"The IRC has thousands of interactive channels," says Slovenian student and Dunster House resident Andre Benedejcic '95. Benedejcic says he made many-friends--and even met his present girlfriend--over the Internet.

"There's a Dutch channel, a Russian channel, a Serbain channel...it's very useful if you are homesick, and a good source of stress relief."

Benedejcic says he sometimes participates in "flame wars" over the IRC, which is an interactive war, much like "having an argument with somebody, but he or she cannot physically strike you when you get abusive," Benedejcic says.

The apparent invisibility of on-line users who participate in cyberspace discussions may permit greater freedom of expression, says Aslam.

"It's probably easier to speak up when someone can't hear your voice," Aslam says.

Aslam says he once read a derogatory message, posted over the Internet, on ethnic strife in Pakistan, and was moved to reply. He may not have responded, he says, if it had been a "direct confrontation."

"It's kind of strange, but the Internet gives you a little more freedom. I can send stuff I would not have said directly."

Peterson says the Internet may encourage uninhibited self-expression.

"It makes a lot of people more bold, sometimes more callous," Peterson says. "It's like the telephone--if you only talk to someone over the phone, they might give off a certain personality, but then you meet them and they seem like a totally different person."

Maintaining strong ties with family and friends oceans away necessitates an easy-to-use, affordable means of communication; for this reason, e-mail is the most sensible option, according to many international students.

"It's a way to keep in touch with family and people I've known all my life," says Covas, whose parents are in Athens. "I mean, I like it here and I'm happy, but it's not home to me."