By Constance Yonashiro
Students of every major have made the trek to the Testing Center, and while some students fear the outcome of their test scores, others have a different fear - the Testing Center late fees.
'I hate having to pay the late fee,' said Layla Calkins, 21, a junior majoring in biology. 'But I don''t mind having the extra time to study.'
The Testing Center has a standard fee of $4.75 per exam if a department or professor designates it as a late day.
Some professors, such as Barbara Hinshaw, professor of organic chemistry, take a proactive approach to late fees as an instrument in motivating students to take exams when scheduled.
'I''ve taken to using high late fees as a way to force students to take quizzes and exams when they are scheduled,' Hinshaw said.
This semester, Hinshaw charged $20 as a late fee in taking her Safety Quiz. Only 10 percent of her students had to pay the fee while last winter she charged $15 and had over 25 percent of her students pay the fee.
Linda Shirley, manager of Testing Services, said the Testing Center only sets a standard price for the late fee, and individual professors can decide if they want to charge more per test.
'The extra money made out of each exam goes to the individual departments,' she said. 'The Testing Center does not keep the money.'
Shirley also noted the Testing Center has no say in whether to charge a late fee or not. Individual departments and professors make the choice, she said.
The Religious Education Department is an exception regarding late fees because it is charged every time it uses the Testing Center. The late fees help pay back some of that money, Shirley said.
Matthew Richardson, associate dean of the Religious Education Department, said the department is sensitive to the Testing Center discouraging students taking tests on the last possible day because of space issues.
'The other big reasons may be to cover the costs of giving tests and the cost of using the testing center facility,' he said.
The Testing Center is really a convenience to both the students and the professors, Richardson said.
'The students are able to take the test on multiple days and the professors are able to cover more material in class, rather than spending class time giving out tests,' he said.