DALLAS-The next time you hear the distinct pitch of a wireless phone ringing, don’t be surprised if the person picking it up is sporting shorts and sandals instead of a suit and tie.
According to a recent survey from Cellular One Group, a majority of students on today’s college campuses are not waiting to be issued a cell phone from a future employer. Student instead are making college life a little easier with the help of a wireless phone, much to the chagrin of professors who would prefer their lectures not be interrupted every time a party has to be rescheduled.
“We now know that cellular telephones have fast become a common convenience in student lifestyles,” said Richard Lyons, president of Cellular One. “These students are the working and business class of tomorrow.”
The survey, commissioned through the College of Business at Arizona State University, showed of the 49.9 percent of students polled who were not current cell-phone owners, 57.6 percent of them wanted to belong to the growing majority.
For those interested in acquiring a phone, 55.4 percent said price was the primary barrier to owning a wireless phone. But the survey showed that 56.1 percent of students who owned cell phones reported a monthly income of less than $1,000.
For the 50.1 percent of students surveyed who owned cell phones, 28.3 percent said cell phones were a necessity for a good social life in college, with 22.9 percent believing cell phones were perceived as status symbols. In addition, 14.8 percent of those asked said cell phones made them look stylish.
The report showed the ownership of wireless phones was different than having a parent’s credit card, with 73.5 percent of students saying they paid their own cell phone bills.
More students surveyed said they use their cell phones to order take-out food (37 percent) or call in to radio-station contests (21 percent) than register for classes (16 percent) or check their grades (14 percent).
