September 10 is approaching fast.

That’s the last day students can add or drop a class “without special privilege,â€Â university Registrar Tina Beddall said.

“We allow students two weeks to add or drop a class without having to get a permission number or drop card,â€Â Beddall said.

For the fall semester, the deadline falls on a Monday to compensate for no school on Labor Day.

Permission slips, which can be obtained from instructors, or drop cards from the Registrar̢۪s office are required before classes can be added or dropped during the two weeks following Sep. 10 and ending on Sep. 24, Beddall said.

After that, no more add-ons are allowed, she said, but drop requests will still be considered only for a “serious and compelling reason,â€Â such as medical problems.

“Not doing well in a class is not a serious and compelling reason,â€Â Beddall said.

While the norm is for students to get their classes lined up before the new semester, Beddall acknowledged a rush every year by some students to change their courses after they̢۪ve started. She said every student̢۪s decision-making is individualized and that not much can be done to seriously reduce the flux during the first month of school.

“Typically students make decisions early,â€Â Beddall said. “But certainly changes happen between April and August.â€Â She said students may add or drop course after receiving their spring semester grades, for example.

But she said the university is looking for ways to improve the process of adding classes. In spring 2008, Beddall said, her office hopes to launch an electronic wait list system Online in which students can add their name to a wait list if the class is full. If a student signed up for that class decides to drop it, the system automatically enrolls the first person on the wait list into the class and notifies that student via e-mail.

Beddall said the electronic wait list system was successfully tested last semester in the social work department.

As it stands now, students must log on to MyFresnoState.com and regularly check available seating in full classes they want to add before anything more can be done Online.

Refunds may be available for dropped courses, depending on how much has already been paid, but full refunds aren̢۪t available after the semester starts, Beddall said.

Partial refunds are also available for students making a complete withdrawal from school.

Refunds for a complete withdrawal from school would operate on a pro-rated basis depending on the withdrawal date.

“You would get maybe 99 percent of your money back after the first day, a little less the next day, etc.,â€Â she said.

Meanwhile, many instructors around campus are busy updating their class rosters on top of teaching classes.

Biochemistry professor Joy Goto said the number of students in her upper division courses are always limited, but she welcomes anyone willing to make the effort to add.

“Most students are fairly serious [about her classes],â€Â Goto said. “If a student is really interested in adding, they should be present each day and there’s a good chance they’ll be successful.â€Â

World literature professor Steven Adisasmito-Smith said he teaches a lot of high-demand G. E. courses and as a result, always has to deal with add-ons.

“I try not to have a maximum number of students in class,â€Â Adisasmito-Smith said. “Usually, there’s enough students dropping to allow others to come on.â€Â

He said some of his courses include up to 35 students when the capacity is supposed to be around 20.

For now, Adisasmito-Smith said students need to take responsibility and plan ahead.

That includes looking at possible evening classes offered for that section. He said late sessions were offered for some of his courses in the past, but are largly based on demand and the teacher’s discretion.

Beddall agreed that responsibility starts with the student.

“We give students almost a full month to make these changes, she said.

“We encourage students to go to class, whether registered or not.”