Recording and movie industry lawsuits are slamming our students once again. It has become a frequent event here at Rensselaer and it should be no surprise that these suits will come again. I will not stand by and wait until another 28 students are indicted, though. Will you? Will the Institute?
There is a responsible alternative to turning a blind eye. Many colleges and universities across America are taking a proactive step in partnering with legal online downloading services such as Ruckus, Rhapsody, Napster or Cdigix, to name a few. It just so happens that the RIAA and MPAA are not targeting schools that offer blanket coverage of these services to students and faculty. Coincidental? I doubt it. Extortion is illegal, but according to the RIAA’s track record, this is the new standard. Do we wait helplessly until the next suits are filed or should we make a move that protects Rensselaer’s image from the bad press it receives on a regular basis from these suits? Those that have faced the weight of litigations will tell you, “The time has come to act.”
The issue is a pressing one and that is why the Chairman of the Senate Technology Affairs Committee, Derek Murawsky, and I have been meeting with top-level administrators to discuss the idea of implementing an online downloading service beginning this fall. We cannot wait any longer to address the issue; otherwise, 25 more IP addresses will be subpoenaed in the fall, and 25 again next spring. Chairman Murawsky has been doing a fabulous job leading the discussion within his committee and on an interim committee of dotCIO personnel, the directors of research libraries and the Union, and multiple students. A survey is currently being developed that will be sent out to all students via class presidents to gather feedback about the initiation of such a service. Many questions remain, such as where will the funding come from? Would students be willing to subsidize a portion of the cost through a $12 activity fee increase for unlimited legal downloading of movies and music? What kind of services does the RPI community desire, if any? And what kind of service would most benefit the classroom and eMPAC programming in the future?
Just last week, the IFC took an official vote of their houses to determine if support lies behind a contract partially subsidized by the Union. An astonishing 80 percent of the houses endorsed the idea. While it seems that just as many students in the entire campus community are behind this approach, I’d advise everyone to be cautious and questioning of any proposal until all uncertainties have been answered.
Part of the discussion involves finding out about all of the service providers and what costs are attached. A select number of students and administrators will be given a presentation from Cdigix next Monday. Their services, for example, include unlimited music downloads and movie downloads. In addition, their capability expands the classroom curriculum through more effective utilization of technology and digital media. Since each company’s services vary in functionality we will consider every option before making any decisions.
Funding is obviously an enormous concern. Contract costs fluctuate around $150,000 per year for complete campus access. Sony BMG Music Entertainment is footing the bill for trial semesters at some universities where these services have been widely popular among students. Other schools are finding anonymous donors, as is the case at American University. Our case may be any one of these, or it could follow a completely different model in which the activity fee helps subsidize the expense.
The issue is a vexing one for sure, but we will rise to the occasion now as always. We simply cannot turn another blind eye this time around. Next time it could be worse. It could be much worse. There must be a solution whether it involves entering into an agreement with a downloading service or taking another approach. Twenty-eight students remain nameless today, but many more students have yet to be named. Time is our only defense and the clock is ticking.
You may contact GM Max Yates at gm@rpi.edu or Technology Affairs Chairman Derek Murawsky at murawd@rpi.edu.
