In e-mail era, one professor sticks to letters and phone calls

With the proliferation of electronic communication, what began as a quick way to communicate has become a way of life. However, there are the few and the proud who remain detached from the world of the Internet, content with - and longing for - the days when all communication was face-to-face.

The New York Times reported on Apr. 17 that 42 percent of American adults are not connected to the Internet. An even more surprising statistic is that 74 percent of these people have relatives or close friends who do use the Internet. The Times termed 20 percent of non-users "Net Evaders," or people who eschew the use of the Internet despite "living in Internet-connected homes where other relatives go online."

English Professor Jonathan Strong has taught at Tufts "on and off" for about 23 years, since 1969. Strong uses the Internet on his computer at Tufts for only three necessary purposes: to register students, to check class lists, and to submit grades, which the school has recently made a strictly on-line process for professors.

As he hardly uses the internet, it would seem that Strong would have difficulty navigating sites. But Strong has an answer for this - and for many other questions that the Internet-addicted might throw at him. He has a handy "cheat sheet" that he keeps next to his computer to assist him in these processes.

When asked the obvious question of why he has chosen to avoid the Internet and electronic mail, Strong said, "I am happy as I am."

"I really like face-to-face contact, voice-to-voice, old-fashioned letters," he said. In addition, "I noticed enough friends get hassled by email and I wanted to avoid that. My life is busy enough."

Strong is quick to explain that he is trying to make no point with his rejection of the World Wide Web. "I'm not a crusader," Strong said. "I don't have a general principle against the Internet. You have to decide what works for you."

What works for Strong is the simplicity that comes with avoiding many technologies. "I try to simplify my life," he said. "I find technology, unrestrained, does not [simplify my life]."

Strong takes pleasure in his DVD player and will watch the occasional TV program. He does not, however, feel the need to be connected at all times by means of the Internet or a cell phone: "I find people are in touch too much," he said.

Strong understands that his stance may seem far-fetched, especially to younger students, who have grown up with the Internet as a major part of their lives. "It's a generational thing," Strong said. "I'm still comfortable in the 1950s - some people say the 1890s."

As a writer, Strong has grown accustomed to pecularities that enable him to write more freely. He still uses a manual typewriter, and has gotten quite good with his white out. Strong prefers using a typewriter to a word processor because it requires greater thought and precision before each sentence. "For a writer, the slowness and difficulty of it helps you to hone your sentences," he said.

One might think that there are others at the school with a similar penchant for the simplicities in life, but those people are few and far between. The University doesn't even have a way of

simply not assigning an e-mail address. Strong was assigned one once, but had to cancel it because people thought they were contacting him, when really he received none of their correspondence. The school was not able to cancel Strong's account directly: he had to sign off as if he were taking a leave of absence, and will have to renew that "absence" in the future.

Strong's small classes allow him to evade technology. Having 24 students total makes it far easier to interact on a personal basis, relying on telephone contact and student meetings. "If I were an administrator," he said, "I'd have to have [the Internet]."

If a problem should arise and Strong should need to contact students immediately and en masse, he has class lists with student phone numbers to contact them quickly, although "it is very occasional that I have to," he said.

Strong sometimes accomplishes these phone chains with a little help from his friends, who are always willing to help him when his aversion to the Internet poses a problem. "[My] partner, Scott, is a computer whiz," he said. Up until his death at the age of 85, Strong's father used the Internet heavily. "The small number of times I might need something, I ask a friend," Strong said.

The English Department accommodates Strong's needs as well. If there is an e-mail sent to all of the professors, the department will put the message in his mailbox. They appreciate that Strong is very quick to respond.

Otherwise, Strong has experienced very few problems as a result of his aversion. And his students and advisees seem to respond well. "I do warn my advisees," he said, that "they have to be willing to come see me."

"I worry about advisees who never see their advisor," Strong said. "As an advisor you can't really know what's going on unless you sit down and talk."

Perhaps, even for Internet addicts, there is something to learn from Professor Strong. "This opens up more time, when I can sit and read," Strong said. "I love to write and get letters. I'd rather have a nice letter every couple of months than a brief hello every couple of days."

And it would seem that Strong has exactly what he wants. "I'm lucky," he said. "I live my simple life."