We’re not surprised that the anti-town hall meeting held last week was an exercise in one-sided communication, but the organization on behalf of students came as quite a shock.

Not since the days of ‘ (we can’t even remember) ‘ has the Student Association mobilized students so efficiently on an issue where so much was at stake. And we’re proud.

Administrators at Monday’s meeting presented plans for the $268 million construction project for the Newing and Dickinson communities, and students asked compelling questions about the project that school officials seem intent not to question ‘ even when an overwhelming majority of 90 percent disagree with them. The teach-in held before the meeting ‘ and led by SA President David Bass ‘ brought students together to discuss the project and managed to get the group over together to the Room of Requirement where the information meeting was held (see Page 1).

Even if the room in the Public Service Program Center was chosen to host the session out of necessity (Vice President for Administration James VanVoorst said all the rooms in the Union were taken), we’re impressed that people turned out in such high numbers to attend the meeting. Great things happen when students ‘unionize.’

As long as projects of this magnitude are conceived by the administration, students should be prepared to voice their opinions ‘ though we retain some skepticism, after Monday’s information session, that administrators will listen.

Even in the New University Union, prime real estate has been given to M&T bank and the Barnes & Noble-run bookstore.

Incidentally, as per VanVoorst’s claim, if even the administrators get short-changed for space in the Union, what hope is there once the renovation for that building is complete? What about during the renovations? Space is short for student groups now and will continue to be as rooms used for programming are converted for administrative purposes ‘ a claim student groups have been making for years.

Student action did not compare (thankfully) to the violent riots held in France over the past two days (see the World Page on 10), and we’re hoping to see it again. Soon.

The health and physical education department has decided to cancel all classes that do not have a wellness component ‘ from coaching to bowling ‘ and a special session of the Harpur College Council will be held on Wednesday (check Friday’s issue for full coverage). We’ve voiced our dismay that classes like Horsemanship and Outdoor Pursuits have been stripped from the curriculum, but now that activity courses are being eliminated as well, we’re floored.

The SA, led in their charge by Vice President Matt Landau, is again organizing opposition to this move. A Facebook group (surely the best barometer for student opinion) has nearly 800 students showing their support for keeping the courses.

So as more faults are wrought against this student body, so too does this student body answer in kind, bringing opposition and increasing organization to the Ivory Tower’s door. One can only imagine ‘ and bank on ‘ that continued voicing of opinion will get this administration to give us our money’s worth.