Letter to the Editor: The Politics of... Clocks?
Miles Chiotti
Issue date: 2/4/10 Section: Opinion
Thus far, in my time serving the student body here at St. Ambrose, I have addressed a number of issues and concerns that have been brought to my attention or to me directly, whether for students specifically, regarding student/faculty relations, or for the campus community as a whole. One specific issue, however, that continues to find its way to my desk, whether from students or faculty/staff, is that of the use of clocks in the classroom.
To begin, for the first three semesters the New Hall was operational, it did not have clocks in the classrooms. Today it still does not have clocks, but I have been working with our Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr. Paul Koch, and the director of Physical Plant, Jim Hannon, to complete this and it looks like we're close to having that taken care of. They have both been very helpful and, as always, I appreciate their support.
The issue, however, goes far beyond the debate over whether or not to have clocks in New Hall. There are those among the faculty who have argued that NO classrooms should have clocks, and they make several arguments. One is that students spend too much time looking at clocks during a class period and miss lecture and opportunities to participate in class discussions. Another is that students start packing up their bags several minutes before class even ends, causing disruption and, possibly, an early end to class.
While I do see some legitimacy to these claims, I think all parties must acknowledge several key points. One, we live in the era of cellular phones. Many students will have their phones out already during a class period, and not having a clock displaying the time seems to be even more of an incentive for students to check their time piece of choice, their cell phone. In addition to that, I would argue that there is a fundamental purpose for having a clock, a tool of keeping time and order, in a classroom for a class that is technically bound to a specific amount of time. In addition, students who are taking an exam, in particular a final exam that may be large and may take a considerable amount of time to complete, should have the ability to know where they are at with time. If I was a professor, and I was administering a final exam, I would definitely be opposed to allowing students to have a cellular phone out while taking the test. And yet as a student, I certainly want to be able to judge how much time I have left to complete an exam that may have a large impact on my final grade.
Now, as a political science and public administration major, I won't go as far as to claim that that having clocks in the classroom is an "inherent" or "inalienable" right (yes, you can laugh.) But it seems like a practical and fair assumption for a student that he or she would be able to tell time without having to use a cell phone in a classroom. Yes, I understand that in some cases, clocks can cause some distraction. But, as a student affairs guy, and, quite frankly, as a student, it seems that the more important piece of this discussion is the positive impact having clocks in the classroom has on students' ability to appropriately manage time and a day-to-day schedule. And I would argue, with all due respect, that that alone is more important than a personal issue a professor may have in a classroom.
- Miles A. Chiotti
Student Body President
To begin, for the first three semesters the New Hall was operational, it did not have clocks in the classrooms. Today it still does not have clocks, but I have been working with our Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr. Paul Koch, and the director of Physical Plant, Jim Hannon, to complete this and it looks like we're close to having that taken care of. They have both been very helpful and, as always, I appreciate their support.
The issue, however, goes far beyond the debate over whether or not to have clocks in New Hall. There are those among the faculty who have argued that NO classrooms should have clocks, and they make several arguments. One is that students spend too much time looking at clocks during a class period and miss lecture and opportunities to participate in class discussions. Another is that students start packing up their bags several minutes before class even ends, causing disruption and, possibly, an early end to class.
While I do see some legitimacy to these claims, I think all parties must acknowledge several key points. One, we live in the era of cellular phones. Many students will have their phones out already during a class period, and not having a clock displaying the time seems to be even more of an incentive for students to check their time piece of choice, their cell phone. In addition to that, I would argue that there is a fundamental purpose for having a clock, a tool of keeping time and order, in a classroom for a class that is technically bound to a specific amount of time. In addition, students who are taking an exam, in particular a final exam that may be large and may take a considerable amount of time to complete, should have the ability to know where they are at with time. If I was a professor, and I was administering a final exam, I would definitely be opposed to allowing students to have a cellular phone out while taking the test. And yet as a student, I certainly want to be able to judge how much time I have left to complete an exam that may have a large impact on my final grade.
Now, as a political science and public administration major, I won't go as far as to claim that that having clocks in the classroom is an "inherent" or "inalienable" right (yes, you can laugh.) But it seems like a practical and fair assumption for a student that he or she would be able to tell time without having to use a cell phone in a classroom. Yes, I understand that in some cases, clocks can cause some distraction. But, as a student affairs guy, and, quite frankly, as a student, it seems that the more important piece of this discussion is the positive impact having clocks in the classroom has on students' ability to appropriately manage time and a day-to-day schedule. And I would argue, with all due respect, that that alone is more important than a personal issue a professor may have in a classroom.
- Miles A. Chiotti
Student Body President
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