By Jaimee Kuperman
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Angellia Palace, a wildlife biology sophomore at the UA, has a picture of her boyfriend Anthony hanging on the computer by her bed.
They talk to each other about four to five hours every day. She received a dozen roses from him on her birthday and hopes to spend future birthdays with him.
Anthony, who lives in North Carolina, plans on seeing Palace this Christmas Ÿ it will be the first time they have ever met.
What exactly is responsible for this romance? The Internet.
The Internet, which is used in 150 countries by some 30 million people, is becoming one of the hottest things ever. At the University of Arizona, as at many universities, students communicate with other 'net surfers across the country and later meet, finding it easier to type than it is to talk.
In Palace's case, the more than 2,000 miles between her and Anthony sometimes causes a bit of unrest.
"When (Anthony's) friends go out in couples, this makes me a little nervous about who he is with. I guess I just have to have faith," Palace said.
Rodney Lindsey, a history sophomore, communicated with his girlfriend via the Internet for a year before they finally met. After their first encounter, Lindsey said he felt "the computer relationship fell short."
Robert Kimmel, management information systems sophomore, was more casual in approaching his particular on-line "romance."
"(It) was just words on a screen, phone conversations and a couple of letters," he said.
In a recent survey taken by 50 students selected at random at the UA's Center for Computing and Information Technology, more than half replied that they would date or had dated someone they met via the
Internet.
The Internet is attracting the younger generation, and within the next five years "everybody who has a computer will be on-line," said Renai Levesque, a technical representative for America Online.
The Internet offers students a casual, easy and intellectual way to talk with one another, proponents say. It has no boundaries and no limits, and students type from five to 14 hours a day, according to the survey.
Tiffany McCumber, animal science sophomore, said she spends more time on-line than she spends on anything else.
And, said engineering sophomore Mike Torzevuski, "It's a great way to meet new people. It's more popular than than the dating game, and less expensive than the phone."