Summer students hooked on-line

While flocks of students fled campus in mid-May, those that remain on campus have found various, and addicting, hobbies. In most cases, people staying for the summer months have classes, internships, or jobs to keep them occupied. However, many students are still left with hours to waste. Where do they turn to? Many discover that the internet can be used to make time go by a little faster. One of the internet's greatest affinities is the vast amount of information and communication opportunities that it makes readily available. "I'm definitely spending a lot of time at the computer lab," said College sophomore Joyeeta Dutta. "I'm an e-mail junkie. I write home on e-mail everyday during the summer. My parents are so happy." According to an article in The Washington Post, Columbia University's campus officials say that internet use and it's accessories allow students to "roam the huge universe of information." This information highway is an especially powerful lure for many student because it takes into a world of knowledge with no hassles. In most cases, there is no cost and no real limits on time or subject matter, the report said. Some universities are noticing that this ability to access so much information so easily is affecting the academic lives of their students. Students seems to be learning off of the net, but neglecting their school work. The Washington Post article also said that faculty studying the freshman dropout rate at Alfred University in New York have just found that nearly half the students who quit last semester had been logging marathon, late night time on the internet. Part of the reason that students turn to the internet, during the summer and the regular school year could be due to a craving for attention. Due to some problems with addiction, several schools have set up therapy sessions. The University of Maryland has placed a limit of 40 hours a week of internet usage. In some cases, students at the University were known to obtain multiple accounts so they could be logged on for more than 40 hours per week.