Dreams of "Pardon the Interruption," Rachael Ray's recipes and Kristen Cavallari in a swimsuit are now a reality for Notre Dame students, thanks to the University's installation of Comcast cable in all 27 dorms.
The process, which began in December 2005 and continued throughout the summer, went hand-in-hand with the installation of wireless Internet access.
Notre Dame made its decision following an investigation into other universities' policies.
"In looking at other institutions, we realized other schools [provided] cable. We realized that we needed to upgrade ResNet and so we figured we might as well install cable," said Jeffrey Shoup, director of Residence Life and Housing.
With the new cable installation, students are no longer allowed to use satellite dishes on campus.
"I don't think [the exclusion of satellite dishes] is much of an issue, especially with the [University] offering cable and the additional cable packages," sophomore Andrew Parnell said.
While some students have had difficulty setting up their televisions, Director of Integrated Com-munication Services Steve Ellis said this is not usually due to poor installation.
"There have been only a small number of reports [from students] about the cable not working properly, but many times it is not the cable, but the TV," Ellis said. "Most of the calls that we have received have been about how to set up the TV."
Many students are excited about the change.
"I think it's great [having cable in the dorm]," sophomore Ben Johnson said. "It's not really a distraction because if I didn't have cable, I would probably be on the computer anyway."
Johnson also said knowing he would have cable when he returned to campus influenced his decision to purchase a larger TV.
Some students said that the addition of wireless In-ternet and cable in the residence halls may influence their decision to stay on campus.
"I don't really see the need to move off campus [since wireless Internet and cable are provided]," junior Jessica Jimenez said.
Students who use the standard cable-channel line up are not required to pay any additional costs. Comcast also provides expanded cable packages. The packages feature additional channels that are not included in the standard package and range in price from five to 40 dollars per month.
Shoup said the cost of the cable is included in students' room and board fees. However, he declined to say exactly how much money students pay for the cable services.
