Two days ago, when I opened my mailbox and found a letter informing me that BU would now be charging a fee for Ethernet access, my first reaction was, “Are they stupid?!” I understand that the Ethernet service costs them money (though I’m sure they are making a hefty profit) and that $100 is a pretty good deal. However, how many students are going to opt for no service? And when you and your parents get the 2003-2004 Room and Board rates, don’t you expect them to increase? Would the addition of $100 to that price without explanation be fought or further BU’s appearance as a money-grubbing miser? No. It would cause no more groans than usual. The fact that they have itemized it is absurd. Are they going to start charging separately for heat and hot water too? This fee should just have been silently added to the other exorbitant fees we are forced to pay to live on campus. Speaking of such fees, consider the fact that BU, like all colleges and universities, is a business. The purpose of a business is to make money. That is what they are doing with this “optional” Ethernet service for a fee. So my question is, why not charge a fee for optional cable television? We all know that BU loves a profit, and it would certainly reap one from the availability of cable for an extra fee. I am unaware of any viable reason for prohibiting cable. Money? HA! Keeping students on a healthy and studious path / Well, excuse me, but without cable TV on a Saturday night, people have to go out and get drunk and high for entertainment (which they do). Isn’t watching MTV, while not as healthy as studying calculus, at least a healthier alternative to drugs and alcohol, which lead to rape, violence, and lower GPAs? Students will not be distracted from work any more so than they are now. I propose cable television as a healthy alternative to many destructive behaviors taking place on campus. Plus, BU could make a profit on the whole deal. I don’t see why they don’t jump at the chance.
Stephanie Taff CFA ’06 (860) 918-1658-don’t inclue, please
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