Once again, students will be responsible for purchasing their own scantrons for tests and quizzes beginning in the Summer 2013 semester.

“We had been informed previously that we could no longer require students to purchase scantrons,” said Vice President of Instruction and Student Services Kevin Horan in an email. “The Chancellor’s office has reconsidered its interpretation and communicated that we can indeed ask students to purchase scantrons via our bookstore.”

This semester, it has been the professor’s responsibility to make sure that their students have scantrons for all tests and quizzes in their classes. The professor requests a certain amount of scantrons from Central Services, and Central Services gives the professor the allotted requested amount.

“They should have never changed it in the first place if they were unsure about it,” said student and bookstore employee Dayn’l Beeler.

“It should be the students responsibility,” said Teresa Datar who also works in the bookstore. “I don’t really see how it’s different than having to buy your schoolbooks. They are also required classroom materials.”

At the end of the Spring semester, all faculty members will be required to return any unused scantrons to Central Services.

According to The Los Medanos College Corner Bookstore Manager Robert Estrada, there was little to no profit to be made off of the sale of scantrons, so their absence has not been felt financially. However, the absence of procrastinating students has.

“The only difference we’ve noticed is the absence of frantic students knocking on the bookstore doors 5 minutes after we’ve closed, looking for scantrons,” said Estrada.