After repeated complaints from the Recording Industry Association of America and another round of headlines around the state, the university changed its policy regarding illegal downloads.
In an e-mail to the student body, Kent Smith, the vice president for student affairs, said all alleged first-time offenders will be referred to university judiciaries.
The reluctance to fight the RIAA and potential lawsuits is understandable. Ohio University has enough problems of its own without trying to take on the recording industry.
And, as others have pointed out, the university is not the cause of this problem. OU officials are not the ones downloading music and movies illegally. But simply caving to outside pressure will not lessen the problem, and OU will have to reexamine its policies once more when high-achieving students are about to be kicked out.
The university has yet to explain how university judiciaries is expected to handle at least 1,200 more cases per year ' though the number will probably be higher. That office's caseload has already risen by more than 1,000 cases in the last six years, an increase of equal size spread over a much longer timespan.
The university must find something to replace Cdigix, or it has little ground to stand on when it tells students not to download. How difficult would it be to enter into a contract with Napster or iTunes, considering the university's substantial buying power?
With a student body that generally has no qualms about some other illegal activities, it's no wonder OU has topped yet another list of shame. The university should work to offer legal alternatives and should simultaneously punish those who have been found in violation of the law.Editorials represent the majority opinion of the Post executive editors.
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