I am in agreement with the majority of the Herald’s 9-member student editorial board. I have a daughter who’s a sophomore in the School of Journalism who utilizes the internet service in her dorm. An additional fee to upgrade the current student campus internet connection is not in the best interest for student finances at the moment. Especially when WKU is increasing tuition to provide for current student services (up to the maximun of 10% for next Fall’s semester). In the face of a $5.6 million budget cut the University will have to get the money from somewhere. A donor/contributor campaign would be a better idea to obtain some of this funding to make up for the shortfall. Although the internet upgrade would make downloading data and files somewhat faster a liitle inconvenience can be well tolerated by those students and/or their parents who struggle to pay tuition and housing fees. The current rate of increase in tuition this Spring and that projected for next Fall may very well wipe out the KEES money for many in state students who count on those funds to help defray tuition costs. I know that this father welcomes the KEES dollars when tuition comes due. When I attended undergraduate college at the University of Kentucky in the early to mid 1970s we didn’t have PCs and tuition was $250 per semester if memory serves me. We used the Dewey Decimal card catalog in the library and climbed the stairwells to the bookstacks. (No, I didn’t walk five miles in the snow to grade school……I took the bus!) I took a Fortran computer programming class one year when punch cards were still used. Computing has come a long way baby! Now not only do you have Palm Pilots but you have pocket PCs with Wi-Fi and cameras. As stated by the editorial board some students may not have PCs and probably utilize the internet service through the library. An additional internet service fee is not a good idea at this time. Students can be a little more tolerant and have more patience…….like many of their parents who still have modem connections. They can download MP3 files whenever they come home and spend that extra time on campus studying and the extra pocket money enjoying the college social scene and comaraderie with their fellow classmates!

James T. Engle, Jr.

110 Pine Land Lane

Brandenburg, KY 404108-9137

270-706-1580