From the comfort of their dorm rooms, Harvard students in four houses will soon be able to use their personal computers to obtain the latest news bulletins, gain access to various databases and talk to friends across the country via electronic mail.

Residents of Leverett Towers and North, Lowell and Currier Houses are being offered the Student Network Access service, on a trial basis for a $12 monthly subscription fee.

The Office of Information Technology (OIT) requires a minimum of 20 students from a house in order to implement the service in that house.

So far 134 students responded to an OIT survey mailed out this summer, and intended to gauge interest in the program.

The network is scheduled to be connected by October 7 for North, October 15 for Leverett, October 21 for Lowell and October 28 for Currier.

The OIT is offering the program as the latest phase of the High Speed Data Network (HSDN), which links Harvard computers to each other and to off-campus information systems. It is the first network set up specifically for students.

"Network connection offers a much wider variety of resources, and students can download faster through the network than through a modem," said Gary R. Holmes, manager for HSDN and network planning information.

Unlimited Access

Not only does Network Access connect students to HOLLIS and Science Center computer accounts, but it also allows unlimited access to more than 100 university library catalogs.

In addition, the service provides access to computer bulletin boards on topics such as sports, politics, law, science and government, and electronic news reports from local, domestic and international sources.

In addition, the network permits students to hook their computers to Internet, a computer connection that links Macs and PCs to electronic texts, databases and mainframes across the country and around the world.

All students with personal computers can use the network; however, IBM PC's require additional hardware to communicate with the system, which is designed for Apple computers.

The future of the Student Network Access will be determined after a mid-term evaluation, said Network Project Consultant Scott O. Bradner.

Expansion of the network to other houses and Yard dorms is "dependent on whether the students feel it is a valuable service," Bradner added. "So far, reaction is extremely positive."