Internet company donates services to displaced Seton Hall students

The recent fire in a freshmen dormitory at Seton Hall University forced more than 220 students to be relocated to off-campus housing, effectively severing their connections to the school's online community.

However, the tragic event that took three students' lives prompted a local company to donate 250 remote dial-up Internet accounts to keep the displaced undergraduates connected.

New York City-based Applied Theory Corp. donated the remote dial-up accounts, which were designed for large organizations that use remote workers and telecommuters, said company chairman and chief executive officer Richard Mandelbaum.

Seton Hall in South Orange, N.J., is one of the most wired campuses in the nation. Every student receives a laptop computer that can be plugged into any of the university's 7,000 connection ports. The ports are located in classrooms, student lounges and park benches.

The university's computing department contacted the relocated students to arrange their individual Internet access accounts. Applied Theory will keep the accounts active as long as the students remain in off-campus housing.