This letter is responding to Steven Snyder’s Jan. 24 opinion piece, “University consistently fails to serve students,” regarding the One Stop Student Service Center. I am a One Stop counselor and would first like to correct Mr. Snyder on one point. Our office is not open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., but is open Monday to Thursday between 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and Fridays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. We also stay open until 6 p.m. the week before classes begin as well as the first day of classes.

Our phone line does close at 4 p.m. every day, but we are open later to assist students. Speaking as a One Stop counselor I can say that we all put students first, not second and certainly not last.

Each of us recognizes that without students we would be out of a job. Many of the current One Stop counselors are also graduates of the University – and all of us have degrees from one university or another.

I am sorry that Mr. Snyder has had a bad experience with my office and hope that we can provide better service in the future. We are constantly making changes including putting more self service options on the Web (transcripts, APAS, etc.) so students can take care of these things without having to wait on hold or come into our office.

The entire One Stop concept was designed to provide better service to students. We are still smoothing out some areas, but I’m sure many students appreciate not having to wait in three different lines to remove a hold, add a class, and then discuss how the additional registration affects their financial aid.

Now I will admit, the phone wait can sometimes be ridiculously long, but it is extremely difficult to staff a phone line when the volume of calls fluctuates so much. I completely understand how frustrating being on hold can be. Still, having long wait times during the first few weeks before and after classes begin each semester and then having a minimal wait time in the months following is really not that bad.

Kathryn Schwartz, One Stop Counselor, alumna of CLA