We all got really excited this summer when we saw "WebMail 2 Coming Soon."

Finally, Penn State had realized the problems with Webmail and were setting out to create a new and improved e-mail system.

Say goodbye to the days when Webmail locked us out for a few hours, when it stalled and made us wait to see who wrote about evening plans or the group meeting spot. Or so we thought.

Yes, we were wrong. We were really wrong, as a matter of fact.

From the student perspective, WebMail 2 is just as problematic as the first one. The junk mail filter is worse than ever, and e-mail messages from our inboxes seem to randomly disappear.

Supposed new Webmail features: improved performance, a tab interface and an enhanced screen.

WebMail 2 moves a bit faster, but many students are using Gmail or other e-mail accounts.

And don't forget the random times when nobody can get into their Webmail because the server goes down.

The tabbed interface is nice-looking, but it will only be effective if the whole system works correctly.

And the enhanced screen is not so great since we have to keep scrolling across the screen to read our longer-than-one-sentence e-mails.

Many people have opted to just forward their WebMail to Gmail or other e-mail servers. In previous interviews with university officials, it is clear they prefer Outlook or other servers.

However, that's a little difficult for students who don't sit in front of one computer the whole day.

Many are checking e-mail in between classes, at work or at their friend's apartments.

And using a completely different e-mail such as Gmail presents its own set of problems.

Many professors ask students to communicate solely through the university webmail.

So, it would help if there were an efficient system.

However, if by making it more efficient, the university will cause even more communication problems, we'd rather go back to the old WebMail.

At least we could track down all of our e-mails with that one.

Unfortunately, WebMail 2 is more of a nuisance than a helpful tool.

One would think that a major research university like Penn State could develop a modern, high-tech e-mail system for its technologically savvy students.

But that's one more surprise Penn State had in store for us.