Classrooms at Linfield come with an unspoken set of expectations. Professors understand students are balancing heavy workloads, potential jobs or sports and other personal responsibilities, but many faculty members say certain student habits stand out as major frustrations. 

One of the most common concerns is student engagement during class. Professors say behaviors like wearing headphones, scrolling on phones or multitasking on laptops can create the impression that students are disconnected from the happenings around them. While using these devices may seem minor to students, they can affect the way professors perceive them, communicate with them and even their academic success.

“Don’t get me wrong, I love zoning out and listening to music, too. But when you walk into class, sit down, the professor starts talking and you can’t be bothered to take off your headphones?” said Associate Director of the Writing Program, Katie Higinbotham. “It sends a message to everyone around you that you couldn’t care less about what’s going on, even if you actually do. It’s mostly about being present. We should be willing to show up for each other when we’re all in the same room. It matters for people’s overall impression of you.”

Professors also note that these distractions often affect not only the student participating in the distraction, but also classmates nearby.

Associate Professor of Political Science, Dr. Dimitri Kelly said, “It’s not that [computer notes] harm the learning of the student doing it because they are making the conscious shift, the harm is to the other students who get distracted by seeing it.”

Classroom etiquette seems to be an ongoing issue, from texting under tables to arriving unprepared. Some professors say a lack of attentiveness can come across as disrespectful, while others emphasize that college classrooms function best when students treat them as professional spaces. 

“It’s disrespectful when students act like you’re stupid. When they text under the desk like they are invisible,” said Dr. Kelly. “The bottom line for me is, you don’t have to be in class. We are all adults here, so if there’s something that you have to be on your phone for, then just leave the class. I’ve had to do that before, so if there’s an emergency you should just step out.” 

Another recurring issue was the lack of decorum when communicating outside of the classroom. Professors frequently mention concerns about overly casual emails, messages without proper greetings or goodbyes and even students failing to address them properly. 

“The broader theme here is manners, and people just not treating each other respectfully. For example, emails. Don’t email me and say ‘hey’ or ‘hi’ unless it’s ‘Hi, Dr. Kelly’. There’s a level in your third or fourth year, and you’ll know it because I’ll sign my emails as ‘Dimitri’. But until then, whatever I sign it as, that’s what you should apply,” said Dr. Kelly.

While faculty members understand email etiquette may not be taught directly, they say professionalism still matters in every academic setting. 

“I’ve gotten many entertaining emails with many spectacular misspellings of my last name. So that’s always fun. But even then, I appreciate the effort to include a name. I firmly believe y’all [students] can do better than “Hey,” when starting an email to your professors. We have names!” said Higinbotham

Professors also expressed frustration with how students approach academic support and accommodations. Some suggest that the students who need help are often the least likely to ask for it. 

“It is a pet peeve that, oftentimes, the students that need help are the ones that don’t get help and the ones that do get help are the ones that come from a background that enables them to take advantage of resources, even when they don’t need it. But now in this position, it’s kind of bullshit. You’re an adult,” said an anonymous Linfield faculty member. “We have to accommodate bullshit, even when we know it’s bullshit. Every once in a while it’s not, but most of the time, it is. In reality, there are no professors that I know that believe it.

Others note that communication tends to happen after issues have already escalated.

“I wish students understood that so many professors aren’t just sitting there waiting for you to mess up. We want you to succeed, and most professors are so willing to help you do that if you communicate with us,” said Higinbotham. “People tend to be so apologetic when they forget something, but in reality, we just want you to believe in yourself the same way we believe in you, and believe that you can get it done, whatever it is.” 

Despite all of these concerns, professors consistently stress that their goal is student success. Many are willing to offer flexibility, guidance and support when students communicate honestly, maintain respect and stay engaged with the course. Linfield students should definitely keep these irritations in mind as they continue with not only their academic careers, but also as they enter the post-grad workforce.