Penn State students living in Graduate Circle and Nittany Apartments have been frustrated in their attempts to get Internet access, something most on-campus students take for granted.

University officials say that the wiring in those buildings is unable to handle Ethernet connections, also making students unable to take part in the Napster downloading program announced by the university two weeks ago.

Bringing Ethernet to Graduate Circle is part of the strategic 10-year plan for property improvement, said Joel Weidner, Associate Director of Information Systems for Housing and Food Services (HFS). The total cost could be as much as $12 million, though HFS has not calculated the per-apartment cost for the high-speed connection.

Other parts of the renovation plan include upgrading utilities, telephone and cable connections.

The funding needed to replace wiring would come from students' housing fees, not Information Technology fees. Weidner said HFS receives no state funding, tuition money or other fees.

The plan and budget to install Ethernet in Nittany Apartments was finalized over the last two years, and that project is nearing completion, Weidner said. When it is, Graduate Circle will remain the only housing facility at University Park without Ethernet access.

Ethernet networks were installed in most residence halls starting 10 years ago, Weidner said. Graduate Circle and Nittany Apartments were excluded for two reasons.

First, the type of construction used in those buildings makes it significantly more expensive to install wiring than it was for other residence areas.

Second, the university's fiber optic network, which carries the Internet connection, was not expanded to those buildings. This also makes adding Ethernet more expensive, Weidner said.

Graduate Circle houses 265 adults and 27 children in 144 one-bedroom apartments and 64 two-bedroom apartments, said Glenn Mulberger, Senior Manager of University Apartments and Suites.

"It seems like unequal treatment," said Todd McGuckin (junior-Information Sciences and Technology), a resident of Graduate Circle.

"I'd like to take up the cause for everybody. They're not offering solutions at this time, which I find unacceptable," he said.

McGuckin said he has tried alternative ways to get Internet access to his apartment, including dial-up and DSL (digital subscriber line) connections but has run into problems.

His telephone wiring is too old to carry a reliable Internet connection, he said.

Similarly, the cable connection to his room is unable to carry a cable Internet connection.

Because of his lack of Internet access, McGuckin is forced to use campus labs.

He would like to see the University offer students a rebate or subsidy to get Internet access through another provider until updated wiring is installed.

McGuckin said, however, that he was warned before he moved in that the apartments lacked Internet access.

Some Nittany Apartments received Ethernet connections just two weeks ago, freeing them from slower dial-up Internet connections.

"We had to use dial-up if we wanted to go online," said Josh Hopp (junior-marketing). Having roommates made the situation even more difficult, he said, since "Only one of us could be online at a time, and if we wanted to be online we didn't have a phone."

Although before they moved in Hopp and his roommates were told Nittany Apartments didn't have high-speed connections, they were still frustrated. "We were expecting to get Internet quicker than it eventually came," he said.