Among the many free services that SGA offers, perhaps one of the most popular is the daily free Scantron.
However, lately you may have noticed signs on the SGA office door that there are no more Scantrons for the week. Dramatically underestimating the number needed, SGA was left to find a quick fix before finals week arrived.
To learn how the shortage occurred and what the solution was, KnightNews.com spoke with SGA Comptroller, Shane Chism, who oversees all SGA purchases, as well as student Senate distributions to campus organizations.
According to Chism, SGA became aware of the Scantron shortage very early in the year, as demand had started to drastically increase. He also noted that SGA budgeted an additional $5,000 for Scantrons, on top of what was already being spent, but unfortunately, those funds still weren’t enough.
At the beginning of the year, SGA was purchasing the Scantrons from on-campus locations. As a result, the Scantrons were coming in low quantities and taking a long time to arrive, so Chism proposed making the switch to buying directly from the manufacturer.
Prior to the transition, SGA was paying 16 cents for every brown Scantron and 15 cents for each pink Scantron. However, this new deal lowered the prices to 14 cents and 8 cents, respectively. “The net dollar savings for students numbered in the thousands,” Chism said.
Overall, the UCF SGA Senate approved a new deal that allocated $3,433.95 to make up for the difference in the original budget. This allowed for the purchase of 145,000 Scantrons.
KnightNews.com asked Chism if he believed the shortage was due to students taking more than one Scantron a day, which is the usual allowance.
“While I don’t feel that the main reason for the shortage were repeat students, it certainly contributed to the problem,” Chism said. “The true reason behind the shortages in the past were mainly generated by a huge increase in the demand of SGA services brought on by the excellent work of this year’s SGA Communications Division.”
Chism also mentioned that SGA has started to scan student IDs before handing out Scantrons. Beginning after Thanksgiving break, scanning IDs “effectively records” every Scantron handed out and the time at which it occurred.
“This system, which was created at no cost by SGA volunteers, will not only prevent abuse of the Scantron service, but also provides us [SGA] with invaluable statistical data that will allow us to assess the future of the program,” Chism said.
Also, with each swipe, students can see up-to-the-minute data on depletion rates at http://ucfsga.com/?p=scantron.
SGA had the opportunity to purchase forms similar to the current Scantrons but drastically different in appearance. Although a little cheaper, the alternate forms could have led to confusion among students about whether using the new sheet would suffice for every class.
“In short, we would much rather spend a few extra cents on the dollar to save students the hassle and confusion different forms would bring,” Chism stated.
Now that SGA has successfully made a deal with the manufacturer, officials believe Scantrons should not run out until the summer of 2010.
So, as finals arrive, make sure you visit the SGA office on the second floor of the Student Union, and get your free Scantron!
