Cell Phone Usage

The use of cell phones can disrupt the student community in a classroom context.  Therefore, individual faculty members have the right to require that all phones should be turned off or set to silent or vibrate mode during scheduled class time.  However, cell phones are also crucial to notifying students, staff, and faculty if an emergency occurs.

Therefore, the following policy is to be implemented on an interim basis until a permanent policy is put in place: Student cell phones are permitted in a classroom only if they are set to silent or vibrate in order to allow the system in place to alert faculty and students in case of an emergency situation. Faculty members who do not permit students to leave their cell phones on in class should themselves carry a cell phone and assume full responsibility for the effective receipt of and prompt implementation of any Emergency Response alert.

This policy is effective immediately on an interim basis.