By Jasmine Gomez, Special to the Journal
Pellissippi State Community College’s biggest problem with the Testing Center hours is that they fail to meet the needs of the diverse student population. Many students aren’t just traditional full-time students with flexible schedules. They have full-time jobs, are still in high school, or have families to take care of. What makes all of this even harder to balance is that Pellissippi State’s testing center hours are limited and often inconvenient.
The Hardin Valley campus hours are Monday, Thursday, and Friday from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m., Tuesday and Wednesday from 9 a.m. – 7 p.m., and Saturday from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m., with other campuses having even fewer hours.
Pellissippi State serves students who work full-time, are dual-enrolled, are parents, or take online classes. For those populations, these hours are not at all beneficial. While they may seem reasonable at first, for many students, these hours could be impossible to use.
Blake Garibay, who has a demanding job with variable hours, takes classes at Hardin Valley and Magnolia says, “It’s cool that there are some longer days, but I know some people who probably can’t do that.”
For him, having classes at different campuses and working makes it hard to find time to take a test and be fully prepared for it. Garibay offers an example of how he cannot come in at 6 p.m., review his study materials, and still have enough time to finish his test.
The Testing Center completely closes at 7 p.m., whether or not a student is in the middle of a test. When students have to fit a restricted testing period between classes, they often are forced to take time off work, which is what helps them pay for school. Community colleges, which are known for having open access, are also known for having students who have other responsibilities. A primary question, then, is how Pellissippi State can make its resources more accessible for its students?
Nearby community college testing center hours are more accessible. Chattanooga State is open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday from 8:30 a.m. – 8 p.m. and Wednesday and Friday from 8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. They have hours that are more convenient for students who work or have families to take care of during the day. Chattanooga State has optimized testing center hours for its students to utilize at their convenience.
Similarly, Roane State’s hours are Tuesdays 1 p.m. – 8 p.m., Wednesdays from 3 p.m. – 8 p.m., Thursdays 9 a.m. – 1 p.m., Fridays from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. – 5 p.m., and Saturdays from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. Roane State offers a range of days when people can come in the evening or at night. Helping students who work during the day and attend their classes at night.
Dual enrollment student Libbie Merideth doesn’t have a car right now. She has to rely on her parents and friends to take her to the Testing Center. Her parents get out of work at 4 p.m. and will not have time to take her somewhere and wait around for her to finish. More importantly, students can’t communicate when they are finished testing because no phones are allowed in the testing area. Extended hours could help students in this situation; other dual enrollment students may have this issue as well.
Susan Martel, the new director of the Testing Center, says she is well aware of some of the issues students have. She states that before Testing Center hours can possibly be changed, she needs to make sure all campuses have enough faculty first.
The other Pellissippi State campuses only have one person working at their testing centers. There are no promises that the hours will be extended, because budgeting needs to be approved. When it is approved, Martel is often told how the money will be spent, limiting her ability to change staffing and hours. She says that she is very interested in what students have to say about their experience at the testing center.
More importantly, the testing center not only serves Pellissippi State students, but also people taking outside tests, including GED, Military, CLEP, and more. Martel also says that students should keep in mind that the hours available for testing are not the only hours Testing Center employees are working. They also must touch base with professors, check tests for mistakes, get lists of testing students, and print tests, formula sheets, and answer sheets. Not to mention, sometimes professors change or add to their tests at the last minute.
For this semester, the Testing Center has extended its hours this Thursday and next Thursday. Martel sent out an email that said, “The Testing Center at the Hardin Valley Campus will be open for extended hours so that students can take tests until 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 30, and Thursday, May 7, to support end-of-semester testing activities.”
Martel says she is the one who saw other colleges nearby extending their hours for finals and decided she would try to get the Hardin Valley campus to do so as well. Martel had to ask her proctors, student staff, and desk workers if they would be able to stay later and send out a message so students can be aware. Along with that, Martel is quick to react to students’ feedback. For example, she had a student with physical limitations who couldn’t sit for a whole test. She is now working on getting a computer for the stand-up desk so that more students can use that desk for paper or online tests.
“We are trying to improve everything,” Martel says.
As students, the best way to help is by filling out the QR code provided by the Testing Center about their experience. Martel says responses will be noted and considered.
One way the limited Testing Center hours could be fixed is by increasing the Testing Center’s budget. Students who are negatively affected by the available hours can fill out the survey, contact the administration, or even contact the Pellissippi State Foundation to start a fundraiser to help increase the Testing Center budget.
