The Senate, for its part, is moving ahead and asking the Executive Board to include the cost of Ruckus in the budget for next year. The service has only been operating on campus since November, and thus it seems early to already be making this decision. The E-Board is now in the midst of budgeting, but we would like to see more time allowed for students to use the service and let the Senate and the E-Board know if they want it renewed. It is also important to ensure that we do not enter into a multi-year contract so quickly and to consider that the $10,000 rate may only cover next year, and that it could be increased substantially thereafter.

Renewing Ruckus had sparked a large debate, but the lower price may change the minds of some who are against renewal. At the same time, usage data shows that students are heavily using the service, but this does not indicate that they would still want to use it if they had to pay for it. Some may only be using it to try it out, and the usage data may also show a novelty trend that drops as this semester goes on.