The quietest place on a university campus should be the library. It is a place where students can go to get away from the craziness of their dorm room to study and get homework done. This may not be the case at the Arnold Bernhard Library because of constant cell phone use by students.

Many students go to the library daily to study because it is a nice, quiet place for them to sit and get their work done. At times, they do not accomplish as much as they anticipated because of cell phone conversations that are going on in the cubicle or seat next to them.

“I never go to the library,” said Kelly Baccash, a junior media productions major. “I know if I did, people on their cell phones would really annoy me.”

Sometimes, when writing a paper, students get sudden bursts of ideas. It is a necessity to get these ideas down before they are forgotten, but they can be lost faster than they were thought of at the ring of a cell phone.

People get easily distracted by various cell phone rings and lengthy conversations, which can be extremely frustrating. Losing your concentration due to a conversation next to you is a common occurrence in the library.

“You go to the library to get away from the loudness on campus,” Michelle Streckenbach, junior biomedical science major said. “It’s really obnoxious when the library is just as loud as your room.”

Cell phones are a major distraction to library users, and students may not realize how rude it is to be chatting away to their friends. If everyone thought about the person next to them, the library would be a much better place. The next time you go to the library, whether it is to study, type a paper, or maybe even to socialize, think about what the person next to you may be doing. They might need full concentration, and even the slightest vibration on the table from a phone could make them lose their concentration.

Silence in the library may not always be necessary, but cell phone conversations should not be a priority. Putting your phone on silent and going outside to make or take a call could make someone’s study time that much better.

The next time you are studying hard for a test and are disrupted by someone on their phone; remember it when your phone rings in the library. Maybe someone on his or her phone distracted you, but you could be the one to help someone else next time, and make their studying more valuable by permitting fewer distractions.