At the University of Cincinnati, students can count their computers among the stuff to move into the dorm over the next few weeks.
And at the University of Dayton, confused collegiates won't have to go far for answers to computer questions; the school has hired "computer consultants" to staff each dorm.
Such changes are thanks to the technological trend that has sent college administrators nationwide scurrying to wire their campuses.
"This is what people need and expect of us," said Thomas Skill, UD's assistant provost for academic technology. "Higher education is a highly competitive environment. The universities that don't provide this will have a hard time attracting and retaining students."
Colleges need computers to aid teachers in instruction, facilitate students' and professors' research, and allow students to collaborate with scholars in other parts of the world, said Toni Brown, a researcher with the Washington, D.C.-based American Association of State Colleges and Universities.
OSU, IU 'most wired
Technology also can ease an institution's record-keeping and simplify such paper-intensive student services as registering for classes and financial aid, Ms. Brown said.
"Many colleges feel they have to keep up with the next campus when it comes to computers and that the more technology they have, the better their college is," she said. "In many cases, they're right."
In the Tristate, Yahoo! Internet Life magazine last spring ranked Indiana University and Ohio State University among the "100 Most Wired Colleges" nationwide. That study considered how well professors use the Internet for academic purposes; how many computers and connections are available to students and teachers; and how available student services are electronically.
Live and let learn
Other area colleges - including UC, UD, Miami University and Ohio University - are working to wire student dorms and apartments.
"We wanted to connect the living and learning environments," Dayton's Mr. Skill said of the $3 million project. "Students no longer will have to go to a less comfortable environment or wait in line for information. It'll be right there between their bed and bureau."
UD students will work as on-call technology consultants to aid baffled computer-users in the dorms. UD also will open a new law school building boasting 1,600 computer connections. That's 20 times the number of telephones available there, Mr. Skill said.
At UC, computerizing admissions, financial aid and registration should make student services more convenient, while dorms will be wired for computer access under the "UC Net" plan. A proposed student-life complex, to be completed in the next four years, will include "plug and play rooms" for students to hook up laptops, said Mitchel Livingston, UC's vice president for student affairs and human resources.
And IU will install two virtual-reality systems this fall to allow users to explore simulated three-dimensional environments - such as the microscopic world of molecules, ancient cities or delicate eco-systems, IU spokeswoman Karen Adams said. The $700,000 project is being funded by IU and the National Science Foundation. Such endeavors may make colleges more competitive, but they also make them poorer.
Many schools absorb the staggering cost of wiring their campuses, hoping technology will attract more and better students, Ms. Brown said. Others charge technology fees of about $50 per student or offset the expense in tuition increases.
The computer craze also has created concerns about indecency on the Internet and plagiarism, administrators say.
"You have to protect kids from the racier things that are on the Internet, but most of our students are adults who have First Amendment rights," Mr. Livingston said. "We have developed general policies that require technology to be used for educational purposes; we consider violations on a case-by-case basis."
New technology also has spawned a need for new and more experts.
"Every day, people want more capacity, they want their machines to run faster and they want better applications," Mr. Skill said. "It's really hard for institutions to keep up with the speed of change - and for faculty and staff to keep up with students, who often have the highest in technology. It makes for some really interesting campuswide confusion."
