University of Michigan - Michiganensian Yearbook (Ann Arbor, MI)

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urvivmg Sleeping. Reading. Eating. Flirting. Such was the daily life of college students. However, one never suspected that these activities took place during class. Students found creative ways to pass the time when suffering through a boring lecture. I like to do crossword puzzles, sleep, or text message my friends. Sometimes it ' s hard, though, because I don ' t get service in certain buildings on campus, junior economics and psychology major Jon Krasnov said. Krasnov explained that lectures were generally not that interesting. If I can read the book, why should I pay attention? I usually learn better visually anyway, Krasnov said. The o nly reason he ever attended class was because certain classes were lecture-based and had no corresponding textbook. Sophomore philosophy and psychology major Jared Averbuch also opted for alternate classroom activities. I usually dose off, socialize, or do work for another class if the lecture is boring, Averbuch said. Averbuch felt that not only the academic material but also the time of day determined the amount of focus in any given classroom. People ' s classroom activities vary with the time of day. Early in the day, students sleep. Later in the afternoon, students socialize more, Averbuch commented. In addition, both Krasnov and Averbuch agreed that large, introductory-level classes such as psychology, sociology, chemistry, classic civilizations, and communication studies were more prone than other classes when in came to students being off- task. Regardless of the subject of the class, both also agreed that having friends in classes made goofing off even more enticing. The more social people tend to goof off more, and I ' d even say Greeks goof off more. The more friends you have in the class, the more you ' re going to goof off, Averbuch said. Averbuch remembered one nightmarish incident from one of his discussions: I fell asleep in discussion and the teacher came over and tapped me on the shoulder. I didn ' t realize who it was, so I told her to go away. Students with laptops often found themselves distractedly attempting to access the U of M wireless network during class. In the Angell Hall Auditoriums, it was necessary to sit in the very back rows in order to ensure a strong connection. Once the connection was obtained, solitaire lost its allure and chatting on AIM, stalking people on the Facebook, and searching for answers to the crossword became the top priority. Hopefully by sticking to larger lectures, students could continue to avoid pesky confrontations while staying off-task. Michigan Life.27

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Ignoring the no food or drink rule in lecture halls, a student sips a drink while reading the Sports Section of The Michigan Daily. Also included in The Daily was the ever-popular daily crossword puzzle. L.Bucci photo li Sleeping is a great way of passing time during a boring and long lecture. Students who were not able to get enough sleep at night found class time to be a good substitute. L.Bucci photo Michiganensian.26

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J m I m K.com i Walking down the streets, a common phrase that could be heard coming from the mouths of almost every student was, Hey, aren ' t you my friend on the Facebook? It was a topic in dorm rooms, at parties, and some nights, even at dinner. Launched in 2004, the database website, also known as The Facebook instantly became a tremendous success. Members of the Facebook were able to find a connection between their peers as well as students from other schools. Students could list their courses, interests, jobs, and also communicate with other people through messaging. Within months, the Facebook had inhaled more members than those who played the video game Halo, or those who read the book Harry Potter. The creator, Mark Zuckerburg, a computer science graduate from Harvard University, wanted to generate a place for both students and alumni to communicate, and he was very successful. After signing up, students then created a profile about themselves. This included a picture of the student as well as many other details including campus address, intended major, and a list of clubs that the student had joined. The [groups] throughout the Facebook are so interesting because there are message boards, and you can meet other people with the same interests as you. It gives a lot of people something to talk about, said a sophomore boy. The gamut of groups ranged from sports teams, television shows, all the way to which city the student came from. Most students had over twenty groups in which they belonged to. The instant most students were accepted to college, before they even graduated from high school, they were logging on to their Facebook accounts. I couldn ' t wait to join the Facebook and just shortly after I was accepted, I already became addicted, said a freshman girl. Addiction was a word that was often correlated with the Facebook. Students would constantly check their Facebook for messages, new friend invites, or to see what parties were taking place in the local area. Many would change their profile picture often, and look for people that they recognized from their classes, or even walking down the streets. It ' s kind of awkward because sometimes at parties, I will see someone that I ' m friends with on the Facebook. It ' s that type of situation where you ' re unsure if you should say, ' Hi to that person just because they are your friend on the Facebook, said a senior boy. I joined the Facebook because I came from a different country and didn ' t know anyone that was attending the University. I got to meet my roommate, as well as keep in touch with other students that graduated from high school with me, said a freshman boy. By simply clicking on certain links, it was easy for a student to find another person who shares the same interests such as music they listened to or what TV. shows the y watched regularly. Also, those who lived in Residence Halls could find other people who lived in the same building and same floor as them. The Facebook is a great way for freshmen to get to know people before coming to the University, said a freshmen girl. Michiganensian.28