Netflix, Hulu, Pandora and many more streaming sites have been banned from the classrooms on the Purdue campus, something that has become very popular in many high schools. The only difference between high schools banning streaming services and Purdue is that the university banned them because of the slow internet connection that caused academic applications to be “unusable” during class. Not only will streaming services be banned, but system updates for Apple, including downloading and installing, will also be banned from being used on the West Lafayette, Indianapolis university campus.
“When students return from spring break Monday, they will find access to Netflix, Hulu, Spotify, Pandora and other streaming services blocked in academic buildings on the West Lafayette, Indianapolis campus if they’re using university WiFi,” The Washington Post reported earlier last week. “Students will have restricted access to streaming services over WiFi in lecture halls, classrooms and labs from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday. Residence halls and other social spaces on campus will not be affected. Students will still be able to access streaming sites anywhere on campus using cellular data.”
There have been many different responses to this, but most are students who are upset by the ban:
Courtesy: @BossDevlin on Twitter
Courtesy: @_loganmarshall_ on Twitter
Courtesy: @hanners739 on Twitter
This ban has many students concerned with their work ethic. The Washington Post interviewed Sara Zaloudek, a junior at Purdue, who stated, “Many students study in classrooms after hours, or work better with music and background noise from services such as iTunes and Spotify … A lot of the things that students need will be blocked, if students need to update their computer during class, or need a study break after working in a classroom for hours, they won’t be able to do this.” This ban would be like going to Strozier midday and not being able to watch Netflix or listen to music while students work – something many of my peers do nowadays.
The internet is a huge part of this generation’s life, and sometimes it can be detrimental to learning inside and outside of the lecture hall. Professors feel as though this ban will not only help the WiFi speed but also help keep and bring up the students’ grades. Many professors in other colleges and universities have gone a step further than banning streaming services, they’ve banned the use of electronics in class entirely.
Other than the outcry of the ban on popular social media sites, there hasn’t been any real backlash about the ban. Many professors were scared that their attendance rating would go down or they would get negative feedback from students, but, as of right now, the angered students are taking it to social media and keeping it there.