Cell phone calls and getting coffee

Professors here routinely answer cell phones while conducting class. Sometimes, they step out to take the call for 5 minutes or so. And it's not because it is an emergency or anything. The other day, a guy took a call about dinner. A few seconds later a student's phone rang but she didn't dare answer it. Egalite?

No one is really shocked by this---it is normal.

Today, I had a genuinely helpful class on the french legal methodology. Because of the shortage of available classrooms (I am reaching for an explanation here), we were in the equivalent of a library that doubled as a storage closet and coffee room for certain faculty members. Additionally, our teacher is pretty young. As a result, we were interrupted several times.

First, an administrator from another Master's program came to our door, which was open, and loudly began talking to an older professor about when this room was available and when it wasn't. Her cell phone then rang and she took the call, basically on the threshold of the room.

Then another administrative person came in, saw three of four youthful faces and, I think concluding that we were just hanging out in this room, strode toward the coffee pot while imperiously asking if there were some sort of meeting going on in here. When the professor responded that this was a class, her tone instantly changed and she asked pardon.

This was quickly followed by a professor entering to get some coffee while the two students accompanying him waited outside.

A few seconds later, another administrative person walked in and announced that there was some sort of party set to happen here in 30 minutes and that we would have to leave then. Before departing, however, she asked if we would be kind enough to help her by moving all of the tables to one side of the room in preparation.

All of these interruptions happened in one hour.

OK, first of all, there are about 15 places to get coffee in this building and most of them cost about 50 cents. Second of all, this just adds to my complaints about treatment of students and hierarchy here.

Call me rigid and inflexible, but in theory classes that are scheduled in advance are to be conducted with minimal interruption.