Controversy rocked the campus last week when the college announced that all hybrid and distance learning courses would have to use a proctoring service when taking exams online.

ProctorU, the name of the service, was announced in an email sent to students on Aug. 21 for the fall semester due to “the Middle States Commission on Higher Education mandating that all accredited institutions verify the identity of students registered and taking online examinations in hybrid and distance learning courses.”

The announcement came just six days before the start of classes.

Many students expressed their concern about the service, and just a few days later an email was sent out by Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr. Mark Kiselica,  stating that “because we value your input and we care about trying to keep college affordable, we have decided to delay the implementation of ProctorU.”

Undergraduate students won’t have to worry about using ProctorU until the Spring 2015 semester, but graduate students will have to use the service come November.

The service monitors the student’s movement both on-screen and off and determines whether or not the student is cheating. A webcam and microphone must be used in order for the test to begin.

The proctor checks a photo ID, checks the surrounding area for notes and even requires the student to hold a mirror to the camera to prove that there are no notes posted to the monitor.

Many students expressed outrage that tests through the service have a fee. For a 30-minute test, the cost is $8.75 while the most a student would pay is $25 for a 120-minute test.

Senior Angelie Leuois thinks the prices are outrageous and feels “like they should be included in tuition.”

Kiselica understands the concerns about affordability.

“We want to talk more with students over the course of the semester and revisit what changes with fees we would make,” he said.

Since the service must proctor the exam through webcam and microphone, many students expressed concern to Kiselica that the security and privacy of their computer might be compromised.

“They have a very good reputation when it comes to security, as to why they were selected,” Kiselica said.

“One of the reasons students were upset about the plan to start using ProctorU and fees in the fall is that they said, ‘when we went to register, we were told that there wouldn’t be any fees,’” he said. “If we charge fees, we would give student notice at the time of registration.”

Students still expressed reluctance to sign up for distance learning or hybrid classes even if they were made aware of the requirement before registration.

 “I would avoid it,” senior Shayne Hutchinson said.

ProctorU will only be used in hybrid and distance learning classes. Professors in regularly meeting classes who choose to have their tests online will not have to use ProctorU’s service.