Student Records has made it possible for students to upload their photos to their Loyola Online Records Access accounts.

Once uploaded, these photos will appear on the instructors’ class rosters and advisers’ student lists.

“We wanted to make it easier for professors and advisers to identify and remember students,” said Kathy Gros, Student Records director. “At first, we thought about using the same pictures on the student’s ID. However, it was impossible to do so, and consequently we decided to go on another route.”

This was possible with the help of Stephen Lousteau, Information Management director, and Bill Butler, systems analyst, who developed the site.

“Now professors have two options on their roster lists, either to see the list without or with pictures,” Gros said.

Gros and Valencia Luke, Student Records associate director, monitor the photos every day to see whether students upload inappropriate photos. Gros said that the Academic Advising Council, a group that focuses on making student-faculty advising better, requested this update.

“We need to see your face clearly. An inappropriate photo would be if someone sent us a photo of their pets or a landscape scenery,” Gros said. “When this happens, we send them an email requesting for them to upload a different picture, in which their face can be clearly discerned. If any picture were to escape our knowledge, professors are also capable of sending an email warning us of the picture’s content.”

Some students said they believe Gros’s expectations may be too idealistic.

“I don’t think I’ll be uploading my picture, since all of my classes are pretty small,” said Maria Fernanda Lopez, English freshman.

Mark Marquez, general studies business sophomore, said it was a “good way to make things stay personal between professors and their students.”

Despite negative comments some students have, Gros is confident of the program’s reliability and how it will aid professors and students.

“Students always like when professors remember their names, and at Loyola University we’ve always cared about the students not becoming just a number for their professors,” Gros said. “However, student numbers are increasing and we’re just finding other methods that may assist professors to continue with this line of thought.”

“For now, we only have around 300 photographs, so it’s too early to tell what the general response will be,” Gros said.

Judith Corro can be reached at [email protected]