Demand Exceeds Supply at Malaspina

Demand has exceeded supply at Malaspina University-College and, with three weeks to go before the start of classes, students who have postponed the decision to go back to school in September may be very disappointed.

Malaspina has stopped taking applications from new students until September 1.

"For the next two weeks, we won't take any new applications from students trying to get into academic courses because most of the courses are already full and many have large waitlists," said Registrar Greg Link. "First, we need to clear the backlog of students who applied early and are still registering. The number of courses with vacancies is diminishing by the day; in fact, students who applied last winter are finding many of their top course choices already full.

"On September 1, the majority of students who applied earlybetween November 15, 1997 and March 31, 1998will have registered. We also need to do our best to accommodate those students who applied between April and July, and that's another 600 students. After that we'll know how many spaces are left for students who still want to register," Link said.

Commencing September 1, people with Internet access can check which courses still have openingsfrom the Malaspina website (viu.ca) select the green "search" bar, then select "class size listings" and register for them at the Registration Centre.

This is the first time Malaspina has temporarily stopped accepting applications for university degree programs, before the start of classes.

This year, Malaspina's Admissions office received slightly more than 1,900 applications for first year university degree programs, compared to 1,827, last year.

Link said that up to 400 students are registering a day. Some register in-person, but the majority of students use the telephone registration process which was introduced three years ago.

"The vast majority of students find our telephone registration system very convenient because they are able to conduct their business with us from home, without having to travel here and stand in a long line-up in a hot building. We assign students an initial day and time to phone in, and after that they can access their records to make changes, if necessary. Students on waitlists can check their status on our website," said Link.

Link attributes population growth and the unemployment rates on Vancouver Island as possible reasons for the increased demand for academic programs at Malaspina University-College.

"Research shows that as unemployment rates go up, so do applications to post-secondary schools. When people can't find jobs, they seek education to improve their qualifications and chances for employment once the job market improves," he said.

Link said, on October 15, Malaspina will start accepting applications from students who wish to start academic studies in January, 1999.

Fall semester classes start on September 8.