“Big Brother” is about to don some flannel.
NAU, our Lumberjack neighbor to the north, seems to be taking a page out of George Orwell’s “1984” with a new plan to keep track of student attendance.
The Flagstaff university intends to equip some classrooms with technology that will “read” students’ ID cards as they walk into the room, allowing professors to get reports on who is actually attending their BIO 100 lectures (although they are not required to).
NAU is planning on funneling federal stimulus funds into this project, which is predicted to cost about $75,000, according to The Arizona Republic.
Sure, professors want students to come to class, but keeping track of who walks in and out of the room via card scanners sound just a little Orwellian, not to mention the loads of loopholes that will accompany this technology.
The unfortunate ones among us have had similar experiences with the overly expensive “clicker” method, and we all know how easy it is to pass it off to a classmate to record points for you. Who’s to say this won’t happen at NAU? And what happens when technology fails?
And why invest so much money into a tactic that may not work as planned?
We can appreciate NAU’s desire to get students to class, and it stands to reason that having good attendance leads to better grades.
But here’s the thing: University freshmen aren’t in high school anymore. There is no legal mandate that forces students to pursue higher education — it’s something that students have chosen to do, and most of the time, it’s something they do at no small cost to them.
Now don’t get us wrong, we’re all for being hard workers, but students are paying customers at universities — not children who have to be told what to do and when to do it. Ultimately, if students decide they don’t want to go to class one day, that is their prerogative. If they end up with a “D” instead of a “B” in a subject, well, that’s their own fault, but it was their choice to make. But sometimes even skipping a class or two can be more helpful than harmful.
For example, The State Press staff members often feel like we have learned more in the workplace than in classrooms. And we can tell you from experience that professors aren’t usually too pleased when you interview sources in the middle of lecture.
Students who work unpredictable hours in any place — whether it’s related to their studies or not — shouldn’t be docked points if they can’t make it to class. And if these people can make up the class work on their own, so much the better for them.
But beyond the money and the time management, mandating attendance is also bad for students.
Rachel Brackett is an NAU sophomore who started a Facebook group, “NAU Against Proximity Cards” and believes the new attendance system will stunt students’ growth.
“My biggest problem is we are here at college to learn to become adults,” Brackett said. “I don't think we’re all there maturity-wise, but choosing to go to class is a stepping stone in maturity.”
We tend to side with Brackett — students have already made it to the University, we think they can manage to get to class if they want to without Big Brother looking over their shoulder.
