Tomorrow will mark Cornell’s third attempt to effectively run PeopleSoft for course enrollment. Following its inauguration and cataclysmic failure last April, though, we have remarkably low expectations for CoursEnroll this fall.

The decision to switch software systems from Bear Access to PeopleSoft came after disgruntled students found the old system too slow. So far, PeopleSoft has not been much of an improvement. The Sun reported last April that over 3,000 rising seniors were unable to enroll for fall courses on the first day of the PeopleSoft experiment. In the midst of panic and system overload, the Registrar David Yeh effectively froze the system to confine the problem.

In September things weren’t much better. Another glitch in the software left students unable to add and drop classes all morning. The Sun reported that despite the 6:30 a.m. start time, many students were unable to select classes until 12:45 p.m. that day. In response to the malfunction, Yeh noted: “In the course of the morning, performance degraded to a point where students effectively were not able to access add/drop.”

In addition to the number of students unable to change their schedules, 750 students experienced a pronounced delay in the processing of financial aid applications due to complications from the implementation of PeopleSoft. The integrated system manages students’ personal, academic, bursar and financial aid information. Because of the delay, some students were unable to pay their bursar bills.

Although the technical malfunctions in April and September were allegedly unrelated, the inherent problems with PeopleSoft are undeniable. Prior to debuting at Cornell, PeopleSoft had a checkered past at schools like Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin and Northwestern. In particular, a faulty installation of software at Cleveland State University in 2004 led to a $510 million lawsuit filed against PeopleSoft. Not a particularly strong track record.

If PeopleSoft is causing all these problems, then, why do we remain committed to the software?

It is hard to separate Cornell’s relationship with PeopleSoft from Cornell’s relationship with David Duffield ’62, an esteemed alum and the founder of the company. We are grateful to Duffield for his $20 million contribution toward Duffield Hall and his additional $15 million to support the building’s maintenance. His generosity to the school is admirable and laudable. His integrated software system, however, has failed to provide for the student body.

Tomorrow’s edition of CoursEnroll will be the third major test for PeopleSoft in six months. If the system fails, Cornell should seriously consider an alternative. The University can still maintain a strong relationship with David Duffield (we hope) even if it rejects his company’s creation. After all, some things are meant to be. The marriage of Cornell and PeopleSoft just isn’t one of them.