During the summer of 2024, someone made the decision to update PAWS. Whether that was GCSU’s decision or up to the University System of Georgia (USG), this update has frustrated many on the GCSU campus.
In a Front Page update in March of 2024, students were warned that Banner version 8 was being replaced with version 9 by GCSU’s IT team. The update was mandated by the USG IT, which means that every student in the USG had to relearn the new PAWS system.
While it may not seem like a big deal that the format of a website changed, GCSU students have had difficulty adjusting to certain aspects.
“I think it was hard to figure out at first and there was not a lot of direction of how to get to the things I needed like my schedule,” said Gracie Hagen, a senior mass communications major. “Eventually, I figured it out. It was just a learning curve that felt unnecessary.”
GCSU students are fighting left and right to adjust to the new process. Seniors, especially, are finding the switch difficult after spending three years learning a certain way of doing things and having to adjust abruptly.
“It’s difficult to navigate and tricky to find what you are looking for,” said Nicole Rubin, a senior marketing major. “I’m a senior this semester, so having this sudden change has been difficult because I am used to the old system.”
Though GCSU gave an alert of the change in March, when the site was being changed officially, they never gave any direction or crash course to the students. Rubin felt that the Front Page post was not enough.
“I wish the school gave us a heads up the system was changing because I remember last registration period, it was difficult to find my course schedule, find out what time classes were offered, etc,” Rubin said.
This USG-forced step into the future may make PAWS easier to navigate for future generations that do not remember the original setup, but for those bobcats that are stuck in their ways, the adjustment means spending their last one or two years confused while attempting to find their information.
“I think the new PAWS is a lot less visually appealing,” said Ilianna Martin, a senior psychology major. “It is also more confusing to navigate. Especially considering the loss of C.A.T.S., which made it really easy to browse all the classes GCSU offers.”
However, not all students think that the PAWS update is the worst. GCSU’s attempt to rebrand into a more modern college atmosphere is arguably unsupported by the PAWS update.
“I find the new PAWS update to be more modernized and to represent our university, which is constantly adapting to student preferences and changes to better our college and campus,” said Eve Briscoe, a junior English major. “Personally, it has taken some getting used to as I used the previous PAWS frequently, but the update is easy to navigate and less ‘busy’ than the previous system.”
Whether students love or hate the new PAWS, it seems that it is here to stay.
