A decade ago, it would have been unlikely to hear the sounds of cell phone rings interrupting a class.

However, in today's cellular-dependent society, students often find themselves listening to the sounds of Usher and Vanilla Ice in class.

"During one of my midterms this semester, someone's cell phone started going off during class to the tune of an Usher song," Fallon Ullman (junior-advertising and public relations) said. "Everyone has a cell phone now, and it's getting really old, hearing these annoying rings when you are trying to concentrate."

According to a recent survey conducted by Student Monitor, a market-based research company, the number of students who own cell phones has risen from 26 percent in 1999 to 78 percent in 2003.

The study was conducted among 1,200 four-year full-time undergraduate students at 100 different college and university campuses throughout the United States.

"It seems like a cell phone is always going off during my classes, and it gets to be really annoying after a while," Kara Jordan (sophomore-nondegree) said. "It's distracting when you are trying to concentrate in a big lecture class and you hear a phone continually ring until someone finally turns it off."

Students are not the only people who have noticed an increase in the number of cell phones that are ringing during classes.

"I think, now that the problem with cell phones seems much more common, I am going to have to make an addition to the syllabus telling students to turn their phones off before coming to class," Colin Flint, a geography and sociology professor, said. "I think it's a disturbance, but it doesn't affect my train of thought, so I normally just pause until the ringing stops, and then continue with the lecture."

Some Penn State professors have decided to take a humorous approach to the growing number of cell phones ringing during class.

"One of my professors ... said, 'This is a nonstop flight, please turn off all cellular devices at this time,' when someone's cell phone rings," Julieanne Viray (freshman-communications) said. " I think its good when you have a professor who makes their class feel at ease."

Molly Countermine, who teaches human development and family studies, said she does not think it is necessary to make students feel bad if their cell phone rings during class because they are usually embarrassed and apologetic.

"When a cell phone rings during a class, I dance to the ring to break the tension in the classroom," Countermine said. "It happens so infrequently that I think students just forget sometimes to turn off their phones."

Some professors said they rarely have to deal with cell phones interrupting a class.

Jeff Sharp, a business law professor, said students have been very respectful about turning phones off before class, even though a cell phone will occasionally ring.

"I haven't noticed any problems with students' cell phones ringing during class, even in the larger lecture classes," Sharp said. "I tell students at the beginning of the semester to turn their phones off or put them on silent before class begins, and they seem to be pretty good about doing that."