And although she ultimately found a friend withher own typewriter, Reddy says the struggle onlyreinforced her belief that no one is payingattention to the College's equipment.

"They just don't take care of them very well,"she says of typewriters.

But despite the poor condition of many campustypewrites, some say the College is the only placeto find typewriters in a pinch.

Shine May Hung '98 says she has alreadyreturned to Lamont Library to use one of thefacility's two public typewriters. Hung, who isapplying to graduate schools, says the combinationof the machine's prehistoric feeling and Lamont'ssterile 2nd floor typing room offer the typist sunique experience.

"It really has that back-to-the-basicsfeeling," she says.

But during a stop at Lamont last week, Hung wasquick to call the typewriter's product"unacceptable" pointing to her stack of manilaenvelopes sporting wavy, smudged addresses.

Similarly, Shouyee Yung '98-99 says the fear ofbeing caught without a typewriter when she neededone led her to take the plunge into typewriterownership after her first year the College.

"I remember needing to fill something outfreshman year and it was just a hassle," Yungsays. "There weren't any available."

Buying Some Time

Yung's experience, like that of many who relyon College typing rooms, has led some students topurchase or even rent typewriters. For medicalschool applicant Sanaz Hariri '99, the no-braindecision to type rather than write herapplications by hand necessitated the purchase ofa reliable machine.

"I just thought it would look a lot more neatand professional," she says.

Hariri says she was frustrated that Collegetypewriters, while easily accessible, tended tonot have correction capabilities. As a result, shesays she decided to buy her own typewriter thispast summer after pricing monthly rental, about$60 a month.

Hariri says friends applying for Rhodes andMarshall scholarships or filing out law schoolapplications have been pleased to find--anduse--the well-maintained machine in herpossession.

But according to Ruth Silbert, owner ofUniversity Typewriter and Computer on Mt. AuburnSt., Hariri is among a growing number of studentsthat own their own typewriters.

Silbert says that despite the major switch tocomputers that took place between five and eightyears ago, her company still does strong businessin the typewriter trade. She says Fall brought aheavy demand for business this year, with morethan two dozen typewriters sold just in the lastmonth.