Students across the United States of America enjoy talking on the phone. This is a known fact. Many students also enjoy texting on the phone to friends, parents and peers. This comes as no surprise to teachers who have caught student's texting their friends, parents and peers multiple times in class. What may come as a surprise to some is that some students cannot afford a cell phone.
The transition to college is scary enough; now imagine doing it without any steady, reliable way to make a phone call to your parents or to anyone who you knew in your old life. Yes, most people have access to cell phones, but there are those that don't. According to statistics, there are over 4.5 billion people in the world that do not have access to any sort of cell phone. This includes students in the United States who do not have cell phone access on a regular basis.
[...] Sometimes universities have a lot of pay phones. One university reports that although they actually have 16 pay phones, only nine of them work (“Campus payphones leave students hanging, 2011.”). The campus is quick to admit that this leaves students feeling like they are hanging with no way to contact friends, family and loved ones. “Rebekah LaVann, 20, kinesiology major, said, “Payphones are here only for show.” La Vann opted to cancel her cell phone plan due to the high monthly payments and said she feels the only way to contact others is via email or by asking someone to let her borrow their cell phone.” (“Campus payphones leave students hanging, 2011.”). [...]
[...] What can the college do to help students who don't have cell phones? One common reprieve most students have is to borrow a cell phone from a friend. Unfortunately, not all students have this option, and a friend constantly asking to borrow a friend's cell phone can become annoying. In the event of an emergency, students may also not be able to contact help quickly if they do not have a phone, and they may have to walk much further to get help if they do not have a cell phone and another alternative is not available. [...]
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