The Binghamton chapter of Intellectual Decisions on Environmental Awareness Solutions (I.D.E.A.S.) hosted a formal discussion at 8 p.m last night in the Old University Union for students to share their opinions about Occupy Wall Street.

The movement began in September in Manhattan’s financial district to demonstrate against what protesters see as irresponsible corporate and government practices that led the world into its greatest recession since the Great Depression.

“Occupy” sympathy protests have spread to more than 100 cities across the United States, according to the unofficial Occupy Wall Street website. The movement has no official platform or leader.

Jacob Robison, a junior majoring in environmental studies and president of I.D.E.A.S. for Binghamton, said his club’s seminar was intended to provide an open forum.

“Occupy Wall Street hasn’t had much of a chance for formal discussion among students,” Robison said. “Our seminar is about encouraging students to form opinions without swaying them either way.”

The discussion began with a PowerPoint presentation created by Christian Caccamise, a senior majoring in finance, who moderated the discussion.

He included information gathered from major media outlets including The New York Times, Forbes Magazine and the unofficial OWS website. The presentation provided statistics about the poor mortgage investments made by corporate banks that left them with billions of dollars in debt. He also provided reasons why large investment banks are crucial to the American economy.

“Banks are the lubrication of our economy, they take people with capital and match them with people without capital,” Caccamise said. “Without [major investment] banks, the whole financial structure would collapse.”

Caccamise said he sympathized with the Occupy ideology, but questioned if the movement’s lack of structure would prevent change.

“I think [Occupy Wall Street] needs better leadership and clearly discernible goals because currently it has neither of those things, and I’m not sure how you can be successful without either of those,” he said.

Kaitlin Sullivan, a senior majoring in environmental science, said she supported the lack of formal leadership in the movement. She said that protesting on equal footing stays true to the Occupy mantra: “We are the 99 percent.”

“I think it’s all about the people coming together as one instead of one person coming out to talk about [the issues],” Sullivan said.

Robb Quiller, a senior double-majoring in environmental studies and economics, said he believes the Occupy movement eventually will need more direct leadership, but that the current protests are an important first step to change.

“Occupy Wall Street is gaining numbers. It is showing people the problems so then we can find a solution,” Quiller said. “I learned what led to [OWS], more about the bailouts and the bank crisis.”