Attending college is a luxury that many people cannot afford. Most of us take it pretty seriously, although there are a select few that seem to take this privilege for granted. They know who they are. They are the chunk of the student body that always seems to be walking to class, but never getting there. I would imagine most of them do not pay their own tuition; their tab may be picked up either through their parents or financial aid. And when these estranged “students” actually do show up to a lecture, it seems to be only to annoy the rest of us.
I don’t think that I’m the only one that sees validity in rehashing the finer points of Lecture Etiquette. It’s really quite mind-boggling how many aspects of lecture etiquette are either overlooked at OSU today, or simply ignored. This not only creates tension, discomfort and animosity among fellow classmates, but also injures the classroom dynamics essential for learning.
If you own a cell phone, turn it off before you come to class. You are not trading stock, and there is no breaking news that can’t wait for another hour. If it was that important, why are you in class? In one lecture earlier this week, two different phones went off in the span of ten minutes. Instructors can usually ignore the distractions and carry on. The rest of us usually need a second to catch up. Some people often answer their phones in computer labs and talk for minutes on end.
That’s part of why the problem exists and persists. No one holds these disrupters accountable. Other students refuse to step up and enhance their own respective learning environments, choosing instead to remain in the collective. Peer pressure must be brought to bear, either through careful explanation or snide remarks.
Another thing: If you’re more than 20 minutes late to class, don’t come. Because I don’t want to watch you stagger in while I’m supposed to be taking notes, and then be interrupted again when you ask me what you’ve missed. If you had to catch that extra half hour of sleep, you have no reason to be in college in the first place.
By the way, don’t talk during a lecture. This should be an obvious one, but it isn’t. Ever been in a large lecture room where this pile of girl in the back corner of the hall insists on chattering from the beginning of class to the end? Just because you give two squirts about Bobby’s girlfriend’s roommate doesn’t mean you have to talk about it in class. Excuse yourself. Pass notes if you have to. But be quiet. The details of your sorry life will not be on the midterm.
And a quick word for some of the freshmen who still think that tanking classes is cool: Been there, done that. Don’t brag about it. We’ve all gone to class drunk. We’ve all been hung over. We’ve all gone into a big midterm completely unprepared. When you, freshman do these things, don’t act like you’ve made history. Because we made history before you did. And we actually made it back the next quarter (most of us).
Is there any wonder why Lee Tashjian and friends are shelling out cash to market the reputation of the university? The student body surely doesn’t. Everyone (myself included) has ripped University Relations for their current campaign. Why? For spending money to showcase the University in a positive light? Perish the thought. How often has OSU earned free press in the last year without association with the phrases “rubber bullets” and “drunk quarterback?”
While other people are complaining about the hike in tuition, I am rather grateful for the measure. Yes, it’s true that some people will no longer be able to afford to go to school here. It’s a privilege to go to college, though some people may not treat it as such.
Josh Zerkle is a senior in economics. Reach him for comment at [email protected]
