Issue date: 2/8/07 Section: Opinion

On the eve of finals, multiple School of Arts and Sciences Webmail crashes made students more aware than ever of the need to change the status quo.

In the months leading up the snafu, SAS officials had already repeatedly pushed back the date when they would announce whether the new e-mail provider would be Microsoft or Google. After the December crashes, officials swore that a switch would take place by the end of January.

It's Feb. 8, and there is not only no decision, but no clear sense as to when the final decision will ultimately be made.

That students are completely in the dark is bad. That the Computer Advisory Board - a group of students who are supposed to helping officials make the choice - are in the dark is even worse.

Enough is enough. The University would do well to learn from the story of the boy who cried wolf. Continually missing deadlines and breaking promises made to students diminishes the trust students have in their administration.

Whatever the reasons behnd the delays, the University has two options: make a decision or stop stringing students along. If it's going to take another few months, say so. If officials honestly don't know when they're going to make a decision, don't set a deadline that can't be met.

To keep the administration on its toes, the DP will start running a counter on its front page to show how many days since Jan. 31 - the last deadline the University set for an announcement - have passed without a decision being made.

Students have been patient, and it's time for the administration to be held accountable for letting down its students.

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