Students attempting to use two USG websites in recent weeks have been disappointed. Point has been temporarily shut down because of technical difficulties and the Student Course Guide (SCG) is not providing any information about spring term courses.
Ryan Walsh '06, USG Webmaster and programmer for Point — a web portal that provides information about campus and local events — said in an email that the site ran into a hardware failure. Point has been down since the weekend of Nov. 19.
"It was not caused by any physical trauma or any software coding problems; it was just a flaky part that happened to fail," Walsh said. "We're trying to get the system up and running again, but it might be a while because it is so complicated."
Point has gained widespread popularity since its debut last year, with more than 5,400 registered users. Students who had set it as their homepage now encounter a message saying: "Point is having technical difficulties and is currently unavailable. Thanks for your patience, and we apologize for any inconvenience."
Ria Dutta '08 said, "I was a little upset when Point shut down, just because of the minor inconveniences it caused. It's a good way of seeing what is going on around campus and which eating clubs are open, and I couldn't use it to check Dinky times last week to go home."
Robert Wai Wong '06, USG Academics Chair, could not be reached for comment regarding the SCG.
The SCG currently does not have any courses for spring 2006 posted, and does not allow access to information about spring 2005 courses. Course registration for next semester began for seniors on Monday and the inability to access SCG information can be a problem for students looking to use the scheduler option and to incorporate the opinions of their peers into their course choices.
"I always use the course guide to figure out my fourth course, which I usually pick based on other students' suggestions," Caroline Huber '08 said. "I found it frustrating that I couldn't access it over the past week."
The USG said in October that it hoped to make the website available by this December's course selection period and that the site's code would be updated and the format made more user friendly.
Read More
GSG approves audit, delays budget approval after ‘insufferable’ meeting
Nikki HanThe final Graduate Student Government (GSG) meeting for the semester lasted more than an hour and a half when discussions over the proposed budget for the next year and a proposed Student Life Fee of $100 turned controversial.
The final Graduate Student Government (GSG) meeting for the semester lasted more than an hour and a half when discussions over the proposed budget for the next year and a proposed Student Life Fee of $100 turned controversial.
Effort to restore chapel’s pews slowly progresses
Ben GoldstonHead carpenter Jim Sullivan has been restoring the Chapel pews over the last year. The dry atmosphere of the Chapel has warped the wooden pews over the years.
Head carpenter Jim Sullivan has been restoring the Chapel pews over the last year. The dry atmosphere of the Chapel has warped the wooden pews over the years.
Metals, molecules, and medicine: chemical biology’s influence on health and sustainability
Aanya KaseraChemistry professor Chris Chang’s lab studies the chemical biology of the elements, specifically examining the roles that copper, iron, and zinc play in biology across all kingdoms of life.
Chemistry professor Chris Chang’s lab studies the chemical biology of the elements, specifically examining the roles that copper, iron, and zinc play in biology across all kingdoms of life.