciate your patience as we continue to work to smooth the road ahead.

To help you access Banner, we have identified and listed some of the changes that will affect YOU. We recommend keeping this information handy. Share it with friends and neighbors, and talk about it at your book clubs. Have a little fun with Banner and know that we at the Registrar’s Office are here to serve and help you.

What You Need to Know Now:

* All members of the USU community will have a new identification number, called an A number. USU takes your privacy seriously. The use of “A” numbers will help in this regard. You can find your number by clicking on the link on our Web site at: www.usu.edu/registrar.

* You will have a new PIN. You will be required to change this every 180 days as an additional security measure.

* Although students will continue to use the QUAD for summer sessions, they will use Banner’s “ACCESS” for fall semester and all successive terms. Through ACCESS, students can register, check class schedules, grades and transfer credit, pay tuition and fees, change PINs and local addresses, obtain billing statements and check financial aid status. ACCESS cannot help you with your calculus final, but it can help in most other academic ways.

* Check out our Power Point tutorial on our Web site at: www.usu.edu/registrar. At this site, you’ll also find a frequently asked questions section. You may e-mail us with questions at register@usu.edu.

* Like to talk to a real person?

1) Students, staff and faculty can call the USU Help Desk (797-4358) for initial connectivity issues.

2) The Registrar’s Help Desk (797-1098) will assist students and the remainder of the USU population with navigation issues inside of ACCESS or the QUAD and with registration and tuition concerns, etc.

* Unlike the QUAD, ACCESS will be open 24 hours a day.

* The priority registration schedule remains the same. Monday, registration is limited to matriculated graduate students. Seniors register on Tuesday, juniors on Wednesday, sophomores on Thursday and freshmen on Friday. Your class standing is based on the number of credits you have earned now, not what you will have earned at the end of the semester.

* If you are registering yourself on ACCESS, please do not be alarmed if you get an error message you don’t understand. Link Errors D4, B6, B8, and A1 appear when labs, recitations and specific sections are paired with the wrong classes. Check the schedule of classes carefully.

* Another common error message is: PREQ and TEST SCORE, which indicates that the student doesn’t have the appropriate prerequisite or test score for a given class. If you believe you have the necessary prerequisite for a class, please see your adviser for help getting into the class.

Remember, we are here to help. We look forward to helping you to “access” the new system!

Krystin Deschamps is a USU matriculation adviser. Comments can be sent to krystin.deschamps@usu.edu.