As I crunch through my AP Calculus homework, I leave my laptop’s volume on full blast. Come to think of it, regardless of what I am doing, I leave my computer on the highest audio notch. All the while, there isn’t any music playing. So what’s the point of leaving my F12 key cranked?

I sit there waiting, sometimes even praying, for that cacophonous and rather obnoxious First Class “bing” to save me from solving the 5^th derivate of x^6*secx. That divine intervention prompts me to quickly leap onto my bed towards my laptop to check my mailbox. When I see the sender is Facebook, I throw in the towel, and turn away from homework. Facebook has become more than an addiction, it is a part of life. I’m not just speaking for myself; a fair majority of the student body is clicking through Saturday night’s photos instead of taking class notes. In many ways, we prioritize Facebook over our studies, a dangerous sacrifice.

Most teachers are not oblivious to the fact that their students are on Facebook during class. But our teachers cannot ban laptops in the classroom, as laptops are actually useful tools for research and note taking. Computers also help our school come one step closer to becoming a “paperless” institution. Obviously laptops are too essential to do without. That leaves us with one option: ban Facebook on the Milken server.

In a recent poll conducted by The Roar, 64% of students said they do NOT want Facebook blocked on the school server. To that hefty majority, I urge you to reconsider your vote. Think about it from a financial standpoint: Facebook wastes our parent’s tuition money. A Milken student spends approximately 1,260 hours (7hrs a day*5 days/week*36 wks/yr, which is being generous given all the holidays) at school a year, which means each hour is $25 of tuition. Let’s be generous and say a student uses only 20 minutes a day on Facebook while at school. That is to say 1/21 of their day is wasted which amounts to $1,428 a year. You can buy another Mac Book Pro with that money squandered.

I’m not trying to say Facebook is evil (I have it up right now), I am only trying to relay the notion that school is not the place for your social life, especially at a private school. Your teachers work hard on their lesson plans. By allocating your attention to your computer screen rather than towards your teacher, you are electing to make a sacrifice which will certainly cost you a grade. I firmly believe that if Milken decides to block Facebook there will be a rise in the student body’s GPA. When I need to get work done, I go to my father’s office simply because he has Facebook blocked. He recently implemented this regulation at his firm and has seen a productive shift in his employees’ work habits.

At the end of the day it is all up to you, the student. If you value your social life over your academics, then continue to waste time, money, and efficiency.