By Kieonya Hudson
CCC Journalism Program
BLACKWOOD – The use of cell phones has been on the rise since the early 2010s and has been rapidly increasing year by year. 76.3% percent of Gen Z in the United States are on their phone more than preferable, according to Exploding Topics.
Nowadays, you’ll see few people without their phone in hand, including at Camden County College. When you walk through the halls of each building, it’s inevitable to see more than half of the people in the hallway scrolling through their phone. So what does Camden County College do to prevent this from becoming a distraction in the classroom?
According to the Camden County College Student Handbook, the official collegewide policy for phones is rather simple. “Electronic Devices: Instructors may have the policy that restricts the use of portable electronic devices such as cell phones, PDAs, music players, translation devices or calculators in their classroom or lab. Students are expected to comply with the policy as stated in the instructor’s first day handout. If there is a penalty for violating this restriction and you would like to appeal that penalty, please refer to the Appeals Policy.”
Sarah Iepson, vice president of academic affairs at Camden County College, noted, “We don’t really have a policy that governs phone usage in the classroom because that very much is up to the individual faculty member to decide how or if they want to allow students to use phones in the classroom.”
Overall, phone policies vary from class to class, depending on how the professors of those classes view the matter.
On the first day of class, students will receive a syllabus that will include the professor’s phone rules most times. Some professors make it known to students that they do not tolerate phones being out in any way as they can serve as a distraction or cheating tool. Others have more lenient policies, understanding that college students can make that decision for themselves.
Camden County College Psychology Professor Anya Schultz stands in the middle of those two mindsets when it comes to phones being present in the classroom. She explained that as long as students are not disrupting the class, are off of their phone and are paying attention to the lecture, she has no problem. “If you have to call, go to the hallway, take your call, come back in quietly,” she said.
Most students oblige to their professors’ policies. A few students said they feel the policies are necessary for the betterment of the students because phones can be distracting and keep students from engaging and understanding what’s given to them.
Emely Lopez, a student at Camden County College, stated, “It’s a bit annoying but understandable. At the same time, we’re at the age where we know right from wrong.”