The electronic voice of the woman on the other end of the phone during registration has fallen silent. No longer will she inform students of their grades or the status of their prospective classes.

Instead, enrollment will solely be the domain of the Internet.

According to Joanne Berg, UW-Madison interim registrar, the switch to web enrollment was the most prudent step.

“We couldn’t be sure we could upgrade the touchtone system in time for the new school year, so we switched entirely to the web,” Berg said.

She pointed out a variety of advantages web enrollment offers students.

“A campus-wide survey showed 90 percent of students have a computer, which makes web enrollment very accessible, especially for students who study abroad or international students,” Berg said.

Other advantages include printable screens, a timetable that is refreshed every 15 minutes and a dynamic course grid.

“With the course grid option, it’s easier to plan your schedule,” Berg said. “You can decide how late you want to get up in the morning and how far you need to walk between classes.”

Berg said web enrollment offers greater efficiency and makes the process of registering much less stressful than it was for former students.

“Registration over the course of the university’s history is sordid,” Berg said. “There are lots of horror stories about students walking across campus three times just to get one signature.”

UW student Gordon Scott said web enrollment was not as efficient as students were led to believe it would be.

“The system wasn’t working well, and some of the class numbers didn’t register,” Scott said. “I think they should have made sure the web system worked as well as the touchtone one before they changed it.”

Both Berg and Scott agreed they wouldn’t miss the voice of the touchtone lady.

“In the office, we laughed about her demise,” Berg said. “We thought maybe we should have some sort of funeral service for her.”