“I have a strict policy about texting,” said a history professor said in a YouTube video as he took the texting student’s cell phone, broke it in half and dropped it in a glass of water.

After a minute or so, the clearly irritated student packed his bags and left. In this case, it seems as though “strict policy” might be a bit of an understatement.

Although texting during class can be seen as disruptive to both students and teachers, do teachers have the authority to break cell phones?

Not at NIU, said Paul Palian, director of Media and Public Relations.

“If a professor was to destroy a student’s mobile device… that professor would likely face disciplinary action,” Palian said. “A professor does not have a right to destroy a student’s property.”

However, professors do have a right to limit texting, or anything else deemed inappropriate, during class.

“According to the NIU website… the instructor has the right to impose ‘reasonable’ rules of classroom deportment and decorum,” Palian said. “These rules might include behaviors that, while not necessarily distracting to other students, can be defended as facilitating the classroom process.”

Palian gives the examples of limiting texting during class and enforcing the rule of students raising their hands to be called on before they speak to be considered “reasonable” in classroom situations.

Laura Pittman, associate professor of social and industrial/organizational psychology, said she does not allow texting during her class, with only one exception.

“Texting during class would disturb myself and others,” Pittman said. “If someone talked to me ahead of time, then it would be an exception.”

Pittman said if she sees a student texting during her class on a regular basis, she would not hesitate to say something.

“I guess a consequence would be embarrassment,” Pittman said.

Pittman said the YouTube history professor’s “strict policy” about texting and their subsequent reaction was a bit “extreme.”

Like Pittman, computational mathematics professor Greg Ammar said he prefers students not text during his class.

“Students should be paying attention to me,” Ammar said. “It is distracting. I don’t want people texting or reading newspapers.”

Poulina Huynh, sophomore special education major, said there are times when she will text during class.

“It seems like the time is right when a professor is answering another’s question that doesn’t apply to me,” Huynh said.

Huynh said some of her professors have strict texting policies, but some don’t.

Adam Kutryb, second year graduate student of anthropology, said most of the professors he had in the past will tell students to put away their cellphone if they are texting.

Kutryb said he chooses not to text during class.

“You’re just there to pay attention,” Kutryb said.

Sophomore undecided major Kayleigh Sanchez said she was caught texting before, but no disciplinary action was taken.

Freshman communications major LaToya Fondren has “unfortunately” been caught texting in class before and, unlike Sanchez, got in trouble.

“My phone was actually confiscated,” Fondren said. “I was in speech class, and I forgot that I didn’t put my phone on vibrate. I sent a text message and 15 minutes later, I get a text back. The teacher stopped lecturing and was like ‘You know what to do.'”