Published: November 7, 2007
Halfway through the semester in his
market research course at Roanoke College last fall, only moments after
announcing a policy of zero tolerance for cellphone use in the
classroom, Prof. Ali Nazemi heard a telltale ring. Then he spotted a
young man named Neil Noland fumbling with his phone, trying to turn it
off before being caught.
“Neil, can I see that phone?”
Professor Nazemi said, more in a command than a question. The student
surrendered it. Professor Nazemi opened his briefcase, produced a
hammer and proceeded to smash the offending device. Throughout the
classroom, student faces went ashen.
“How am I going to call my
Mom now?” Neil asked. As Professor Nazemi refused to answer, a
classmate offered, “Dude, you can sue.”
Let’s be clear about one thing. Ali Nazemi is a hero. Ali Nazemi deserves the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Let’s
be clear about another thing. The episode in his classroom had been
plotted and scripted ahead of time, with Neil Noland part of the
charade all along. The phone was an extra of his mother’s, its service
contract long expired.