FEATURES
March 31, 2010 · Volume 57 · Issue 13
PAGE 6
Murders, mysteries and un-birthday parties BY TAYLOR WINCHELL AND JENNIFER HATCHER
ASSISTANT COPY EDITOR AND STAFF WRITER
Texters stealthily avoid getting caught by their watchful professors.
Text-a-holic The dangers of texting in class
BY NICOLE PALMER CULTURE EDITOR
Last month alone, I sent and received a total of 8,220 text messages, which equals an average of 1,918 texts a week and 274 texts a day. With averaging in about eight hours of sleep a night, I spend 16 hours a day texting, which comes to about 17 texts per hour. To me at least, 17 texts an hour seems reasonably low; however, to professors who despise texting in class, it is 17 texts too many. The average college student is enrolled in 15 units a semester, spends three hours a week in one lecture and a total of 15 hours a week sitting in a classroom. By looking at these numbers, I have determined that the average student, if their texting habits are equivalent to mine, sends 51 texts a week per class, equaling 255 texts a week just during class time. Again, if the average “texter” is like me, after opening, reading, replying and sending, the average texting process takes 55 seconds per text. Out of the one hour of class, 15.6 minutes of it is spent texting, averaging about one hour and 18 minutes of texting a week per class. Out of the three hours of lecture a week per class, we spend 43 percent of that time texting. Professors have become more vocal about trying to stop texting in the classroom. Most are printing it in black and white on their syllabus, leading to consequences if the student is caught texting during class. Some professors have said students who break the rule and are caught must bring a snack for the entire class the following meeting; others say they will ask
Photo by Meagan Nutt
the students to leave and receive an “absent” mark for the day, a consequence which can eventually bring down a final grade. Assistant Professor of English Brett Biermann is one of the many professors who has made it apparent that texting in class is not acceptable. “Texting is a distraction, not just to the student doing the texting, but to others as well. In my experience, 99.9 percent of all texts sent and received are of a rather ‘unimportant’ nature. If there is a serious need to text, students are certainly free to step out of class and do so,” Biermann said. While most professors are saying “NO” to texting, it has not stopped most students from sending their daily 274 texts. “I typically put my hands on my open laptop and hold my phone up to my computer screen so it seems like I’m taking notes,” Tayler Jonker said about trying to hide her texting habit during class. Most girl students who are attempting to text during class have used the “phone in the purse” method. “I keep my phone in my bag and use the front keypad of my phone to type, because I know my letters’ numbers by heart, so it is easier to keep eye contact with the teacher,” Kari Oliver said. Not only is the purse trick effective, but so is the “crossed legs” technique for both male and female students. Sophomore Cassy Bartizal said she crosses her legs to text depending on the classroom setup, especially if the professor cannot see under the desk. “It’s obvious when students are texting,” Biermann said. “Typically, students have the mobile in their laps.”
Ready, set… party! From western costumes to raffled prizes, California Baptist University housing showed that they really know how to party. Not satisfied with normal events of food, music and mingling, the residents of Rose Garden Village and Lancer Arms housing tried a fresh take on getting to know your neighbors. On Wed. March 24,students living in the Rose Garden apartments gathered inside its nearby chapel to figure out who murdered Alec Rashford. The Rose Garden Murder Mystery Party had officially begun. Each attendee was assigned a character and had to dress, talk and act accordingly. Some were suspects, others were witnesses, but everyone thought that they knew the real killer. “All the RAs wanted to do something fun and different for the Rose Garden students,” Melissa Chestnut, sophomore, said. “We started it last year, and everyone had a great time.” Armed with root beers, nachos and information about their characters, residents mingled and interrogated each other until the time for accusations arrived. Accusations became heated: widowers were on trial, old friends were harassed, and wives even accused husbands. “I think my husband killed Alec!” Melissa Rodriguez, senior, said while acting as wife Harriet Simpson. After much debate, the party-goers finally found out that Poppy Walker, a flirtatious young women Alec had his eye on, murdered him the previous night. “I knew it!” was the popular phrase shouted from the accusers upon hearing the results. The following day, residents of Lancer Arms held an “Un-Birthday Party” for its students. The reason-
Photo by Kristin Vaughan
The very merry unbirthday party for Lancer Arms proved to be creative way to bring students together
ing behind an “Un-Birthday” is to celebrate the days it is not your birthday. While many students do have their birthdays during the school year, just as many have their birthdays during holidays or summer. “We wanted to do something that could celebrate every resident’s birthday. It’s hard to remember everyone, so it’s a big birthday party for everyone. It is a spin-off of the ‘UnBirthday’ in Alice in Wonderland,” Courtney Weber said. It was just all cake and ice cream at the party either. There were prizes to be won, including one prize that everyone hoped to get, though only one lucky person was chosen. “ The grand prize is a Disneyland
Garrett Replogle actively participates in the murder mystery event.
Photo by Chris Hardy
ticket,” Weber said. “We got a lot of people to come out even though it was cold to just build community in the area and to meet somebody new.” Many people came to the party to enjoy friends, cake, ice cream and to watch the original Alice in Wonderland movie. “I have not read the book but I recently saw the new movie. I am actually not a big fan of the original, but I do like the new movie. It has more of a story; it is more understandable,” Alison Moore, CBU sophomore, said. “I really like the idea of an ‘UnBirthday.’ I kind of feel like it celebrated everyone’s birthday that has had one this year,” Tifinnie Baumann, sophomore, said. While some of the attendants like Alice, there are those who don’t. “I actually don’t like ‘Alice in Wonderland’. I haven’t seen it since I was six, and I thought it was kind of scary. I thought the party was a really good idea though,” Anna Patten, sophomore, said. Planned before the stress of finals kicked in, both events gave people a chance to relax and enjoy the people that live around them. Whether they bonded over solving a crime or watching an old classic, the plan to develop new friendships through new and unusual experiences certainly succeeded.