EDITORIAL: Common sense must persist in time of tragedy

The death of Jasper Howard was hard for his friends, his family and the entire UConn community. In light of this tragedy, there has been an influx of well-wishers hoping to assist with donations in whatever way they can. The site gamedaytees.com offered various memorabilia with pictures of Howard as well as his jersey number. Their claim was that all of the profits would go toward the Jasper Howard Memorial, one of the two memorials established by the university. Many students were taken by this idea, buying shirts and towels and other items from the site, as they hoped to contribute to the cause in whatever way they could. But according to Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, the site violated the state law of Connecticut. As they had not registered with the Public Charities Unit, they could not be established as a proper charity, and thus could not make claims that they were donating all of their profits to a foundation set up in Howard's name. Other rules associated with being a charitable vendor that pertain to disclosure were not followed either.

Then, there is the issue of copyright. Because Howard was a football player, there are stringent rules attached to using his likeness as well as other trademarked, copyright symbols that represent UConn football. All of these images are property of the university and are usually used only when officially affiliated with the school. This is where another problem occurred with the site, as they were not properly a part of the fundraising. In order to use these images, one has to acquire permission first, which the Web site managers did not do. Since Blumenthal's statement, the Web site has removed such items and written a statement on the homepage citing an explanation for their actions, saying that their intention was always to have the profits go to Howard's memorial.

Even if the attempts were misguided, to fault these students for their naiveté is unfair. Their hopes were presumably not to scam students out of money, but as their claim states: to play their part in helping raise money for the Jasper Howard Memorial. It is highly unlikely that they were attempting to exploit the tragic death of Howard, but rather trying to do their own part to help his family. Although the owners of the site could have done more research in terms of trademark laws, it is understandable that such a terrible crime would have led them to seek immediate action. Tensions are running high, and both the owners of the site and Blumenthal acted with haste. Students ought to be aware and fully conscious of what they purchase or do in Jasper Howard's name, as the blame cannot simply be placed on the Web site. Ultimately, one must remember to retain common sense despite tragedy.