Diliman Fiasco

This might have been pretty late but I just want to share my experience regarding the new CRS (UIS) system. (Other people also wrote about this here, here and here.)

Well, I was able to get one subject from the pre-enlistment. When I got my form 5a, I immediately proceeded to enrollment, got my overload form approved and enlisted other subjects through “prerog”. Well, I’m one of those lucky people whose prerog pleas for academic subjects never gets turned down. So I proceeded to the usual adding of matriculation. It cost me PhP10.00 to save myself from the horror of the current system most people experienced. 😉

Regarding the new system, all I can say is this: It is too ambitious. Let me put it this way:

Real-time enlistment + Internet + Encryption + Database + UP server = Disaster

This is considering that this summer there are only a thousand or more people enlisting for only a one, two or three subjects. UP simply can’t handle it, not yet, anyway. Their solution this summer was to make it accessible only inside the DilNet during office hours when most students are accessing it and making it available online outside of office hours. It did work, i guess. But next semester the computer laboratories, the computer rooms and the UP Computer Center won’t be enough to cater to 8000 or more students.

And by the way, encryption alone does not make a system secured because security is defined by the CIA triad. Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability. They may have encryption for the assurance of data privacy and digital signatures for source-integrity but is there a timely and reliable access to data services for authorized users?

When the system is not accessible half of the time to your authorized user, what good is that? Securing a system does not only involve making every data private, and assuring your authorized user of non-alteration it also involves making sure that you are able to cater to your clients/users.

I know some people who were not able to take summer classes because of the current system. And this is really disturbing. I wish to say this again, you are playing with our academic lives. If you guys fail, our academic life goes down with you. If you guys succeed, we’ll thank you and celebrate with you. The truth is, students don’t give a damn on what you do with the current system as long as it does what it’s supposed to do. Please be responsible, guys.