Moving a step closer to graduation is on the minds of many students this week, as registration for the spring semester opens.

The registration process isn’t for the faint of heart. A simple math error (or forgetting a math class) can delay an exit from UTM for several semesters, possibly costing thousands of dollars.

It is very evident that the creator of the CAPP program, UTM’s attempt at aiding students in getting the necessary credit hours, spent more time focusing on the intricate details of graduation requirements rather than usability for the end-user.

The application should answer the very basic questions of what do you have left to take, and what have you already completed? In its current state, you almost need a class in CAPP just to be able to read it. We wonder if that would fulfill an upper-division elective credit.

Advisers complain that credit hours are not shown in the right categories, causing errors during advising. Students have difficulty finding the total number of hours earned to determine their classification – perhaps the point size could be larger.

We propose a complete overhaul of the system.

Freshmen should have their advisers fill out a Web form of a graduation plan, with presets selected by the chosen major and minor.

As credit hours are earned, progress is shown toward graduation based on the outlined plan.

If the student changes the major, the new adviser prepares an amended form of the plan.

Throughout the processes, the student should see a status check as to whether the graduation plan is valid. When registration time comes along, the student would be presented with a list of needed classes for that semester, with the option of “auto-registering.” At a minimum, please ditch the kitten with the baseball cap.