A Long Time Coming

To The Poor, Confused, and Disillusioned Writer of that Daily Universe People-Write-In Section Who Was Angry About There Being Proctors in the Testing Center:

Hello. You might not even remember when you wrote your letter in, but I have been stewing about this rebuttal ever since.

I work at the Testing Center. I see firsthand how every week, there are people caught cheating taking their tests. I hear the stories of the most clever cheaters ever to grace these halls, but I also am the one who walks around and evidently is the source of your concern.

Point A. Proctors Bump You As They Walk Around, Disturbing Your Test and Causing You To Lose Focus and Get Worse Grades.

Honestly, this is the stupidest thing I have ever heard. And if people like you didn't leave their bookbags and coats and food wrappers and purses and tennis rackets and shopping bags in the aisles, proctors like me wouldn't have to accidentally bump into you as they pass you at a maximum of 3 times per half hour trying not to stumble to their deaths passing over it. I have to contort myself into avoiding page corners hanging off desks as it is, and I have learned how to take 5 foot wide steps to avoid people's mess on the ground. Sorry if me bumping you makes you angry and get a bad grade. Most of the time I can't even look at the desks and tests I am passing because I am too busy looking at the floor to make sure I don't die. Testing Center employees are not picked for their more highly developed balancing abilities, so I'd like to see you trot back and forth through the rows without looking down or accidentally touching someone or something. Yeah.

Point B. Why Do We Need Proctors Anyway, If Everyone Agreed to Follow the Honor Code? They're Dumb. Let's Fire Them.

Although I congratulate your integrity in following the honor code, that doesn't mean that everyone does. Take a look around campus. Ever seen a skirt that wasn't exactly knee length, or some facial hair that seemed a little too arranged into a beard? People are willing to not exactly follow other parts of the Honor Code, obviously, so what's to say they will follow the academic portion of it exactly, either?

I've never caught an outright cheater, but I've sent some people to the supervisor for using unstamped notes and such. People will do anything to get what they want or need, and as we all know, college tests can matter a lot in your final grade, college graduation, and future careers. There are desperate people out there, and even if you knew 50% of the people on campus there'd still be over 15,000 people with their own beliefs, excuses, needs, and worries. You might want to think twice before speaking for them or allying themselves with them.

I hope I've not sounded jaded, but I just think there is a reality here that needs to be recognized. I was a naive little freshman when I came to BYU, too, and the first time I saw a girl wearing shorts about 10 inches away from her knees, I was horrified. I've since learned that there are many different interpretations of this gospel and general morality, and judging anybody just doesn't even help at all. I know the majority of people here would never ever even think of cheating on a test, but for that small percent for whom temptation sometimes gets the better of, that's what we are here for. The Super Proctors of the Universe.

I hoped that helped and wasn't too confusing. Just know there's more than meets the eye, and knowing what's really going on is sometimes actually better than just living in ignorant bliss. Sometimes.

Sincerely,
A Person Who Hates Proctoring, Being Aggressive to Test-Takers, and Who Often Tells Herself The Cheaters Will Just Have to Get Their Eternal Reward in the End