It’s been yet another year of decisions made by the administration with very little regard for student input. Despite the Student Association’s efforts to be the arbiter between student opinion and the administration’s stone-cold stubbornness, decisions on everything from Old University Union and East Campus renovation plans to the cancellation of physical education courses goes without any consideration for student opinion.

So, while it isn’t surprising that the Binghamton University Council (a body with a single student representative) decided to change the Student Code of Conduct to force students to talk to authorities when they come knocking on their campus door, it is shocking.

Putting aside for a moment the issue of privacy rights for students attending a public university, simply the fact that the powers that be are deciding something of such grave importance after hearing (and ignoring) the feedback from one student is regrettable to say the least.

Certainly, one could argue that freshmen and underclassmen living on campus don’t necessarily know how to drink appropriately and that rules which force them to speak to authorities could ultimately be saving them.

But officials on this campus — including the very recently appointed Vice President for Student Affairs Brian T. Rose — barely paused to consider what the future implications of their decisions could be.

Certainly, privacy at a university is at a premium, particularly at a public one funded by taxpayer’s money. Students come here expecting to have rights, they don’t read the Student Code of Conduct, and they certainly don’t expect to enter a pseudo-Orwellian boarding school.

Given that Rose is the official closest to the lives of the student body, he should be the sounding board for our concerns. Students who support or oppose the changes and want to share their opinions can contact him at brose@binghamton.edu.