“prof smith’s dreamy. Lol”

I’ll admit it — I’ve sent an occasional text message or two during class. You know, the crucial “meet you for lunch in 15″ or “gym after class?”

At nearby Rutgers University, one instructor has banned cell phones from his classroom. Yet it is not students’ wandering minds and glazed-over eyes that led journalism lecturer Ben Davis to such a rash decision. Instead, as the Rutgers paper, The Daily Targum reported, Davis is “taking preventative action against the unauthorized sharing of information” because the recording capabilities on many newer cell phones “present a threat to confidentiality within the classroom.”

Professor Davis’s policy is controversial. The Targum even questions whether or not such a breach of freedom is legal in the classroom of a public university. Such an extreme policy threatens the sense of trust in teacher-student relationships and creates a generally hostile environment before class even begins.
Legal or not, however, it is ridiculous for any university instructor to demand the private property of students before beginning class. All students — university or high school age — should be permitted to carry cell phones at all times, to always be prepared for the unpredictable. Cell phones are not simply a convenience; they are potential lifesavers in the event of medical emergency or other unforeseeable crises.

Sure, a professor has the right to prohibit recording in the classroom, yet instructors should be able to trust that students will comply with their demands. And honestly, the most brilliant professors may be world renown, yet I doubt that recordings of their lectures are in as popular demand as Davis would make it seem. But banning cell phones isn’t even such an effective policy — if a student is that eager to reproduce the instructor’s secretive material, there’s always the power of the ancient paper and pencil.

Rutgers administration needs to step in on behalf of its students because this instructor is clearly overstepping his authority. And Penn professors, please don’t get any ideas — Penn students won’t easily part with their cell phones.

This entry was posted on Monday, April 9th, 2007 at 1:08 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.