 "Photo: Oscar Chacon")
With improved technology, mobile Internet access and the affordability of cell phones, almost every student is equipped to communicate 24/7 - even in class.
Senior Darren Post, an agriculture science and education major, has had a cell phone since the age of 11 and is a self-proclaimed "text whore," he said.
Post uses his phone more than the average student, he said. It doubles as his work phone and he uses the mobile Internet service to look up football stats.
But Post's teachers don't necessarily appreciate his constant connectivity and text messaging in class, he said.
"(Professor) Celina Johnson gets pissed," Post said. "But it's hard to concentrate sometimes."
According to one study, Post isn't alone.
About 50 percent of students in a survey thought text messaging during class was acceptable, according to research presented at a 2005 convention by James Katz, professor of communications at Rutgers University.
But cell phones detract from more than just class time.
"Cell phones seem to prioritize communication with distant people over those sharing one's space," according to a summary of Katz's presentation. "And the ethics of this new behavior are not universally agreed upon."
Nursing major Amanda Lawand has trouble putting her phone down even when she's socializing with friends, she said.
"The guys ask me to get off the phone when I'm out," she said. "But I'm texting, like, five people all the time."
But with her new Palm Treo, Lawand's phone is used for more than texting, she said. She uses it to send tons of pictures and occasionally listen to music.
The cell phone-aholic occasionally makes efforts to turn off her phone and "actually be social and get away from the world," she said.
In the U.S., 66 percent of the population owns a cell phone, according to the information presented by Katz at the convention. And in June 2005, collectively, people spent 675 billion minutes talking on cell phones.
With striking stats and the prevalence of cell phones and Bluetooth earpieces on campus, it seems nearly impossible to find someone not glued to their portable phone every chance they get.
However, English professor Robert Davidson manages to live cell phone-free and doesn't need to be connected constantly, he said.
Although he can't avoid computers and e-mail at work, the Internet has not become part of his entertainment routine in any way, he said.
"What's the need for meaningless conversation?" Davidson said.
Erin Herzog, resource specialist for the Department of Art and Art History, also avoids relying on cell phones, she said.
While Herzog has landline phones at work and home, she sees cell phones "as a leash," she said.
She admires technology but thinks inventions such as the cell phone and cable cause a social disconnect, she said.
Students' constant use of cell phones has had a negative impact on campus, Herzog said. A girl walked directly into Herzog the other day because she was more focused on her conversation than what was going on around her.
"Being on a cell phone keeps you less aware of personal space," Herzog said. "Society as a whole does not have the same respect of thoughtful communication."
Despite objections to cell phones and their negative impact, both Davidson and Herzog have been forced to acquire cell phones temporarily.
When Herzog embarked on a road trip through the Nevada and Utah deserts, she purchased a GoPhone to keep in the glove box for safety reasons, but never used it, she said.
While Davidson supervised 32 students in London for six months, he was required by the school to keep a cell phone handy for safety reasons, he said.
Phones in these instances can be useful, Davidson said.
"But people were perfectly happy before e-mail, cell phones and the Internet," he said.
Jessica Rhynalds can be reached at jrhynalds@theorion.com
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