Binghamton University is going to charge students for a $268 million project.

The administration’s ‘East Campus’ project ‘ really, the renovation of the Newing College and Dickinson Community residence halls ‘ will be paid for through residence hall rates YOU pay. Paying off the debt will take years, but the administration wants to start construction on a new building as soon as next spring.

The project, which is expected to add 900 beds to campus, is presumably also intended to cushion the blow of increasing admission rates here at Binghamton. Future Bearcats will be arriving by the truckload to fork over their residential fees and live in a combined Dickinson and Newing community. The plans, which are now non-negotiable, include one building to house the collegiate center and dining hall for all the residential buildings.

In fact, the meeting taking place on Monday at 4:30 p.m. with administrators is not formatted to hear your input on the nearly $300 million project. Instead, officials will TELL you what’s happening.

When Student Association officials met with administrators to discuss the proposals, they were told that the current plans are final and that current students would’t know what future students will want.

Granted, we can’t say with any certainty what the future students of this institution would prefer given the option, but we hardly think the administration is more qualified.

We can’t even say whether the administration’s plans are what’s in the best interest for this campus. But not giving students a chance to weigh in and contribute on a decision that will be paid for with our (parents’) money is a move worthy of Dolores Umbridge.

When the SA put forth a referendum to a student vote, 90 percent said separate dining halls and collegiate centers for the two communities would be preferable. Despite this overwhelming majority, the administration is insisting on their plans, and Monday’s meeting will be strictly informative ‘ not a dialogue, as it should be.

If top University officials want to pay for the project out of their own pockets, then we say go ahead, and don’t factor current students into the decision. (Incidentally, it would take James VanVoorst, vice president for administration, roughly 1,388 years to cover the price tag if he gave up the entirety of his current salary every year. It would take President Lois B. DeFleur just about 974 years under the same conditions.)

If you care about $268 million (which would buy way over 5 billion blue books, by the way), go support your brethren of the future and ask the tough questions at Monday’s un-town hall meeting.

After all, if you don’t go, the classes of the future will only have you to blame.