Of all the devices that have modernized society today, none has made as much of an impact as the cellular telephone. It has completely revolutionized the way we communicate, allowing us to call anyone, anywhere, at any time. Or if talking doesn’t suit you, feel free to send a text message. What most people fail to realize is that just like any other form of conversation, cell phones come with their own unique set of etiquette, the part of the manual it seems the class of 2011 seemed to miss.

As I said in my last article, college and high school are two very different things. For example, at my high school there was this policy: If a cell phone rang during class, the teacher would take it up and you would have to get it from the main office at the end of the day. However, now that we are in the bold new world that is college, no longer do we find ourselves constrained by these overly controlling rules. Now, as juvenile as I thought that rule was at the time, I am coming to realize just how much my grades may have needed it.

Take for example one of my afternoon classes earlier this week. Along with the usual display of the “late epidemic,” which I have begun to tally in my notes (the count was five today), I noticed the occurrence of another phenomena. About 30 minutes into the professor’s lecture, the class was greeted by the jingle of a cell phone ring tone, followed by the shuffling of a bag as the owner moved to turn it off. Now this isn’t really a problem, accidents happen and we have all been there. Sadly though, the same event was repeated three other times, each with a different person. And thus we come to the problem of the day and lesson one of phone etiquette: When you are in a lecture or class, turn off the volume on your cell. Notice how I did not say “turn off.” I have come to the conclusion that asking some of you to do that is the equivalent of asking you to jump off a cliff. Seriously though, when your phone rings in class, not only does it disrupt the rest of us, but also it shows a serious lack of respect for the professor. I’m not saying that you can control when someone calls you, but unless you are expecting a call in the middle of class (to which I would sincerely hope is very important) then what is the point of having the volume on when you can’t answer your phone anyway?

Now, class, this brings us to rule number two of phone etiquette: learning to be aware of the volume of your own voice on the phone. Today in the library I was casually working on an essay for my international relations class when a girl came by and sat down at the table behind me. Suddenly I was greeted with the tell-tale jingle of a cell phone and rather than rummaging to turn it off, the girl proceeded to answer the phone and begin a conversation. It was not so much the fact that she had begun to talk to the mystery person on the other line; it was the volume at which she seemed to speak. Incidentally enough this has also happened in the line at Umphrey Lee, the post office, Java City and even Barnes and Noble. Class of 2011, I have come to realize that we have gotten ourselves into the habit of thinking that when we are on the phone, we are the only ones who can hear in a 50-mile radius. I hate to burst your bubble, but we are not. When you talk loudly, others can hear the entire conversation, or at least your half of it. To some of you this might not seem like much of a problem, but I really could have done with out hearing the dramatic recount of how Katie hooked up with Mike last night, which was totally bogus because everyone with eyes knows Amanda likes Mike. We all have drama in our lives and the last thing anyone wants is to hear about the drama in others’ lives.

With all this in mind, I would like everyone to take out their cell phone and check the volume settings. If it’s on silent, good job! If not, and you find yourself heading to class in 10 minutes, let your finger find that volume button and be sure to turn it down. And while the human voice might not have a volume button, just try to be a little more aware of how loud you are talking when in a public place. As I wrap this up and head off to class, if something exciting happens on MTV, the sky starts falling or if there is more gossip concerning the Katie-Mike-Amanda love triangle – text me? About the writer: James Lucente is a first-year double major in international relations and broadcast journalism. He can be reached at [email protected].