College students are being monitored, as if our parents monitoring us from the other end of the cell phone are not enough.

    Students’ grades get docked if they are late or miss class, but students should be graded based on the scores they make and their academic performance.   To be told that if I miss more than six classes I will be removed from the class and automatically given an “F” is completely juvenile. Who is to say that students will not retain just as much knowledge from attending fewer classes than students who attends them all? One of the great things about college is the opportunity for young adults to be free to make mistakes. We are supposed to be allowed full control of our own education.

    It seems that professors are more concerned about what students are doing with their time outside of the classroom.  It is not their job to watch or babysit students while they are away from home. Making sure students attend class should be left to the student’s parents who should have enforced these rules while their child was in grade school. College students are expected to make conscious decisions as young adults. I do not understand how one’s classroom attendance revokes that right.

Contrary to what has been said, yes, it is important to be knowledgeable of the Financial Aid department’s rules and regulations.  A student’s attendance in class determines whether or not they will keep their financial aid.  The Financial Aid department requires professors to submit a report that shows a student is making progress in class. If they are not making progress, the instructor may be required to drop them from the class at mid-term. This report usually requires the last date of attendance in the class. However, financial aid or no financial aid, any attendance requirements based on the impression of any commitments to tuition-lenders should be between the student and the financer.

Aside from the attendance issue, I have had an experience that involved my cell phone.  My professor carried around a basket for students who take out their cell phones during class. He asked that students place their phones in the basket even if the phone is sitting on their desk. Come on, this is college. Students should be allowed to bring any form of technology to class, whether it’s a lap top, iPad or cell phone. Who is to say that the student is not expecting an important phone call or text message? We are so tech savvy these days that you would think professors would be okay with the use of phones. Instead, they get offended and assume that we are not paying them any attention if we are looking at our computer or cell phone screen. It is a totally different issue, however, when a student’s cell phone rings out loud in class.  I think that if it is not a distraction to the professor or other students then it should be allowed.

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• Shaina Bodrick