At least one student says she would like forthe course catalog to be available earlier.

"I think it would be cool if we knew beforeSeptember what classes were being offered," saysMelissa S. Chin '97.

Preregistration also could reduce bookshortages, if the Coop, which has a tendency tounderstock for large classes, took the numbersseriously.

"It would give professors an idea of how manybooks to order," says Thomas J. Brown, head TF for"Historical Study B-42: The Civil War," lastspring.

TF Problems

Professors say they support preregistrationprimarily so they can hire TFs and tell themwhether they have jobs before the semester begins.

Now, professors say, especially in large Coreclasses, the numbers are so volatile that theyoften must either scramble to find additional TFsor, conversely, tell TFs that they do not haveposition for them. Even if preregistration wouldnot give them exact numbers, they feel it would atleast give them a better idea of what to expect.

Kirk A. Williams, head TF for this spring'sLiterature and Arts A-18, "Fairy Tales and theCulture of Childhood," says he and the professorhad anticipated only 40 people, 80 maximum.

"The first day of class came, [and] we hadabout 550 people show up," Williams says."Something can be said for preregistration,because we had that wide discrepancy."

About 245 students actually registered for thecourse, Williams says.

The staffing worked our well in the end,Williams says. He and other TFs took additionalsections, and since, as a tutor in Kirkland House,he had heard students discussing the class, he hadbegun to look for more TFs in late January.

Mid-semester student evaluations rated the TFshighly, Williams says, but "it could have been adisaster."

"If you had talked to me in February, I wouldnot have sounded so rosy," he says.

Associate Professor of History EllenFitzpatrick, a Council member, points out that thelast-minute scramble for TFs can sometimes leaveclasses with less qualified section leaders.

"As it is, sometimes people are rushing aroundat the last minute to staff a course and thisdoesn't do any one any good," Fitzpatrick says."Certainly it is not in the interest of theundergraduates."