Hard line

A small rural college has become the first in America to require that prospective undergraduates apply only online, writes Jon Marcus.

West Virginia Wesleyan College, which has about 1,650 students, already requires students to have their own laptop computers, and provides them with a wireless campus-wide network.

University president William Haden said: "The logical next step for us is to require online applications."

College officials said they expect to save money by allowing only electronic applications.