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Can you hear me now?
Cell phones bring mixed reactions from students
By Denise Schoppe
October 21, 2002
It's just another day in class. The shuffle of papers and the scratching of pens fade into the drone of the professor's lecture. Then it happens. The unmistakable sound of a cell phone ringing cuts through the class' concentration.
"It's happened to me," said Patty Fernandez, a freshman general studies major. "It's rung in class and in church. Ever since then, I make sure I turn it off."
The ringing of cell phones in class is a source of frustration for students.
"I have a simple opinion about cell phones in class," said Joshua Duke, a sophomore general studies major. "I don't mind people having them, I even carry one, but please turn them off - if not for your sake, then the rest of the class' sake."
Duke also suggested using the vibrate feature on phones to keep the disruption at a minimum. "Usually, a professor won't mind if it's on vibrate, because at least it isn't playing a tone at the highest level," Duke said. "I have a political science professor who says she keeps a phone on her for emergencies. She understands if we have one, but (asks that we) keep it on vibrate so it doesn't disturb too many people or her."
Having a phone for emergencies is the reason many students keep their cell phones with them at all times.
Fernandez said her phone came in handy when she was in a car accident.
"I don't use it often," she said. "I use it during my free weekends, but other than that, I use it really quickly."
A report by the Federal Communications Commission revealed 61 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds carry cellular phones nationwide. With so many students carrying cell phones, Chris Carlin, senior computer engineering major, said phones ringing in class is a problem without a solution.
"It's one of those 'don't let a few irresponsible people ruin it for everyone else' kind of things," Carlin said. "I don't have a cell phone myself, and I find them very annoying when they go off in class, but I don't think they should be banned from class."
Carlin said he'd rather see students held responsible for the disruption they cause when their phone rings.
"From a more practical standpoint, banning the cell phones will probably just mean that the more forgetful people will forget to take them out of their bags, the more forgetful people being the ones most likely to accidentally leave them on during class," he said.
Some professors place a section in their syllabus regarding cell phones. Fernandez said one particular professor had made clear on the first day that he didn't like phones ringing in class. Yet this did not stop one student from forgetting to turn off a noisy cell phone.
"It was such a big class that he let it go," Fernandez said.
Other students haven't gotten off so easily. Stories of phones being taken up or professors answering the phone circulate around campus.
Anne Skrivanek, a junior journalism major, said she always remembers to turn off her phone because of an incident which occurred her freshman year. Skrivanek said a student's phone rang during class and caused a scene.
"She ignored it at first but it kept ringing and by then everyone was looking at her so she answered it," Skrivanek said. "The professor stopped class so she could take her call. I was surprised."
Skrivanek said the incident became increasingly embarrassing when the student initiated a conversation with the caller.
"I figured she'd just turn it off, but she answered it," Skrivanek said. "So everyone listened as she asks the person 'Why are you calling me now? You know I'm in class. Everyone's looking at me!' After that no one dared let their phones ring in class."
However, embarrassment does not always inspire fear in students toting cell phones.
"I'm sure every day I'm in classes where more than one person has a non-silenced cell phone in their book sacks," Carlin said. "They're really ticking time bombs."
Also Found Here
Cell phones bring mixed reactions from students
By Denise Schoppe
October 21, 2002
It's just another day in class. The shuffle of papers and the scratching of pens fade into the drone of the professor's lecture. Then it happens. The unmistakable sound of a cell phone ringing cuts through the class' concentration.
"It's happened to me," said Patty Fernandez, a freshman general studies major. "It's rung in class and in church. Ever since then, I make sure I turn it off."
The ringing of cell phones in class is a source of frustration for students.
"I have a simple opinion about cell phones in class," said Joshua Duke, a sophomore general studies major. "I don't mind people having them, I even carry one, but please turn them off - if not for your sake, then the rest of the class' sake."
Duke also suggested using the vibrate feature on phones to keep the disruption at a minimum. "Usually, a professor won't mind if it's on vibrate, because at least it isn't playing a tone at the highest level," Duke said. "I have a political science professor who says she keeps a phone on her for emergencies. She understands if we have one, but (asks that we) keep it on vibrate so it doesn't disturb too many people or her."
Having a phone for emergencies is the reason many students keep their cell phones with them at all times.
Fernandez said her phone came in handy when she was in a car accident.
"I don't use it often," she said. "I use it during my free weekends, but other than that, I use it really quickly."
A report by the Federal Communications Commission revealed 61 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds carry cellular phones nationwide. With so many students carrying cell phones, Chris Carlin, senior computer engineering major, said phones ringing in class is a problem without a solution.
"It's one of those 'don't let a few irresponsible people ruin it for everyone else' kind of things," Carlin said. "I don't have a cell phone myself, and I find them very annoying when they go off in class, but I don't think they should be banned from class."
Carlin said he'd rather see students held responsible for the disruption they cause when their phone rings.
"From a more practical standpoint, banning the cell phones will probably just mean that the more forgetful people will forget to take them out of their bags, the more forgetful people being the ones most likely to accidentally leave them on during class," he said.
Some professors place a section in their syllabus regarding cell phones. Fernandez said one particular professor had made clear on the first day that he didn't like phones ringing in class. Yet this did not stop one student from forgetting to turn off a noisy cell phone.
"It was such a big class that he let it go," Fernandez said.
Other students haven't gotten off so easily. Stories of phones being taken up or professors answering the phone circulate around campus.
Anne Skrivanek, a junior journalism major, said she always remembers to turn off her phone because of an incident which occurred her freshman year. Skrivanek said a student's phone rang during class and caused a scene.
"She ignored it at first but it kept ringing and by then everyone was looking at her so she answered it," Skrivanek said. "The professor stopped class so she could take her call. I was surprised."
Skrivanek said the incident became increasingly embarrassing when the student initiated a conversation with the caller.
"I figured she'd just turn it off, but she answered it," Skrivanek said. "So everyone listened as she asks the person 'Why are you calling me now? You know I'm in class. Everyone's looking at me!' After that no one dared let their phones ring in class."
However, embarrassment does not always inspire fear in students toting cell phones.
"I'm sure every day I'm in classes where more than one person has a non-silenced cell phone in their book sacks," Carlin said. "They're really ticking time bombs."
Also Found Here
