Students are probably accustomed to ringing purses, pants and pockets. People talking on cell phones at all possible times and places is nothing new, especially here at The University of Memphis. The wide array of annoying musical ringing options have become a mainstay in our auditory environment.
How do students and faculty feel about these little electronic wonders that keep us constantly connected even when we are in class?
Mark Timmons, a philosophy professor, intently disapproves of the disruptive nature of cell phones when they go off in the middle of class. In order to prevent disruptions, he states on the syllabus that all cell phones and pagers must be turned off during class.
He understands students often genuinely forget to turn them off, but if a cell phone goes off twice by the same student, he takes the time to explain to that student his great dislike for the interruptions.
"My negative feelings about when they go off don't even compare to how some of the students feel," Timmons said. "Some students get really angry about the distraction."
Kenzie Nelson, a biology major, said he thinks students shouldn't have cell phones in class or in the computer labs.
"While I was in the computer lab in the library, people were talking on their cell phones all loud and I couldn't concentrate," Nelson said.
Brent Delatee, an art professor who teaches a computer lab class, said he will tell his students as well as any other students who receive a call in the lab to go outside. He also states on the syllabus that students should turn off cell phones and pagers before class.
"If it does happen with a student (cell phone going off), it happens once and then it usually doesn't happen again," Delatee said.
Theron Britt, associate professor of English, has found the problems with cell phones in class have lessened during the past year. If a student goes outside of the classroom to take a call, Britt asks them not to come back.
"Generally students have been pretty respectful," Britt said. "I'd say that there are very few people disrespecting class that much."
Philosophy major Keith Ellis said he likes the convenience of a cell phone to call people right away instead of hours later when he happens to be by a phone. Though he enjoys having the phone, he said he remembers to always turn it off before class.
"You're listening to your teacher and all of a sudden somebody's phone goes off and they have to get up and run outside and talk," Ellis said. "It breaks up your train of thought."
Jennifer Wales, a computer science major, said she only keeps a cell phone in her car for emergencies and is annoyed with the abundance of cell phones on campus.
"They go off at odd times," Wales said. "People don't seem to respect that other people don't have cell phones and don't want to hear their conversations."
