Students look around in disgust. Professors stop in mid-sentence. The unfortunate victim sheepishly surveys the room, silently sending apologies with his eyes.
Another poor soul's name goes down in the books as an inconsiderate snob. All in the name of a tiny device he simply can't live without.
From pocket-size computer styles to Derek Zoolander's finger phone, cell phones are sweeping the nation.
Used by elementary school children and wall-street executives alike, social mobility has taken on a whole new meaning.
In the words of third-year Engineering student Lisa Davis, "We are the cell phone generation."
At the University it's almost impossible to think of someone who lacks a cell phone, Davis said. "One of my friends from Longwood came to visit last weekend, and she thought it was some kind of a joke when she saw everyone on their cell phones."
Truthfully, Davis said, everyone around the University walks around with their cells glued to an ear. It's an efficient use of time, she added.
Although Davis said she admits to talking on her cell while she walks, she draws the line when it comes to gym etiquette.
"I was at the gym the other day, and I was looking around when I saw a girl across the room talking on her cell phone while she was riding a bike," Davis said with annoyance. "Give it up! Just say no to cell phones on the elliptical."
Third-year College student Meghan Force agreed.
"Talking on your cell phone at the gym is so tacky," Force said. "Especially because the machines are limited, and if you're not going to use them to workout, let someone else on who is."Force said she has had quite a few embarrassing cell phone incidents herself, but one particular instance stands out in her mind.
"During my International Business final last semester we had to use a calculator, but all I had was my cell phone," Force said. "After I worked out the math problems with the calculator on my phone, I put it next to me on silent."
Although Force said she couldn't hear the call, her phone drew her attention when it lit up toward the end of the exam. Because the caller ID revealed the caller's identity, Force said she realized it was her ex-boyfriend Jeff whom she hadn't talked to in months.
"I was distracted for the rest of the test," she said.
A cell phone owner since her junior year in high school, Force said she remembers one time when she left her cell on top of her car and forgot about it as she drove away.
Since she rated the importance of her cell phone as a 9 on a 10-point scale, Force said she immediately replaced her phone.
Third-year College student Daphne Rankin said she has gone through three cell phones in the past six months.
"A few months ago I left my cell phone in a hotel room," Rankin said. "When I called it the next day to see if someone had found it, a scary guy answered and asked what the [hell] I wanted."
After replacing her cell phone for the first time, Rankin said her purse got stolen -- and her new cell phone was in it.
"Losing your cell phone is the most horrible experience," she said. "I don't have a land-line, so no one could get in touch with me until they found out my new number. Also, when you lose your phone, you lose all the phone numbers in your phonebook so I couldn't get in touch with them either."
Besides its social uses, Rankin said she relies on her phone when she drives home.
"I'm scared to drive long distances without it," she said. "And if I feel sleepy, I call people in my phonebook to stay awake."
Like Rankin, third-year Engineering student Matt Helton said he couldn't live without his cell. In fact, according to Helton, he wouldn't be able to call his family in California or be able to talk to his girlfriend as frequently as he does.
"Beth and I talk on the phone every single day, and we wouldn't be able to do it without our cell phones," Helton said. "Last summer we used all of our 3000 minutes in the first three weeks. We had to change our plans to Sprint PCS so it would be free."
Although Helton said he values his cell phone, one of his professors last semester drew the line in class.
"My psych professor made people stand up and apologize to the whole class if their cell phone rang during lecture," he said. "I think it's funny."
Third-year College student Andrew Dorin also said he had a professor last year who made a big deal about not bringing cell phones to class.
"One day during lecture a girl's cell phone rang, and he made her stand up," Dorin said. "Then he answered the phone and was like, 'Jill can't come to the phone right now because she's in class.'"
Some professors, though, are guilty of bringing it in class too. Davis said one of her professors told the class that the student body had been asked to turn off their cell phones during class.
"But then she proceeded to say that it was okay if we left them on because hers would probably go off too," Davis said.
Third-year Engineering student Courtney Lane said a student actually answered her phone during class one day.
"Everyone looked at her like she was crazy," Lane said.
Despite their convenience, most students said they agreed the phones could get annoying in certain situations.
For third-year College student Brent Kitchen, his cell phone did more than just cause a nuisance.
Over Winter Break last year, Kitchen said his cell phone killed his dog.
"My mom was in the bathroom washing our 13-year-old poodle, and when I went in to ask her something, I slipped on the wet tiles," Kitchen said. "My old-school cell phone fell in the bathtub. You could see the dog shaking in the bathtub and it died."
Kitchen said his mom didn't forgive him for two weeks after the accident.
"I tried to console her by telling her that the dog was about to die anyway," he said.
Kitchen said he has since gotten a new phone, and this one is much smaller and more high-tech than his old one.
As technology advances, cell phones increasingly become more convenient. From voice activation to taking pictures, cell phones have become a near-necessity for people of all ages.
In the words of Force, "I'm insanely dependent on it"
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