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March 08, 2005
Cell Phones Prohibited
It's important to mention that I am the only student in our 25-person group that has not purchased a cell phone, and I have no intention of doing so. My theory is that it's very possible to get through four and a half months in South Africa without needing to buy such a device, considering the fact that they only became popular in the past decade. And plus, 6 of the 25 people who purchased phones have already had them stolen, which makes for a rather miserable statistic on the fate of a cell phone should I purchase one.
I'm guessing that almost every other student in my Combinatorics class has a cell phone, though, and a surprisingly large majority of them don't turn off their phones before they get to class. The first time a student's phone went off, the guy actually had the nerve to answer it, and when he exited the classroom, the professor chased him down the hallway and ordered him to get back in class. However, three phones have gone off in the past two days, and the professor has reached the point where he just says, "Get out" when someone's phone rings. Even if the student turns it off right away, the professor won't let him stay in the classroom. I find this rather amusing, because at HWS, it's fairly common knowledge that you need to turn your phone off before class. I have a feeling that my Combinatorics class isn't spectacularly representative of the general teaching behavior at UWC, though...
Posted by rgutwin at March 8, 2005 10:57 AM
Comments
Consider:
I am the only student in our 25-person group that has not purchased a cell phone ...
6 of the 25 people who purchased phones... Hmmm, Ms. Math Major.
(Yet another example of Miss Gutwin thinking she can slip something by me... but no such luck!) :)
Posted by: Diana at March 8, 2005 12:52 PM
That formatting didn't work out so well. But you get the idea. Also, I mixed Ms. and Miss. That's why I'm a math major, not a computer science or English major.
Posted by: Diana at March 8, 2005 12:55 PM
Well, I just got a trac phone from my parents. They forced me into it as I thought it wasn't necessary in my life but it's pretty useful. I bought the minutes ahead of time so I don't have to worry about weird plans. Plus, they're kind of the "in" thing now.... You aren't ever really going to neeeed anything like a cell phone, but it's just cool to have. Besides, you wouldn't have posted such an extensive entry if some small part of you didn't want one.....
Posted by: Jenna at March 8, 2005 08:57 PM
As the proud owner of a now three-times used cell phone, I must admit that i have mixed fellings. It is very nice to not need to worry about calling home, or my friend's out-of-state phones. Also, walking home from class (when my iPod runs out of batteries) it's nice to be able to chat with friends and family. I however do not encounter the problem you mentioned above for a few reasons - first, nobody really calls me that often (hint, hint) and second, nobody really calls during class time. I find that the people here at cornell don't bother to turn off their phones too, and will just let them ring rather than try and fix it and be found out. In the larger lectures (500, yes, 500 students) it's rather ammusing because you don't know where it's coming from. But i generally like having my little new device.
(oh, and becca, i will write you an e-mail, i PROMISE, just give me a little bit)
Posted by: anna at March 8, 2005 09:32 PM