UNH looks to replace Ruckus after shutdown

For nearly two years, illegal downloading became virtually obsolete. Students were able to download as much music as they wanted for free.

When Ruckus, a Web site providing free downloads to college students, went offline on Feb. 6, that opportunity disappeared.

“We’ll keep our eyes open for an alternative, but at the present time there doesn’t seem to be any companies ready to fill the void,” said senior assistant vice president for Student and Academic Services Anne Lawing.

The service closed because the site’s digital rights management licensing server had shut down, according to TechCrunch.com, a blog that profiles new Internet products and companies.

Acquired by TotalMusic in 2008, Ruckus provided students with an alternative to illegal downloading. In fall 2007 and spring 2008 combined, according to Lawing, over 1,000 UNH students were notified by the Recording Industry Association of America for illegally downloading and/or sharing copyrighted music. Many of those students have paid settlement fees, while others were subpoenaed to appear in court.

That all changed when the university partnered with Ruckus. Lawing said the university hasn’t dealt with any RIAA pre-litigation letters or subpoenas since last summer. However, according to Computer and Information Services, there were approximately 213 general copyright complaints sent since last September. Approximately 85 percent of those complaints came from the RIAA.

“The RIAA will ‘complain,’ but this is not about litigation or pre-litigation,” Lawing said.

The news of the Ruckus server going down last Friday has left many students unfazed. John Coletta, a junior at UNH, used Ruckus, but said he didn’t use it consistently. He liked not having to wait long for songs to download. “You clicked and there was the song you wanted,” he said.

Lawing said the university is searching for a new partnership with another site. When Congress reauthorized the Higher Education Opportunity Act last year, it became a requirement for all universities and colleges to offer music sites as an alternative to illegal downloading.

JuicyCampus’ end brings sighs of relief

To the relief of many students and faculty members, the controversial Web site JuicyCampus had its last day of gossip mongering last week.

On Feb. 4, JuicyCampus founder Matt Iverson announced that the site known for its anonymous gossip posts would be shutting down. On the JuicyCampus blog, he cited “historically difficult economic times” and plummeting online ad revenue.

UNH was one of the 500 schools JuicyCampus had welcomed to its fold, with entries ranging from funny and lighthearted to downright cold and spiteful.

Anne Lawing, UNH’s senior assistant vice president for Student and Academic Services, called the site “mean, salacious and malicious.” 

“It served no purpose,” said Lawing. “It was protected by the First Amendment, and had nothing to do with UNH.”

“At first, I thought it was kind of funny,” said Brad Turner, a junior engineering major. “But as I read more, it got meaner… I think it made people more ignorant.”

Lawing said throughout the site’s existence her department would hear occasional complaints, but the administration rarely followed the controversy. The site’s protection and the anonymity of the posts made seeking legal action virtually futile. She said some people had been “really hurt” by posts on JuicyCampus.

Many students said the majority of the posts were isolated to groups who knew each other and were looking for harmless fun. “Basically, it was for people who were bored,” said Alissa Marchant, a member of the student Senate. “It was like the burn book.”

The Greek system, athletes or athletic teams, and people who knew each other within their major were common subjects of interest on the site.

Though Lawing said administrators are sharing “collective sighs of relief” over the end of JuicyCampus, other Web sites are attempting to pick up where JuicyCampus left off.

One site, College Anonymous Confession Board, said they wished to “establish ourselves as the new standard in anonymous college posting.”

second flasher incident strikes UNH campus

On Feb. 11, UNH police were alerted to another incident of indecent exposure on campus.

Three female UNH students were driving behind Stoke Hall when a college-age male stepped in front of the vehicle and exposed himself. After the students drove off, the flasher reportedly waved, then walked unhurriedly toward Stillings Marketplace.

The perpetrator was described as a 5-foot, 11-inch college-age male with light tan skin, dark brown hair and some facial hair.

The case was the second report of public exposure this semester. The previous was in January when another college-age male exposed himself behind the Whittemore Center.

In addition to that incident, a separate report involved a man allegedly attempting to video a student showering in the bathroom of Devine Hall.

Students are encouraged to contact UNH Police with any information at 603-868-2324.