When the Downtown Center opened last month, Binghamton University and city officials praised the building, saying it heralded a new era of cooperation between BU and its urban neighbor.

But while the Center’s economic influence had politicians and administrators salivating, students, decidedly the critical contingent, say they were left ‘out of the loop’ on the project (see Page 1) ‘ and are now paying the price.

It didn’t take a student being attacked and robbed after attending a class at the DT Center last week for others to feel uneasy about taking late classes Downtown. The nearly four mile trek to the Center has students, faculty and parents questioning the the safety measures around the building and the administration’s decision to mandate that some students take classes there.

The University’s safety notice posted on B-Line, BU’s daily, official newsletter e-mailed to students, after the incident warned students to ‘be aware of their surroundings’ and take the bus home. Yet such presumption into the specific circumstances of each student seems to fall flat, considering the student who was attacked is a commuter from Cortland who, at the time, was walking to her car to go home.

Other than this utterly ineffectual advice, BU has been remiss in not addressing student concerns before the Center opened.

While the administration has at least done the bare minimum to receive and comply with student feedback on other construction projects such as the East Campus and East Gym Renovation plans, there was virtually no input from the student body on their Downtown Center brainchild.

Where were the town hall forums to discuss the safety plans for the Downtown Center? Where were the pledges from administrators to listen to student concerns about commuting and parking?

‘I believe that the Downtown Campus was rushed to completion without any real consideration for the students’ safety,’ said the parent of a student in the College of Community and Public Affairs in a letter to President Lois B. DeFleur.

We must agree.

But it isn’t enough to point fingers. Now that the decision has been made and students have been excluded from the process, it is apparent that we must be re-inserted into the system.

The immediate and painfully obvious remedy would be to hold classes before 4 p.m. at the Downtown campus ‘ students would be able to get home during daylight hours ‘ and avoid commuting in the dark. Graduate students, who could conceivably have to take night classes, should be afforded free access to the staff parking lot.

And while we’re addressing the issue of parking, we’d like to see a $40 refund in the mail for every parking permit students have had to purchase as a result of being forced to take classes Downtown.