Sandwiches in Cyberspace
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Students here at Middle Tennessee State University now have a place to get some coffee, grab a sandwich and even check their e-mail if they so choose. It's called a cybercafe.
The cybercafe that opened this fall at Middle Tennessee is one of many that have been popping up across the United States and in Canada. Besides computer stations, most of them provide some kind of coffee bar or food service.
"It's a good place to grab decent coffee and watch the news," says sophomore Chris Chambers, who stops in about three times a week. "Or you can pull up your Instant Messenger account and chat with friends 1,000 miles away."
The cybercafe at Middle Tennessee State was born during discussions between students, faculty, administrators and Aramark, the college's foodservice provider, says Sue Yost, an Aramark location manager. She says students requested a place that would combine fast food, coffee and a convenience store.
Then, Yost said, someone thought, "What about putting in some computers?" The result is an area that includes seven computers, six televisions, 10 sofas, four armchairs and plenty of tables, chairs, counters and stools.
Starbucks sells coffee, Burger King and D.C. Subs offer fast food and Aramark runs a convenience store with soft drinks, snacks and other items. The cybercafe also hosts a variety of events for students, including open-mic nights, a battle of the DJs, live radio broadcasts and a '70s Night.

You've Got Grades — Instantly
LAWRENCE, Kan. — Hello, you've got grades.
That's the message University of Kansas students were receiving last month as the school for the first time posted grades for the fall semester on a Web site that e-mailed the grades to them. And the reaction has been favorable.
"It's pretty convenient," says Faisal Iqbal, a senior in business. "Last time we had to wait a long time to get our grades. I tried it as soon as finals were over. It was pretty quick."
Previously, students had to rely on phone calls to faculty or snail mail from the university. The university used a variety of software to set up the e-mail system, says Associate Registrar Bob Turvey.
To get their grades, students went to a page on Kansas' Web site, entered a school-issued identification number and selected the semester for which they wanted their grades. Students then were able to select a button that says: "E-mail my grades." Grades then were e-mailed to student addresses on file with the university.
"They love it," Turvey says. "The only difficulties have been a lot of students don't e-mail or don''t remember their passwords."
The system had received about 36,700 hits as of late last month. However, one student still was waiting for one grade. "I've only gotten two of my grades," said Paul Vincent, sophomore in mathematics who took three courses.