In my last two visits to the computer lab, I had the pleasure of listening in on a few cell phone conversations that my fellow students were having. I learned about the details of the sale of a farm estate from one, the graduation status of a friend of another and where a party was supposed to be this weekend. This led me to ponder what people really think of their privacy.

One minute they are complaining that Big Brother is watching every aspect of their lives, and the next minute, they are exchanging financial information out loud in the middle of a public computer lab. It’s an individual choice, of course — Iowa State has no policy banning cell phone use yet, but I wanted to express my concern to the sanctity of people’s personal lives.

The phone calls are also very annoying to the rest of us. I have no personal problem with someone answering the phone or even a quick question in a public lab, but to carry on a 20-minute conversation about how someone ended up in their neighbor’s flower bed last weekend could just as easily be carried on in the hallway.

Chris Grittmann

Senior

Management Information Systems