Signing an e-mail to a professor with "love ya" is a boundary most Penn State students would hesitate to cross.

However, statistics professor Don Richards said he had a student who affixed this sign-off to every e-mail she sent him.

Richards said when he asked her why she had closed her e-mails like this, she simply explained it was how she signed her e-mails to everybody.

"They write to me as if I'm one of their friends, one of their buddies," Richards said of some of his students. "Students write some messages that contain swear words."

E-mail has become a common method of communication at Penn State, but students and instructors still have differing views regarding just how it should be used.

Penn State spokesman Tysen Kendig said Penn State does not have a policy regarding e-mail communication between students and professors, and it's up to each individual instructor to decide how to use e-mail or whether to use it at all.

"For me, it's absolutely essential with a huge course," said David Ebitz, associate professor of art.

Ebitz said he has actually adapted his correspondence with students because of the more informal tone of e-mail.

"Starting two years ago, I stopped signing my e-mails 'David Ebitz' and just started signing them 'David,' " he said. "If you add formality to the process it works as a disincentive."

The degree of formality in e-mail messages varies depending on the situation, Alicia DiMeglio (senior-journalism) said.

"I think the professor sets the tone," she said.

Jessica Mastrangelo (senior-psychology) said she prefers to communicate with her instructors via e-mail because face-to-face meetings can be intimidating.

"A lot of people talk better over e-mail when it's not a personal confrontation," she said.

The more anonymous nature of e-mail can encourage timid students to ask questions, Charles Youmans, associate professor of music, added.

"People who might not otherwise come up and ask me something will do it through e-mail, so that breaks through a barrier," he said.

Other professors said e-mails from students can be a burden.

"E-mail is a curse," Jim Kasting, a geosciences professor, said. "If you're already spending two hours a day answering e-mail, the last thing you want to do is to communicate with your students using e-mail."

Jonathan Flom, a guest lecturer this semester for Theatre 100, said many students think sending an e-mail gives them less responsibility to solve their own problems.

"There's this expectation with a lot of students that if you put it in an e-mail it will be taken care of for them," Flom said.

Students and professors agreed that response time is one of the major variables when it comes to e-mail communication with instructors.

Kim Hooper (senior-sociology) said e-mail wasn't helpful when contacting her professor with a question about a paper.

"My professor didn't get back to me until after it was due," she said.

Ryan Hudson (senior-anthropology and biology) said he prefers face-to-face discussions for this reason.

"I like going up after class and talking about things because you get your answer right then," he said.

Richards said he tries to respond to student e-mail within 24 hours, but sometimes it isn't possible because of other commitments.

DiMeglio said instructors have no excuse not to respond to their e-mail in a timely fashion.

"There's no reason why they should take a week or two weeks to get back to you," she said.