Registration Overrides

Override Procedure

Please be aware that individual mathematics instructors cannot issue overrides. Overrides can only be issued by the Assistant Chair for Undergraduate Programs or his representative. We employ this policy so that we can more fairly and uniformly evaluate override requests, especially given the large number of sections we have in certain courses. Requests for overrides should be initiated with Jo Ann Coe, entrance to the Math department in Maloney Hall, and will not be accepted before the beginning of the drop-add period.

Override Rationale

The primary reason for granting an override is to accommodate a student who absolutely must take a Math course in a specific semester to complete program requirements, but who—either for some seriously compelling reason or truly difficult scheduling problem—is unable to enroll in (a section of) the course through the normal registration process.

Override Guidelines

We have these basic guidelines for considering requests for overrides, with the intent of keeping the process as fair and open as possible:

1. We will not issue overrides to bypass the registration system's allocation of student appointment times. We have no control over who gets "early times" versus "late times."
2. We will not consider an override request until the registration process for your class has been completed.
3. We will not override you into a class for which you do not have the necessary prerequisites.
4. We will not override you into a section of a class simply because of your preference for a popular time or a popular instructor, especially if open sections of the class are available that fit your schedule. Every student wants the most popular instructor at the most popular time; yet most students ... and almost all with "late" registration times ... will not get either the most popular instructor or the most popular time.
5. Unless there is a compelling reason to do so, we will not issue an override to move you from one section of a course to another section of the same course. If you are registered for a section of a course, we assume you chose to register for that section because you were willing to take it.
6. We expect that you'll make every reasonable effort to address your scheduling problems first, before requesting an override. For example, if moving a lab time or discussion class would make it easy for you to take an open section of the course, then that must be considered first.
7. We issue overrides based only on your current schedule, and not classes or labs that you hope to add later in another Department or School. Please do as much scheduling as you can prior to asking for a Mathematics override.
8. If we do issue a registration override, we will place you in an appropriate class on the basis of current enrollments in classes and your schedule, and not necessarily for your preference of time and/or instructor.

Notwithstanding the guidelines above, please be assured that we will pursue every possibility of placing you into a section of a course, whenever not doing so would significantly impact your course of study.