Two Cents Cyber love gone awry

In the past few weeks e-mail has become available to the entire campus community. In such a short time, students have been cliecking and sending messages as if they have been doing it for years.

Before e-mail's arrival, however, students were already invading the computer lab and other personal computers to gain entry into one of the internet's most populated and interesting sites: the chat room.

Depending on how you look at them, they can be a source for bringing the world together, giving attention .to those who are lonely, saying things we would never say in public, or just killing time.

While some see chat rooms as a place for fake personas and empty, playful jargon, for others, its pitfalls are all too real in the sense that chat rooms can, and do, destroy lives.

"Mary" makes her living out of her home as a typist. Eventually one of Mary's employers found a way for her to transmit her transcripts into a database by way of a modem rather than having her physically deliver the documents.

Mary, along with her husband, "Joe," who was anxious to get on the information superhighway, now had an excuse to get on line.

As time progressed, Mary noticed that she was seeing less and less of Joe. His desire to get on line must have been genuine, for he was, all night, every night, on the net.

On one of these occasions Mary checked in on Joe, only to find him on an adults only chat line. While Joe felt anger and embarrassment with Mary's discovery, she felt only anger.

Mary would also eventualJy learn that Joe had been talking to one particular woman in the room for several months.

In an effort to calm Mary and the situation, Joe persuaded Mary to try the chat room with him, claiming that it would be a turnon. Mary did. Weeks later she herself had found a "cyberlover" on the same chat room. Her relationship. with her on line partner became so personal and deep that she did not want Joe being there with her.

Around this time Joe began to change. He began to listen to country music and bad his ear pierced.

I am not saying these are bad things, it is just that he was not being himself.

At night, and in particular on the weekends, Mary would continue to enhance her relationship with the man through the computer.

Joe would now leave the information superhighway and get on another highway, literal. ly, telling Mary that he was going to country dances, conventions and shows for the weekend. Mary now feels that this was an attempt by Joe to meet his "cyber-lover."

As the months progressed, Mary and Joe decided to purchase a second computer complete with a separate account and phone line.

After their two daughters were tucked into bed every night, they would settle into their respective terminals and relationships. They positioned the terminais back to back, facing each other, but they could not see the other's screen.

It has now reached the point where every week the couple finds themselves in marriage counseling. They both claim that the person on the computer knows them better than each other. The last I heard, the possibility of separation is becoming all the more real.

While most may think this true and sensational story is only fit for a talk show, the fact is that this type of scenario is

by Paul Monte news editor

becoming more common and real.

This situation shows that those married with children, along with those who are lonely, can get into a jam on the net. Sure, most of us look to chat rooms for simple conversation or to see what others think. Small talk is now a worldwide practice.

Sometimes we may even feel for someone in a room. However, good intentions may have drastic consequences, such as the Howard Eskin case where the Philadelphia sports radio personality sent roses and email to a woman he met in a chat room.

The woman, Marlene Stumpf of Pottstown, was allegedly murdered by her husband, Ray, who went into a jealous rage upon learning of the roses and his wife's on line conversations .

Sixty-two percent of respondents to a survey done in chat rooms by newsgroups said they had an "intimate" relationship with someone they met on line. The word "intimate," however, is open to interpretation.

My point is that while most cyber conversations and relationships are harmless, the chat room has shown us how a cold, impersonal mediator of a computer has become a substitute for the human touch.

People can engage in anything from mild banter to cybersex. With an estimated 40-50 million people on line, surely one will find someone who w·ill be listening.

The chat room is a chance for us to put on masks and place a facade that allows us to communicate in a way that makes us immune to heartbreak and fear.

If we could be as understanding, truthful, honest, romantic and personal with those who are already in our Jives, how different would this world be?

The college has proposed a schedule change that will have some introductory level courses meet three days a week instead of two. How would this change affect you?

Liz Brister, a senior: I think the schedule change would be good for classes like language or math, which require repetition. I think that breaking up the time for classes such as philosophy or English would do a great disservice to students' process of learning.

Joe Devlin, a sophomore: Since the time is the same in a week, I think it would keep me on track more. I had Spanish three times a week last year and I liked it

Marni DiGiorgio, a sophomore: Since I am just about finished with my core, it won't really affect me. But I know there are other education majors who will be affected by the new schedule.

Ray Matzelle, registrar and assistant dean for student academic services: It will affect the registrar's office very little. It is a standard class format and probably the majority of schools in the United States do it. It is better to have classes for five days and break for two days.

Kevin Lally, a junior: It's going to deny me the ability to sleep the few hours I am still able to.

Jennifer Delaney, a junior: With a four day week, it is more convenient for me to work the weekends and still have an extra day off to study.