For college students today, it’s hard to think back on what life was like before cell phones. We live in an age where everyone has a cell phone and keeps it close at hand at all times. Some students were equipped with phones as freshman with the warnings from parents that “this is for emergencies only.”

But the offers of 3,000 minutes a month for $40 is often too enticing for students trying desperately to keep in touch with family members and friends from back home. Cell phones seem too good to pass up.

But they have become a threat when being used by drivers on the road and an annoyance when the loud, musical ringing interrupts a lecture, test or presentation in class. Apparrently phone calls are so important that it is better to interrupt class than miss an incoming call from mom, dad, friend or significant other.

Perhaps some emergencies demand that students or professors leave their cell phones on during class or other events. But most do not.

People can respect the learning atmosphere at Simpson and simply turn off their phones during class. That respect should also spread beyond the classroom to restaurants, theaters and other public places.