By Shayne Elizabeth T. Flores

Despite technical adjustments, Far Eastern University (FEU) third-year students expressed dismay over persisting Student Central system issues after the S.Y. 2024-2025 second semester online enrollment was rescheduled on January 10 to 11.

Initially set last January 8 to 9, the enrollment for third-year students was adjusted to accommodate the synchronization of the Student Central system. This came after the conclusion of the registration periods for freshmen and sophomores, during which several portal issues were reported.

Upon the continuation of the enrollment, students posted on Facebook group ‘One Piyu Community’ (OPC) that they were still experiencing website crashes.

On its Facebook page, FEU Enrollment, the University advised accessing the Student Central system via Single Sign On for smoother transactions. However, students argued that this method was ineffective.

In an interview with FEU Advocate, third-year Visual Communication student Angelo Mark Borja outlined his struggles with the portal’s tedious operation.

“The most common issues I encounter when enrolling is how I am often left in the log-in page and the constant loading screens that went on for a while. Not to mention, when I finally get to access my enrollment status, I’ll be left with a blank page after minutes of loading. This has persisted for a while even if I tried on other devices,” he said.

Moreover, third-year Psychology student Ma. Angel Mey Maxi Marry Mira experienced similar issues, prompting her to question the rationale of the schedule adjustment.

“I don't see any changes from last enrollment up to now. I feel like wala naman nangyari [sa] pag-uusog nila ng date kasi ganu’n pa rin naman, and talaga bang nag-ayos sila (nothing changed by moving the dates because the system remained the same, and did they actually solve it?)” she said.

The sudden change in enrollment also sparked concerns among students with regards to their initial schedules and plans, especially given the nearing resumption of classes.

“I also find myself thinking that the days of my enrollment and the start of the semester are so close. I am concerned if any issue arises during the first week regarding the process which may cause conflict to my schedule and status,” Borja added.

Along with other FEU juniors, Mira and Borja reported having to wait approximately three hours before they could proceed with their enrollment.

Though now enrolled, the third-year students expressed finding their consistent struggles with enrollment every semester tiresome.

“For the three consecutive years I've been dealing with this enrollment, I think there’s [nothing] new for the following semester… The system [is] down as always due to the high volume of students enrolling [when] they should already know what to do since it has always been the problem,” third-year Tourism Management student Angel Nicole Nobleza claimed.

Student reports in OPC also suggested that the system crashed due to high user volume.

According to Tamaraws, this recurring problem contradicts the University’s proclaimed commitment to student-centeredness.

FEU Advocate reached out to the University Registrar and FEU Information and Technology Services on January 10 but has yet to receive a response as of writing.

Meanwhile, enrollment for fourth and fifth-year students was rescheduled to January 11 and 12.

Following FEU Central Student Organization’s recommendations, the Administration also waived the late enrollment fees and service charges from January 13 to 25, as well as moved the start of classes to January 14 from the 13th.

(Photo by Karch Rafael/FEU Advocate)