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UNCW tennis team is on the ball | I I
September 11, 2003
Volume LV, Number 3
Serving UNC Wilmington since 1948
RIAA regulates students, silences music
Jacob Rudolph
Staff Writer
The music industry’s fight
against illegal peer-to-peer music
file trading has moved from the
corporate world to the college
campus.
Facing billions of dollars in
lost revenue, the Recording
Industry Association of America
has begun to crackdown on one of
the hotspots of e-piracy - the can-
nals of academic computer net
works.
On Oct, 3, 2002, the RIAA
sent a letter to 2,300 American
colleges and university presi
dents, strongly urging them to
take action against illegal file
sharing on their campuses.
On April 18, 2003, another let
ter from the RIAA to campus
presidents said much progress had
been made in stopping illegal
activity. Still, the music industry
watchdog said, more needed to be
done. Lawsuits directly targeting
%
Freshmen Dave Buist listens to music while studying in Lakeside,
college students and large fines
were their new weapons against
piracy,
“Too
many students have
come to believe
they are entitled
to infringe as
many copyrights
as they can until
they get caught, at
which time they
will simply be
told to stop,” read
the April letter
from RIAA presi
dent, Cary
Sherman. “Our
lawsuits are
intended to make
clear that this is
not the case,”
Although most
students are
aware that peer-
to-peer file shar
ing is illegal, they
are not necessari
ly keen on giving
it up, A UNCW
senior, who did
not want to reveal her name, said
Andy Bider Ahe Seahawk
she downloads music all the time,
knowing full-well it’s illegal.
“I just don’t see that much
wrong with it,” she said. “The
radio’s free, and anybody can
record off the radio if they want.”
The talk is quick; however, if
faced with legal action, she admits
she would give up downloading
music.
That is exactly the reaction the
RIAA is hoping to solicit.
Over the summer, several col
leges and universities received
subpoenas from the RIAA,
requesting the institutions turn
over names of file-swappers it
wished to prosecute.
Boston College and
Massachusetts Institute of
Technology fought RIAA subpoe
nas on the grounds of privacy.
Last month, their subpoenas were
dismissed by a federal judge - but
on a legal technicality, not a nod
See RIAA, Page 2
CLASS OF 2004 CHOOSES “SENIOR GIFT”: MONEY FOR A FRESHMEN SCHOLARSHIP
Kristen Haworth
CORRESPONDENT
This year no time is being
wasted on finding help and
money to get the 2004 Senior Gift
Project off the ground.
Tiffany Moyer, fund-raising
coordinator, is eager to find stu
dents willing to help make this
year’s gift more beneficial to the
students. “We are looking for
around 25 to 30 seniors to get
involved and become class
agents,” Moyer said.
Senior Naomi Debbaut thought
students should have more say in
what the gift will be. “A donation
to financial aid,” Debbaut said, is
where she would rather see the
money go.
Past gifts have included the
clock tower and other structural
objects that some feel did not
focus on broad-based student par
ticipation. This year both Moyer
and Stephanie David, director of
development, want to change the
theme of the gift from structural
to monetary — and use the
money for scholarships.
“The main goal is to engage
and excite this senior class 2004
in leaving their legacy at
UNCW,” Davis said. “By gath
ering an enthusiastic group of
senior class fundraisers, we hope
they will leave a financial legacy
enabling future freshmen students
to afford the very UNCW educa
tion this senior class enjoyed.”
The idea of a scholarship for
upcoming freshmen seems to be a
way to leave behind an actual
“gift” that can stay around for
many years. Several seniors have
said that while the university
focuses on structures, the students
want to focus on scholarships.
David also mentioned the idea
of a naming wall to honor and
thank, among others, the class of
2004 and their fundraising accom
plishments.
Altogether Moyer and David
are looking for seniors to give a
donation, choose a proper place
for the money to be used and par
ticipate in the fundraising.
To become a senior class agent
contact Stephanie at 962-2659.
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