As an elite liberal arts institution Colgate treats its students to many different things. We have wonderful, intimate classes, first-rate professors, Division I athletics; the school really offers the best in so many areas. Unfortunately, Colgate’s wireless system – such an important aspect of the modern university – fails to hold up to this same standard. The groans that are consistently heard from students struggling to connect to the Internet, or the four-letter words students yell as they wait for the web to load at seemingly dial-up speeds are unacceptable. If Colgate truly wants to allow students to have a superior education, then the Internet, required for many various student activities, needs to be better.

When I arrived back at school I was frustrated by how slow my Internet connection was. This has always been somewhat of a problem for me, as the wireless both in my Stillman, and now Cutten, dorms worked about as fast as an unmotivated co-worker who has already given his two weeks notice. But this semester it seemed even worse. In one of my classes I was required to watch a music video on YouTube, and I had to wait about fifteen minutes for the three-minute video to load. Normally, I would count on my Ethernet cord to make up the difference, but that connection was slow as well. My frustration caused me to contact my RCC, who informed me that over break Colgate had worked on the wireless, attempting to make it more stable. This all sounded good to me until I was told that speed had been sacrificed for stability, so everyone had to get used to things loading a bit slower.

My shock could not be contained! Colgate slowed down what already was a slow process, all in the name of stability?! I’m pretty sure I speak for the majority of students in saying that I’d rather the Internet occasionally crash then have the Internet become slower at all times. It’s not like we’re slowing down Usain Bolt here; the Internet was already pretty slow. Colgate should have both a stable and fast Internet, but if we had to prioritize those two I would undoubtedly go with speed first. To put it in simple terms, Colgate needs to fix this Internet problem. It might not seem like a big deal, but when you are trying to become one of the premier liberal arts universities, everything counts.

Now I know some people may just tell me to use my Ethernet cord and stop complaining, but I don’t think that’s a legitimate answer. Yes, the Ethernet cord allows things to work faster, but Colgate students should not have to rely so much on that technology. When I am at the library, or downtown working at the Barge, I am not always given the opportunity to plug in an Ethernet cord. The cord is a fallback solution, and Colgate needs to slowly wean students away from it because the wireless has improved to where it makes no difference.

As a member of Student Government last year, I know that a Wireless Task Force was put together to tackle this issue of the Internet, yet as of now I still have not heard what, if anything, that Task Force has done. Colgate needs to tackle this issue in some way, and be very transparent about it. This is a problem that affects every single student, and we should know that our school is working to make it better for us. When I hear that the school has knowingly slowed down my Internet, let’s just say I have my doubts.