Why is IT upgrading the registration tool in Polaris?
The current registration tool is more than 5 years old; upgrading it is critical to making Polaris more stable and secure.
Why can't the upgrade wait?
This upgrade has already been delayed several times. The longer we wait to do this important maintenance work, the more we increase the potential of problems during registration because of challenges around troubleshooting and supporting systems that are running on older versions of software.
In addition, we have several security dependencies on the upgrade. If we delay it again, other upgrades and system security will lag behind, multiplying the risk of technical issues.
Is the new registration tool very different than the old one?
Yes. It has several new features and a different user interface. Several groups of students have tested Registration in previous semesters and they were able to adapt to the changes with few problems. Additionally, the new tool was available in Polaris as "Registration Preview" during the previous Fall 2020 registration cycle.
How will students or faculty get help if they are having problems with the registration upgrade?
For technology questions, students should contact the Service Desk at (207) 725-3030. Step by step instructions are available online.
For questions related to the registration process, i.e., eligibility or special permissions, should be sent through the Registrars Office as usual: (207) 725-3521, registrar@bowdoin.edu.