File sharing, while it might have started out illegally, has the potential to become legal and flourish through network services to universities, and contracts with the reformed Napster.

If it can be done within the bounds of the law, file sharing doesn't present a problem.

Many people were present for the illegal free-for-all downloading during the beginnings of Internet file sharing. This now leaves a large amount of people who still want to get songs on their PCs.

It's apparent the desire to download music won't just go away.

This gives universities and companies a largely untapped resource - a captive audience. The demand is there, and students are likely to continue breaking the law until a better, more reliable service is established. In the future, it's likely many college students will share files legally.

It's good that some universities are actively crafting deals with the Recording Industry Association of America or this consumer demand. It will bring profit back to the record labels and artists, and at the same time free up bandwidth on university networks. Eventually, it will make everyone happy.

Universities will circumvent problems brought on by students' illegal activities by accommodating their desires to download. Playing nice with the RIAA is nothing to be ashamed of.

But what might be the right decision for one university could be wrong for others. Setting up contracts with companies for downloading costs money, and when colleges are facing budget constraints, access to music files shouldn't be the top priority.

For MSU, there are much more important and pressing issues right now other than signing a contract with Napster. A service like this might be good for MSU, but right now there is neither the time nor money.

When legal file-sharing services to universities are more well established and competitive in price, MSU might want to start looking. Until then, it's just wishful thinking.