Residents of ISU dorms may have ethernet access automatically in their rooms, with no connection fees, if a bill introduced at tonight’s Inter-Residence Hall Association meeting passes.

The bill proposes a flat fee for every resident. If it passes, it will be put into effect in fall 2000.

Director of Residence Randy Alexander said at last week’s meeting that the ethernet cost could be cut from $7 to $6 per month by using $55,000 from a Department of Residence discretionary fund.

The money was being used to subsidize CyRide’s Brown Route, the circuit that runs from the Towers Residence Association to the ISU campus. However, the TRA senate voted to pay for the Brown Route by charging TRA residents $35 per year.

The bill still needs to be approved by the Department of Residence and the state Board of Regents.

Alexander said currently, 58 percent of students use ethernet, and he expects that number to rise.

“At the rate it is growing, I think we can assume that this time next year that two-thirds of students will be using it,” Alexander said.

A similar ethernet bill failed 9-11 at IRHA’s Jan. 27 meeting. The bill proposed to have all residents pay $7 a month for ethernet access.

Currently, residents who want ethernet access pay a $40 connection charge in addition to $7 a month. If the new bill passes, there would be no connection fees, but all residents would pay the monthly fee.

IRHA also will be voting tonight on two funding bills, one for the residence halls’ spring semi-formal dance and one for the “2nd Annual Women’s Conference.”

The residence hall dance bill asks IRHA for $180 to be given to the Richardson Court Association’s discretionary fund. The money would cover the cost of bus transportation to and from the dance.

The bill also asks for $120 to be given to the RCA social fund to pay for security. RCA President Nathan Ohrt had asked at last week’s meeting for support from the parliament.

“I think this will be a really great time,” said Ohrt, co-author of the bill.

UDA President Erin Link was in favor of giving $250 to help finance the women’s conference, which will be held March 4 at Lagomarcino Hall.

According to the bill, the conference is designed to build leadership skills and promote women at professional and academic levels.

“I think it’s a really good conference,” Link said last week.

The meeting will be at 7 p.m. in the Wallace-Wilson Conference Room.