Testing patience at the Testing Center

Ryan Dangerfield | Staff Writer | @ryandanger23

Testing requires confidence. The more confident a student is about a test, the better he or she is likely to do. However, confidence can be there one moment and gone the next.

The Testing Center should be a place that reaffirms confidence when taking a test. It allows them an environment without a time limit, which can alleviate stress for many. Unfortunately the overall process of taking tests on campus tends to increase stress and decreases confidence.

The line at the Testing Center can require one to wait for around an hour, according to some to students, or 15 to 20 minutes on a good day. It’s difficult for a student to maintain a confident outlook while worrying about all that a college life entails.

These problems are not going away. The current student body is more than 31,000 strong, and is expected to grow to 40,000 in about a decade.

UVU Testing Center Director Colleen Sorenson said that the building used for exams has been located on 800 South – just across from the purple student parking lot – since the early 2000s, when it was temporarily relocated from the Browning Administration Building to its current spot. It was supposed to be moved permanently to the Losee Center, but never was due to other priorities.

The College Space Allocation and Change Committee, consisting mainly of President Matthew Holland’s vice presidents, has continually received requests for the Testing Center to be moved, or for a second location to be opened, at a more central location. This request, though, has continuously been denied.

Another issue for most students is the fee they’re charged to take tests outside of the allotted time period given. As the majority of students are surely aware, funding for the Testing Center has to come from somewhere, and those fees serve that purpose. This funding goes to paying for student jobs and for testing materials.

The President’s Council, which consists of Holland, his vice presidents and UVUSA President Tyler Brklacich, consistently receives requests to pay for testing in a different way. However, the council has decided this is the way they want to run it.

Until changes are made, students will continue to express displeasure with how the center is run. If a student can’t find a confidence-inducing environment to take tests, their performances will likely suffer.