In the College, a race for e-mail accounts

About 250 College students waited in line for hours yesterday, more patient than Muscovites hoping to get loaves of bread but not quite as eager as New Jersey high schoolers trying to get Bon Jovi tickets. Those 250 College students kicked off the race to receive 2,500 available free electronic mail accounts, offered for the first time on a "first-come, first-serve basis" to students from the College. "We're very excited about it," Associate Dean for Computing Ben Goldstein said of the number of students who have responded to the e-mail offering. While many Wharton and Engineering students already have e-mail accounts, College students have been e-mail-less up to this point. "We did not have the equipment to handle the number of students in the College [before now]," Goldstein said. "We just acquired a new machine, which became operational in September, 1992." Goldstein said the lag time between now and then is due to the fact that accounts of faculty and staff had to be transferred to the new computer first. Currently, accounts are only available for the first 2,500 College applicants. When asked how long the limited supply would last, Goldstein said, "There's no need to answer the question. There are plenty of accounts." Katie McGee, director of technology and integration services for the School of Arts and Sciences, said earlier this month that the number of accounts was limited because the system has to undergo a trial period and that accounts will become available for other College students in September. The demand for accounts now, however, is high -- as became readily apparent to the hundreds of students who crowded the offices at 3401 Walnut Street to file their applications. College sophomore Greg Horowitz, one of the first in line, said he arrived at the office at 11:30 a.m. -- 30 minutes before it opened its doors -- and 15 people were already waiting. "I just want to save some phone bills, basically," Horowitz said. "[The accounts] are going to go fast," College freshman Michele Wang said as she began her hour-long wait at the back of the long line which wound up and down the hall. "There's much more than 2,500 people in SAS right now." E-mail is an electronic communications network which allows its account holders to write to other holders anywhere in the world and read up on current news and other information. The University's e-mail system is accessible through any personal computer with a modem and can be used to communicate with account holders inside and outside the University. College sophomore Randi Reich said that she is looking forward to "talking" to her friends in England. "I love to talk to people for free," Reich said. Some proud new e-mail account owners, however, were happy for different reasons. "I feel that I finally have equality with the Engineering and Wharton people," College freshman Eric Krangel said as he left the office triumphantly.