TV Or Not TV

The U.S. has the highest number of television sets per person in the world, yet by that standard of wealth, Harvard is hopelessly poor. Harvard undergraduates must subsist on what they can get over the airwaves or herd into common rooms to watch their favorite shows—or fight with others who are watching something else.

But thanks to the entrepreneurial wit and creative zeal of a few students, modernity is politely knocking on our doors. Technological and legal issues have been resolved by this small group of dedicated students and satellite television could soon be accessible in upperclassmen houses through electrical wires. For $25 to $35 per month, Harvard students could enjoy 250 channels of DirecTV.

This proposal is not a whimsical claim of entitlement to better television; it is a refreshingly motivated and entirely student-funded project that will fill an embarrassing gap in the quality of student accommodation. The administration should allow this system to be installed in dorms across campus and refrain from paternalistic regulation.

Some say that installing such a regulatory system to curbe the audio-visual appetite of students is desirable because television is a roadblock to social, extracurricular, and academic endeavors that make Harvard such a vibrant place. But in not offering cable or satellite television, Harvard is the exception to the rule—many schools still have thriving campuses even if students have the distraction of television. Furthermore, many students already watch short excerpts of their favorite shows on the Internet or via the public airwaves and would welcome the convenience of access to DirecTV in their rooms.

Television may often serve us ill, but it is not a useless tool altogether. Many students will leave Harvard to serve their communities and the nation but they are barely aware of current events or the forces that shape the American opinion. Access to television will help alleviate the isolation inside the infamous “Harvard bubble.”

Another criticism of television in dorm rooms is that it would detract from the communal experience of gathering in common rooms. But strangers do not meet in common rooms to bond over commercial breaks. They merely share awkward moments when one person treks to the basement for a basketball game while the next one fancies Jack Bauer. Most students do not wish to be disturbed or fight over the remote.

The plan thus seems like a win-win situation—students who want satellite television could get it and students who do not want it will not have to pay. And yet the administration’s support of the proposal remains tepid. The College says it may support the plan subject to approval by individual House Masters.

Such arrangement, however, would be unfair. Because housing is randomized, every effort should be made to provide equal amenities rather than leaving things like television access—which could easily be equal across the College—to the whims of each individual House. Consequently, we hope that the College rolls out the satellite system College-wide as soon as possible.