Change in cell phone policy

Addiction lee rathbun EHS students contribute to the caffeine fiend that fuels America basis. Most recently, Rockstar came out with a new Rockstar Roasted line that features three coffee flavors - latte, mocha and light vanilla. The Monster Beverage Company is now trying to pack as much energy in a can as possible. Recently, it released new Monster Energy XXL, a 24 - ounce can that contains three times as much caffeine as a regular serving. “Monster is by far my favorite. I usually buy the 24 ounce can. I have seen a 32 - ounce Monster before in Lawrence. I felt like I had to buy it,” Rathbun said. What really fuels the caffeine addiction? Is it the lack of time for sleep? Students all have busy schedules with school, practices, work and homework to do afterwards. Or is it advertising? We have all been convinced by the commercialdriven economy that caffeine is harmless. Or is it possibly stress? We all feel as if we are under a lot of pressure and caffeine is an easily accessible stimulant. “I really think that some people just want to feel cool holding an energy drink. Everyone wants to fit in. It’s kind of like holding a cigarette or drinking,” freshman Haley Weinhold said. Caffeine is easily accessible and readily available to help students keep up their hectic schedule, but has the caffeine addiction gone too far? Change in cell phone policy alec shepack s students’ busy schedules continue throughout the holiday break and into next semester, they may find themselves needing that extra boost of energy to wake up in the morning or to find energy for simple tasks. More students have picked up a caffeine fiend through energy drinks and started an addiction that can be seen not just around the school but about anywhere one looks. According to the Newsweek article “Make That Double,” (July 30, 2007) Red Bull and Full Throttle sales have grown tenfold since 2001. In fact, caffeinated beverages are the largest growing business sector in the United States, growing a surprising 61 percent this year according to Beverage Digest. Energy drinks alone gross about $3 billion a year. The effects of higher caffeine sales can even be seen locally. “I’ve noticed more teenagers buying energy drinks. Monster is probably our most popular,” Kwik Shop manager Melissa Kraatz said. Even though caffeine can lift your mood, improve concentration, boost physical stamina and help cure headaches, people often forget the harmful effects it can have on their bodies. According to the Food and Drug Administration, a moderate caffeine intake is 200 to 300 milligrams per day - the equivalent of two to three cups of brewed coffee, one Starbucks tall coffee or three and a half Red Bulls. Exceed 500 to 600 milligrams and anxiety, nausea and heart palpitations can set in. More than 50 percent of regular caffeine drinkers experience withdrawal symptoms when they stop. .Few energy drinks actually carry a warning label about this possible addiction or the side effects of high caffeine intake. “I used to always drink Monster and coffee, but recently I’ve stopped. I’ve noticed I’ve had more headaches and been nauseated,” sophomore Billy Canaan said. Some countries consider energy drinks to be lethal. France, Denmark, Argentina and Norway have barred the sales of such drinks. Some brands go so far as to tout their addictiveness as a selling point. “Meet your new addiction! sixteen ounces of super-charged energy with advanced components” Pepsi’s SoBe No Fear can reads. “Advertisers know that teenagers are an easy target and can get them to buy into new trends,” freshman Bailey Bunch said. Look at some of the ingredients in energy drinks and it will seem like a foreign language. Pyridoxine hydrochloride. Niacinamide. Cyanobalamin. Calcium pantothenate. Sodium saccharin. Glucuronalactone. Glycerol of wood rosin, which is featured in Full Throttle. Even better, Crunk!!! Energy Drink features horny goat weed, which is actually used for erectile dysfunction. Honestly, can this be healthy for teenagers? “Sometimes I’m concerned about the ingredients in these drinks, but it doesn’t necessarily stop me from buying them,” sophomore Mallory Rathbun said. Companies are tuning into America’s caffeine addiction by coming out with new products on what seems like a daily Maypo’s Deli $1 dollar off 6-inch sub-sandwich Expires December 31, 2007 Authentic Mexican Food 117 N. Kansas Ave. Kanopolis, KS (785) 472-4226 8 features EHS Bearcat ...when you present the December issue of The Bearcat! In a typical school day, over half of Ellsworth High School students use their cell phones to send and receive text messages, according to a survey by Elkan, and as most of them can testify, cell phone prohibition causes a constant studentteacher conflict. Teachers think phones are distracting and used for cheating on tests, while students declare they just want to keep in touch with friends. This causes teachers to be on the lookout for texters, which in turn forces students to find less obvious ways to get their messages out. This topic was recently brought up when a small group of students were caught texting when they weren’t even seen with their phones. Instead, principal Dale Brungardt looked at received text messages on a confiscated phone to find out who else was using their phones and called them to the office to confiscate their phones as well. According to Brungardt, this procedure was due to a change in policy he was informed of two months ago. According to Brungardt, this policy makes it clear that it is legal for school authorities to search through confiscated phones if there is already an anti-cell phone rule in place. This new rule goes right along with the school’s right to search lockers, vehicles and book bags. When asked what he looks for when he searches through a phone, Brungardt said, “I typically look at the time and date (of messages) to see if they were sent during school and who they are from.” Brungardt also mentioned that he wouldn’t answer a phone call on a confiscated phone, but he would look at a text. As many might agree, the whole idea of someone reading through personal messages seems very intrusive. I used to think that I and my personal belongings were protected by a few of the Amendments to the Constitution, but it becomes more and more apparent that personal rights are very limited, especially in public schools. In this case, First Amendment rights, which protect free speech, are limited when students aren’t allowed to text message during school, and Fourth Amendment rights, which address unlawful search and seizure, are infringed upon when administrators make rules that allow them to search through text messages on students’ phones. I find it reasonable for lockers, vehicles and bags to be subject to search because they could contain harmful objects or substances. Cell phones, on the other hand, can’t be used to cause physical harm. However, some may still object by saying that they can be used to cheat on tests, even though no one has yet to be caught cheating in this manner at EHS, according to Brungardt. Text-cheating is only logical when a test is short answer or multiple choice, which means that teachers could prevent text-cheating with the format of their tests if they feel the need. I don’t oppose a restriction on cell phones in school, but I do see it as morally wrong to search through another person’s private messages, even on a confiscated phone. Taking a distracting cell phone out of a classroom is justifiable because it is disruptive, but administrators shouldn’t leave a confiscated phone on and allow it to ring so it can be searched. Even though many of my rights are given up in school, I would like it if there were some respect for my privacy, even if it’s just the messages in my phone. So next time you find yourself in the middle of a texting conversation during school, keep “ in mind that your message may end up in the wrong hands, and there isn’t much you can do about it when your phone gets searched. say what “It’s pretty lame. I don’t think they should have any right to search phones. ” WhaT do you ThInk abouT admInIsTraTors havIng The auThorITy To go Through The messages In your cell phone? Braden Bahan Senior “They shouldn’t be able to do that. It’s an invasion of my privacy.” Kassie Grothusen Junior “I think it’s wrong because it invades my privacy and they could easily find something they don’t like and suspend you for it.” Brianna Bobbett Senior “The courts have ruled that student rights are different in school than outside of school. The laws have some gray area, so it makes it hard to determine whether it should be allowed or not.” Eric Coonrod Social Science Teacher EHS Bearcat December 2007 OPINIONs 5