The university's proposed Ethernet fee for August is unfortunate, but because of increased use on campus, an added expense is necessary to cover the expansion of cost.

The cost of providing Ethernet service, which is essential to college students, has jumped from $124,000 in 1999 to $1.5 million in 2003.

Overall, students do not appear to mind the prospect of the $57 per year fee. They are more concerned with how available and accessible Ethernet is. The mass use of Ethernet is the cause of the hike in price for the university, who previously charged students for hardware and covered the cost of the Internet service.

The university has proposed three options for adding the fee to housing costs. The first is charging the extra cost on a separate bill, which seems unreasonable. If this were implemented, every individual cost, such as use of the phone, heating, water, etc., could be charged on a separate bill. The best thing to do would be to put everything together on one bill as it is now.

The second option, having the fee become incorporated into the housing bill, seems the most convenient. But the university should not be able to add to the bill without a person's consent. A student should be able to opt out of the Ethernet service if he or she so chooses.

The third option - a monitor attached to individual computers so the university can charge based on each student's use of the Internet - seems a bit archaic. The beauty of having Ethernet is to have it on all hours of the day with immediate accessibility. The cost of Ethernet service off campus is significantly more expensive, therefore the university is being reasonable with pricing the extra fee for students.

The second option the university has proposed seems the most feasible and appropriate for charging the fee. The charge is not unreasonable considering the hike in the cost to maintain fast Internet service.