Requirement for college education: cell phone

Montclair State University in Montclair, New Jersey apparently requires students to buy a cell phone from a specific carrier for security reasons.

At first I thought it was a joke. But no: the MSU Campus Connect Help Center has information and FAQs about the program. My husband, who’s teaching at MSU this fall and next spring, hadn’t heard about it either. He said he’d ask his students about it.

I don’t like the idea of dictating which technologies people are to use. It is, after all, usually possible to borrow ‘required’ textbooks. At least the cell phone plans ($420+ / year) are rolled into the tuition. The base plan, according to CBS2,  includes unlimited text messaging to any carrier, unlimited campus-based data usage, and student activated emergency GPS tracking.

Having thought about it, it may not be a completely bad deal, though:

“Applications include access to course management, class assessment, and real-time transportation information. In addition to academic and community-building applications, MSU Campus Connect includes Rave Guardian, a safety application that enables the mobile phone to act as a safety beacon anywhere in the country whenever the student activates it” (from MSU Campus Connect)

Maybe the libraries could leap on it, and make their information (hours, contact numbers etc.) readily available as well.

Via What I Learned Today, CrunchGear, and CBS2.