Doris Macdonald immediately stops during her lecture when she hears unfamiliar ringing. She sees a student quickly rumbling through his or her backpack to turn off the phone.

This is not an unfamiliar situation for Macdonald or other professors.

Macdonald, director of undergraduate studies in English, said she has heard urban legends about students taking phone calls during class.

“I am a grumpy old person when it comes to cell phones,” Macdonald said.

She said she makes it a point to embarrass repeat cell phone ringers by stopping the lecture and waiting for phones to be turned off.

Macdonald does not own a cell phone because she does not want people to have 24-hour access to her. She occasionally uses her husband’s phone while taking road trips.

English professor Gustaaf Van Cromphout and Christopher Jones, associate professor of political science, agree that keeping cell phones on during class is rude and inconsiderate.

“I do not own a cell phone and have no plans to buy one,” Van Cromphout said. “I want to preserve an area of privacy.”

Van Cromphout said when cell phones go off in his class, he smiles and tells students not to let them ring again. He believes students go through enough embarrassment when the entire class stops to look at them.

Mechanical engineering major Matthew Moran does not own a cell phone, but he said he couldn’t care less about other students using their cell phones during class.

“I usually sit in the back, so they don’t bother me.” Moran said.

He said one of his professors purposely took a phone call during a lecture just to show students how rude it is.

Nursing major Anita Dekayie agrees with most professors about the issue of ringing cell phones being rude.

“They [cell phones] should be set to vibrate,” she said.

Jennifer Saam, a graduate student, agrees with that the use of a cell phone in class is a rude distraction.

However, Saam has a daughter, and because she is a single parent, she must keep her phone turned on during class so her daughter can reach her.

Professors agree that emergencies do happen, and in case of such, students should let professors know before class.

“I am compassionate about special concerns,” Jones said.