CasperWeb pulls a disappearing act
January 28, 2004
Sacramento State students hoping to access their grades or add classes over winter break using CasperWeb were met by a message stating that the system was unavailable due to the operating schedule.
Currently, CasperWeb is available from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, and until 5:30 p.m. on Saturday. CasperWeb is closed on Sunday and for holidays, including winter break.
CasperWeb is the university’s online information manager that allows students to register for, add and drop classes, pay fees, check their schedule and view grades and other personal records. For busy Sac State students, the limited operating hours can be an inconvenience.
“I don’t get off work until 6 or 7 p.m. and CasperWeb is closed by the time I get off,” said senior Angela Sharma. “It should be available 24 hours a day.”
According to CasperWeb system administrator Brian Smyth, CasperWeb has limited operating hours because it is run on an old system called SIS Plus, which was developed almost 20 years ago.
“Our existing SIS system is less flexible and more cumbersome and expensive to maintain and operate than more recently developed systems, and it requires the online components to be offline at night,” said Smyth.Registrar Anita Hall said that even if CasperWeb had extended hours, students still would not be able to add or drop classes during winter break
“The academic calendar sets the time frame for certain activities, and registration is scheduled for late November and December,” Hall said. “The department chairs and the dean review enrollment for classes and make needed changes before we close for break and when we come back, and then late registration resumes in January.”
According to Hall, CasperWeb is shut down during winter break to save energy and additional costs, such as overtime pay.
Hall said the SIS Plus system that currently runs CasperWeb will be replaced by the new CMS PeopleSoft Student Administration software, which will be available for students in 2005-06. The new system is expected to allow students access to CasperWeb 24 hours a day.
