laptopWhen I was in college, we didn't bring our laptops to class. Maybe it was because they were much bigger and bulkier than they are now, but we were all notebook kind of folk. And that was good -- because without the trusty Internet, we actually paid attention in class.

Sure, there were times when a professor would yell at some hippie in the corner for sleeping, or snap at a trio of girls for gabbing. But it ended there. No complaints were ever filed, no arrests were ever made. Unfortunately, that's not the case with Professor Frank Rybicki at Valdosta State University in Georgia.

Professor Rybicki was teaching his class when a student would not stop surfing the Internet. Rude? Yes. You're in college, sweetie -- don't go to class if you don't want to be there. Anyway, Rybicki couldn't take another minute of the blatant disrespect, so he shut the girl's laptop. It's his classroom, so it seems reasonable. Buuut, cut to hours later, the professor is getting arrested for battery because the student said he hurt her finger when he shut the computer.

Oh, come on! Are you serious? Not only does this girl sound like the rudest student at Valdosta State for checking out Facebook during class, she sounds like the prissiest. Are you honestly having your professor arrested for wanting you to get a good grade -- especially when everyone seems to think he's an outstanding professor who really cares about his students? One Valdosta State student told the school newspaper:

Rybicki is one of the best teachers in the mass media system. The school should stand behind him. It’s a disgrace that we’ll lose a great teacher that I don’t think we should lose.

Um, yeah. He was arrested, so he could be fired. How's that for unfair? Now everyone will lose a good professor, thanks to her. Don't you think other students would have backed this girl up if the professor really did something wrong? That kind of thing usually doesn't fly in college.

This is a sad day for me, for this is a far cry from my college days. When I was in school, it was all about booze, boys, and a side of learning. And that side was big, I might add! There was no Facebook to see if a guy was single, no Foursquare to see where he was, and there was definitely no filing charges against professors because they wanted us to learn. Shame on you.

What do you think of Professor Rybicki getting arrested?

 

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