A simple tour around Dartmouth reveals how important computers are on campus. In fact, they are literally everywhere. Every student at the College uses computer technology -- whether to write assignments for classes, check the latest sports scores on the Internet, register for classes, email with friends, or even browse menus of Hanover restaurants and order a pizza.
This is probably why the latest edition of Yahoo Internet Life magazine ranked Dartmouth the nation's most "wired"
college in the Internet corporation's second annual survey of "America's 100 Most Wired Colleges," an improvement from last year's fifth-place showing.
Dartmouth's unique computer-crazed culture begins even before any undergraduate students arrive. Since 1991 it has been a requirement for all incoming freshman to own a personal computer. The summer before matriculation, incoming freshman receive information on computer packages they may purchase through Kiewit, Dartmouth's computer center. The college provides several packages, and while students are no longer limited to Macintoshes, the majority of undergraduates end up purchasing Apples.
Once on campus, freshman pick up the computer packages ordered through Kiewit and attend a computer orientation with Associate Director for Computing D. Randall Spydell.
But what makes much of Dartmouth's computing culture possible is the campus network.
Regardless of your prior experience with computers you will spend several hours a day communicating with friends via the College's email program, Blitzmail.
BlitzMail is the electronic mail system universally used by the students, faculty and employees of the College. Developed by Dartmouth seven years ago, BlitzMail allows anyone to keep in touch with everybody else on campus, and friends, family, and faculty around the world, as well.
According to Jim Matthews, who wrote and maintains the BlitzMail software program, the College's electronic mail system now regularly handles "in the neighborhood of 120,000 messages" per day.
The New York Times ran an article last year about Dartmouth students and their e-mail obsession. It is a rarity for students to know their friends' phone numbers. Instead, to communicate students "blitz" to plan dinner or to ask for help with a class.
But blitzmania is most pronounced at the beginning of your freshman year. You measure your popularity in the number of black dots in your inbox and there is an unspoken competition to see who can forward the most funny messages, sounds and film clips.
While the initial fascination wears off, BlitzMail is still the primary form of communication for students as well as professors. Thanks to Dartmouth's computer network, students can check their blitz any time of the day or night, and from nearly anywhere on campus. Many public buildings, such as the Hopkins Center or Thayer Dining Hall, feature tables with computers used solely for accessing BlitzMail.
"Computer-aided communication has become so ubiquitous at Dartmouth so as to replace conventional methods to become the most conventional method on campus," Andy J. Williams '90 said,
who manages the Computer Resource Center in Kiewit.
However, the computer as a communication tool is only one facet of computing at Dartmouth. Many Dartmouth courses actively integrate computers into the curriculum by creating on-line tutorials and World Wide Web sites for students. Almost all of the technology and applied science(TAS) courses -- one of the distributives required to graduate -- incorporate computers into the course.
Computers are used across the curriculum, whether in multimedia projects, using the Internet to do research, or communicating with teachers and other students. Students in science courses use computer software to analyze data in labs, while English students have the option of studying hypertext fiction.
It's not uncommon for students with laptop computers to bring their PowerBooks to class to take notes.
The College makes abundant resources available to students and faculty alike, such as the Computing Help Desk at Kiewit, "minicourses" providing continuing education and support to users, and conveniences like 24-hour access to public computers at Kiewit and free laser printing.
Another advantage afforded by Dartmouth's computer network is the ability to freely use software licensed by the College for students to use.
In addition to these Dartmouth-licensed programs there are thousands of software programs freely and legally available over the Internet, such as the program Netscape Navigator, which can be used to browse the World Wide Web from any Macintosh computer on campus.
