The College's Committee on Cable Television has announced the possibility of providing cable service to dorm rooms by next fall.
Now is the time for the College to proceed with this and enter the twentieth century before the twenty-first begins.
Considering Dartmouth's isolation, the growing importance of international events to students and the potential educational benefits of cable television, not to provide cable would leave students at a disadvantage.
As one of few colleges that does not allow individual access to cable or at least to all three networks, Dartmouth is ignoring cable's potential benefits, which easily outweigh any associated costs or problems.
In a world where news changes rapidly and watching CNN and Sportscenter have become national pastimes, students need more than ever to keep up with national and international events as they emerge.
The two sub-par networks students can watch in their rooms fail to provide complete coverage of national and world events -- even on the rare occasions when reception is clear.
At a time when Iraq is on the verge of war and Clinton is enmeshed in the biggest scandal of his presidency, Dartmouth students are in a media blackout.
In addition, the academic benefits of cable television cannot be ignored. With cable in dorm rooms, students could take advantage of foreign language and educational programs.
Although each cluster lounge has cable television, one television is hardly adequate for hundreds of students. In the current television arrangement, students' freedom of choice is inhibited, and arguments over television viewing rights often erupt.
Administrators' fears that students will waste study time watching television are condescending and unfounded. As Dartmouth students, we are confronted with time-management and priority decisions on a daily basis.
The College should connect its students to the world outside of Hanover by providing cable.
