Students who aren't satisfied with what they see on their dorm room TV usually reach for the remote control.

But starting today, they can reach for their computer mouse instead.

In an effort to gauge students' television preferences and make recommendations for future university cable contracts, Residence Halls Association is sponsoring an online cable survey for students.

The survey, which can be found at http://cable.msu.edu, asks students which channels they like, which they would like to see added and which they would be willing to give up.

Josh Rabinowitz, RHA vice president and adviser to the group's cable committee, cautioned that students shouldn't expect to see a big difference in what's offered right away.

"It's not necessarily going to bring instantaneous change," Rabinowitz said. "We're going to get information on what students like and don't like and take it to the people in charge of contracts for the next few years."

Doug Owen, campus cable manager, said changes will be minimal until MSU's current cable contract with Comcast expires in three years.

"We're not in the driver's seat right now," Owen said.

He added, however, that with constantly changing student preferences, it is important to keep a pulse on what students want to watch.

"If RHA is able to determine the top 25 or 30 (channels), and we can have that going into negotiations, it would be invaluable," Owen said.

Owen said input generated by RHA several years ago led to the addition of Comedy Central, FOX Sports Net and Cartoon Network to the current MSU lineup.

Students who participate in the survey will be entered in a drawing to win a $50 gift certificate to Meridian Mall in Okemos.

Katie Della Mora, a theater freshman, said she would like to see some channels she gets at home added to the MSU lineup, such as The Learning Channel and ABC Family.

But Della Mora said it might not make a big difference to her even if those channels were added.

"I don't always have time to watch TV in my room anyway," Della Mora said.

Owen said many students have been requesting certain channels that aren't offered in the current lineup, including FOX News Channel and ESPN2.

The problem, he said, is that in order to add channels like these, others would have to be dropped to keep residence hall rates constant.

Owen said students control their own destiny when it comes to cable offerings.

"Residence hall students are the ones that ultimately determine the lineup," Owen said.