To Text or Not to Text….During Class

Texting in class? CCNY junior Steven Millan says that of course he texts during his classes. "I love texting," says Millan, 20. I can talk to people in my own discretion and don't have to refer to the telephone if I want to ask them a quick question especially in class."But what is no big deal to Millan has become a huge debate in colleges across the country. Texting has exploded and may soon surpass phone calls as the main way everyone-especially young people-communicates. According to an article in Newsweek, in 2008 people texted 2.3 trillion messages, a 20 percent increase from 2007.And more and more students are texting during class time. In a recent survey conducted at the University of New Hampshire, 65 percent of college students said they send at least one text message during a typical class. The same study said that almost half of the 1,043 college students who participated said they feel guilty about texting during class when it is not allowed-but they do it anyway.Kamesha Haynes is one of them and believes texting is a way to communicate without bothering others. "Texting allows us to express ourselves in a way that we couldn't if we were to be speaking to the general public," says the 20-year-old junior.Some students disagree, and think texting is rude. "It's distracting the professor when you text in class," says junior Patricia McGuire.  "You're doing something else and you're not in the moment with the professor. You would think it's rude if someone were doing it while you were speaking up in class."Like other professors, Craig Houser finds texting irritating. "Texting doesn't make students concise," says Houser, who teaches art.  "There is no urgency for texting in class. You're going to meet up with your friend at the same place anyways, whether you text or not."