Diverse Internet benefits students

Buy a Chia Pet. Check out the fan club of that obscure '80s television show you religiously watched until it was canceled after five episodes. Have a conversation with a plumber from Cleveland about societal injustice.

Do all of these things and more, without leaving the comfort of your home or local computer lab. You just need to be hooked up to the World Wide Web.

"It gives you access to just about anything," said Danielle Loo (freshman-division of undergraduate studies), who added she accesses the Internet at least three times a week.

Loo isn't the only student who uses the Internet on a regular basis; crowded computer labs have become the norm at the University in the past few years.

Whether writing to friends who go to other universities via chatlines, or pursuing academic sites, Loo said she finds the variety of information available on the Web very useful.

"A lot of professors put syllabi and answers to homework on the Web," she said. "It's also good to use for researching reports; you just type in a keyword and there you go."

Laurie Mealy (senior-genetics), an employee at Pollock Library's computer lab, also finds access to the Web almost a necessity for students at the University today.

"A lot more teachers are incorporating computers into their classes," Mealy said.

Students do not utilize the Web for on-campus services only. Web access statistics provided by the Center for Academic Computing list information requests from students to places such as Estonia, Singapore and Venezuela, among other countries.

Jason Heffner (senior-computer engineering), a computer consultant at the Pollock lab, said the Internet offers many opportunities to students, but also benefits working adults.

"Businesses on-line have been finding out that it really helps their business," said Heffner.

Heffner said he thinks the most popular use of the Web is to check E-mail.

Steve Pierce, the manager of the Williard Help Desk for CAC, said he agrees with Heffner about the popularity of the service.

"I think a lot of people go on the Web to check their E-mail, although there are many other reasons as well," Pierce said.

He added that he also finds the Web to be an asset in his own profession.

"I use it for information retrieval," Pierce said. "It's a great tool for anyone in the computer business."

Pierce said technology for creating Web sites has been around for a while, but has never been so inexpensive. He believes the reason the Web has recently increased in popularity is because of its now lower cost, which virtually everyone can afford, he said.

Most college students get Internet access free through their universities, and a number of Internet access providers offer unlimited usage for as little as $20 a month.

The inexpensive price allows most people the ability to use the Internet; a fact that Loo said she greatly appreciates.

"I don't know what I'd do without it," she said.