Students have greeted last Friday's announcement that cable service will be installed in residence halls beginning Winter term with both excitement and disappointment.
The "interim" cable service chosen by the Campus Cable TV Committee provides students access to ABC, CBS, PBS, NBC, C-SPAN and several international and public access channels free of charge.
The package, which is available to the College free of charge, does not include FOX, CNN, MTV or ESPN.
Students see cable in individual dorm rooms as an improvement to residential life.
Noah Levy '99 said his three years at the College were "horrendous" without cable in his room.
"I had to go out trekking through the wilderness to find a TV to see who won the sports games or check the markets," Levy said. "I feel like I live in a little cabin in the middle of the woods."
Although Levy is glad he will no longer have to go further than his own room to watch television, he said he would like to see a more comprehensive package, including sports and news channels, offered to students.
Devon Green '02 also wished the package included more major cable channels. She said channels like CNN keep students informed about the day's events.
Shira Reiss '01 said although the decision to install cable was good, the installation seemed incomplete. "They might as well give us CNN and everything," she said.
A number of students said they do not watch much television, and having cable in their rooms might not change that.
Jason Weber '01 said his room does not contain a TV since he did not want to be distracted by the programs. He said he might be more inclined to get a TV Winter term if major cable channels were offered.
Erik Christensen '02 also felt he might get a TV if more cable channels were offered. He said not only ESPN, but ESPN 2, a channel not offered in the dorm lounges, would lure him into buying a TV.
Roommates Kelly Fisher '00 and Ayesha Malhotra '00 both felt they would not add a TV to their room in the foreseeable future, even with the cable announcement. Neither said they watched a great deal of TV.
Joann Bassani '99 said she thinks so many students spend their days working for classes and at extracurricular activities. Cable's "a nice thing," she said, "but I don't know how many people will watch it in their rooms all that much."