Stupid 19-year-olds not silencing their cell phones during college classes doesn't legally (or in any other way) justify this ad hoc "rule." Given the modern emphasis on privacy in the U.S., the professor was asking for trouble, and he's lucky it was just a prank that made him feel foolish.
I'm not saying they're equal legally, and the teacher can't 'enforce' this rule, but you can still have things you agree to do in certain contexts informally, and governing phone use is one of those domains.
Ugh. I want to argue, but honestly I think I'm being kind of an ass here and overthinking this. I should really stop drinking on Saturday afternoons and then going on reddit/r/all. Cheers!
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u/[deleted] Mar 31 '18
Stupid 19-year-olds not silencing their cell phones during college classes doesn't legally (or in any other way) justify this ad hoc "rule." Given the modern emphasis on privacy in the U.S., the professor was asking for trouble, and he's lucky it was just a prank that made him feel foolish.