U. extends add period to Wed.

In response to the University's two-day closing last week, the add period for registration has been extended until Wednesday at midnight, Registrar Ronald Sanders said yesterday morning. Officials from the four undergraduate schools recommended unanimously yesterday morning that the extension be granted "in the best interests" of students and professors, Sanders said. The add period originally expired Friday at 5 p.m. Wharton School Associate Director Elizabeth Bennett said she recommended the extension because many students "didn't have the opportunity to attend classes" for the first time prior to the University's shutdown last week. "Classes were often unofficially cancelled," Bennett said. "And advising offices were short of staff." She said the record-breaking cold weather and icy conditions kept many professors and advising staff members from reporting to work. Sanders said Sunday night he thought the deans would not decide in favor of extending the add period. "PARIS was open the entire time the University was closed," he explained at that time. But Bennett said "it would only be fair to allow students a few extra hours to explore their options with their professors and advisors." Sharon Mulholland, executive secretary to Wharton Vice Dean Janice Bellace, said she thought students needed more of a "human touch" when registering for classes. "This is not something you can just phone in," she said. Assistant to the Associate Dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences Katherine Becht said the extension of the add period is "a lot more efficient" than handling students' registration requests on a case-by-case basis in her office. Becht said the extension of the add period will give her "today, tomorrow, and Wednesday to answer students' questions" about their schedules. College junior Sarah Gardner, who complained on Sunday she "didn't have a chance to see if [she] liked [her course] or not," said she is glad the add period for registration was extended. "I'm ecstatic," she said.