By Noah Bond
Long lines at the Testing Center are causing tension between students and the management of the Testing Center.
“I think that the lines are ridiculous. There”s got to be a better system,” said Aimee Wade, 19, a junior from Auburn, Wash., majoring in international studies.
Students don”t understand how much time and effort have been put into minimizing the lines, said Bud Wood, manager of the Testing Services.
Very seldom is it a problem that the Testing Center is filled to its 750-seat capacity, Wood said.
The problem is a result of students coming to the Testing Center all at once, he said. The six PC units at the front line can process 10 to 12 tests in one minute and when rushes come, lines can form.
About three years ago, the management of the Testing Center proposed a plan to the Student Advisory Council, Wood said.
Lines would be minimized by up to 85 percent if the proposed plan was passed. Students would be allocated specific time periods to take their tests, Wood said.
However, the student council refused to accept the plan after receiving negative feedback from the student body, Wood said.
The majority of students did not want the inconvenience of being assigned to come to the Testing Center at a specific time, Wood said.
Regardless of all the measures the Testing Center has taken to minimize lines, students are still waiting in long lines when rushes occur.
Dallin Inouye, 25, a senior majoring in Japanese from Scarsdale, N.Y., said he had to wait in line for up to 30 minutes during mid-term testing.
It is frustrating when the Testing Center is about to close and students have to wait in a long line that snakes throughout the bottom floor of the Testing Center, Inouye said.
“Life as a student is busy, and if I have to, I will wait until the last day to take a test, said Jamie Barker, 24, a senior majoring in psychology from Kearney, Mo.
“The lines are long, but it”s your own fault for waiting, said Larz Christenson, 22, a junior from Porterville, Calif., with an open major.
Wood sent a notice to all professors in the Y News Sept. 7.
“To help alleviate lines which may occur late in the day, please consider ending tests at times other than closing. Late fee days also help stagger lines and can begin any time during the day,” according to the Y News.
