E-mail becoming more popular among students, faculty

Although E-mail is used by many in the community, the telephone is still a popular source of communicating. Some use E-mail because it is cheaper to use the computer than to make a long distance phone call. Other people feel E-mail is a formal way of communicating while the telephone is an informal, social way.

by Brian O'Connell staff writer

Before E-mail was introduced, the telephone was the main source of communication.

Since its emergence, E-mail has served as a way to contact friends at school, distant relatives· or whoever the sender desires to send a message to.

E-mail has become very popular on college campuses. It allows students to contact parents and friends at other schools while living at school.

However, some students and faculty find E-mail and the telephone very useful, but prefer both forms of communication useful for different purposes.

"I use the telephone and E-mail, but I find E-mail easier to use because it makes it easier for me to get my point across," senior Kelley Rapine said. "Using the telephone can make it difficult to get the full picture of the conversation."

"I use the telephone more because I am not getting charged for the calls I make;' junior Shannon Dwns said. "I do use E-mail to keep in touch with friends at other schools. I have a cousin who studied in Ireland, and we were emailing each other frequently."

Pete Bretz, the head of learning resources and technology, prefers to use E-mail rather than the telephone.

"E-mail with parents and friends is very big on college campuses," said Bretz.

Some people use E-mail for quick messages, and find that the telephone is a more efficient method of communication when making social calls.

"I use E-mail more than the telephone," Dr. Jerry Zurek, chairman of the English/communications department, said. "I use the telephone to make social calls, but use E-mail for business contacts. I find E-mail easier because the mes-

"I prefer to use E-mail because it is an easier form of communication." sages are focused and to the point."

Kristine Mudrick, vice president for in- formation technology and resources, uses both the telephone and E-mail. However, she finds that she uses E-mail more than the telephone.

"I use the telephone to contact family and friends because it is always nice to hear the voice of the person you are talking to, and you can get the full conversation," Mudrick said. "I find that using E-mail differs from the telephone because you have to wait for the message to be replied to."

It seems that some people prefer to use the telephone and E-mail for different purposes.

The telephone does provide quicker communication than E-mail, but E-mail is also very advantageous because it allows the person to make contacts anywhere in the world and does not cost a much as a telephone call.

Also, some prefer E-mail over the telephone because it a more efficient way to send personal and business messages.