Downloading music is a fact of college life in the early 21st century.

In order to help students avoid downloading music illegally, the university has entered into an agreement with Ruckus Network. Under the agreement, Ruckus will provide free music downloads.

The music is available for playback on the computer that processed the download.

To play the music on mp3 players or to burn it to CDs, students must access the Buy.com feature or the Ruckus-to-Go plan for $20 per semester.

The program is, in part, to protect students from Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) action against illegal downloads. The RIAA sends violation notifications and prelitigation letters to colleges and universities. Prior to implementing a downloading service, the university received an average of 40 violation notifications per semester. Once the service was implemented, the violations dropped to two.

Students who download music illegally are vulnerable to action from the RIAA and the university including removal of offending files and a hearing under the Dean of Students office.