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Classroom Etiquette: Turn the Phone Off

By Mykeysha S. Montgomery
Black College Wire

Cell phones have led to many embarrassing moments when their ringers were not turned off before class.

Photo credit: Southern Digest At least half of college students have cell phones.

Loud ring tones featuring R&B singer Ciera's "Goodies" or Usher's "Bad Girl" come from 3G, or so-called third-generation broadband wireless technology.

"It is very irresponsible for a cell phone to go off in class, and it distracts me and makes me mad," said Antonio Gardner, a senior at Southern University from Memphis.

At least half of all college students in the United States have cell phones, according to a 2000 survey from the College of Business at Arizona State University and Cellular One.

But the cell phones of instructors can also make for class interruptions.

"Cell phones are a disturbance if they are on in class, period. It is even worse if the instructor's cell phone goes off," said Marilyn Rutland, an assistant professor in Southern's Mass Communications Department.

"I announce to the students to turn off their cell phones. Then I take mine out and turn it off, and since then I have not had any problems," said Dr. Horace Smith, a mathematics professor at the university.

Using cell phones in class can give students the ability to cheat by using text messaging, a concern for instructors.

"If I found someone using text messaging, I would treat it like cheating. I think that if you give a test such as a[n] essay or short answer that text messaging cannot help with, then text messaging would not be a problem," said Dr. Darryl Scriven, who teaches philosophy and logic at Southern.

So, to all students and instructors: Remember to turn off your cell phones for class, or put them on "vibrate."

Mykeysha S. Montgomery is a student at Southern University who writes for The Southern Digest.

Posted Dec. 20, 2004