Internet access available to residents
by Jerome Warren

Virginia Wesleyan is now offering, for a small fee, the Internet and campus network to residents. Although all rooms were supplied with computer connections during construction, the actual networking of personal computers to the school’s net was never intended to occur without the guidance of Computer Services.

Marcia Williams, of Computer Services, said that students "just hooked it up."

After realizing that people were accessing the net in their dorm rooms, Computer Services took measures to prevent unauthorized networking. Computer Services was quick to point out that the students had done nothing wrong.

Instead of having access taken from them, students will now be charged for use of the network. The fee is $35 a semester and will be billed to the student’s account. Accessing through the school gives students use of Eudora and Netscape. The process consists of a simple application and subsequent hook-up. After completed, students can expect to use the network within a few days.

Computer Services now has an independent contract with INDI, a local computer company which sells and installs computer hardware and software. For those who don’t already have them, INDI sells the network cards which are necessary to use the school’s system. The network cards are either a 3Com or an Intel ISA, and each comes with a six-foot patch cable for $52. The cost of installation for one of the cards is an additional $45. This means that the total cost to the student (including possible needed extra equipment) is $132.