A major change in the use of student computer fees will affect all resident hall students needing Information Systems Network (ISN) and Ethernet computer connections after the spring semester.

In the past, the Computation Advisory Committee (CAC) allowed subsidized connection costs for those ISU students living in the residence halls. However, there has been no similar subsidy available to off-campus residents.

Therefore, this semester is the last semester there will be a subsidized connection cost for the ISN hookup for resident hall students. As for the Ethernet hookups, a subsidized connection cost will be available only for those who request it before Oct. 1.

After this date, all students, both living in the residence halls or off campus, will be responsible for the full connection cost.

Philip Spike, professor of animal science and chair of the CAC said, “We still want to support network connections for students, but not through paying the installation fee of the connection in the residence halls, because not all students can benefit from that.”

According to Spike when the subsidized costs were first offered in 1992 with only ISN connections, $12,000 went to the hookups.

This year, more than $50,000 covered the connection subsidies.

“We’re happy more students are getting network connections in the residence halls; that’s a success story. However, we’re not accomplishing anything,” Spike said.

The CAC, he said, is proposing to the ISU Provost that some of the money once used for computer connections be used for establishing a new position in the computer center that will help students with problems specifically related to network connections.

Andrew Fuerstenberger, a junior in political science and a student who has used the Ethernet connection in the residence halls for two years, said, “I feel this support staff is money not well spent. They should keep giving us the connections; we pay a user fee like everyone else.”

A freshman in aerospace engineering, Mark Anderson, who also lives in the residence halls, said, “Most of the students using Ethernet are engineering majors, so they’re adding to the high cost those students already pay.”

According to Director of Communications at Telecommunications, John Kingland, the cost for the computer connections for residence hall students will be $40 each year. The residents will also have to pay the monthly charge of $7 as they do now. Those students who plan to stay in the same room will have to pay the fee only once as long as they pay the monthly fee through the summer. If monthly fees are paid through the summer, the system will not have to be reconnected, savint the student another hook-up fee.