An administrator and two law enforcement officials spoke at a panel from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday in the Anderson Center Chamber Hall to discuss the student-police dynamic at Binghamton University.

The panel was organized and hosted by Kevin Wright, a Binghamton University professor in the human development department and Mountainview College faculty master. Wright invited Binghamton Police Chiefs Joseph Zikuski and Tim Faughnan along with Milton Chester, BU assistant dean of students and director of the Office of Student Conduct, to speak at the panel.

Wright said he organized this event, which was attended by more than 50 students, upon request from students groups like the BU chapter of National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the Off-Campus College Council (OC3).

Faughnan emphasized the role of alcohol in crimes committed by students both on and off campus, stating that “nine times out of 10,” alcohol is involved with any given infraction.

“When a student is arrested on campus oftentimes they’ve violated our rules of student conduct,” Faughnan said. “We receive a copy of the report, we do our investigation, and if we find that student has violated our rules, we run them through our process.”

Zikuski said that most of the offenses that occur on weekends are noise complaints coming from student parties in various houses, particularly on the Westside.

“As is the case with fraternities, you have a responsibility to make sure no one [at a party] is underage,” Zikuski said.

Zikuski added that students are permitted to host parties, but they have to accept the risks and responsibilities.

“You have a right to have a party, but sometimes those parties are 50, 60, 100 people or more,” Zikuski said. “You have a right, but you have responsibilities. When things go wrong, you roll the dice.”

The most frequent offenses processed through the University Police are criminal mischief and disorderly conduct, which are often facilitated by alcohol use and accompanied with noise complaints, according to Faughnan. Student shoplifting at Walmart is also a commonly reported offense.

Both Zikuski and Faughnan discussed students’ rights during the panel.

A student’s dormitory, for instance, is treated as a private residence. Police officers are not permitted to enter unless they are given the consent of the resident. Police are, however, allowed to enter the room if they see an illegal substance or an article of paraphernalia in plain view.

Police officers are also not allowed to pat down or search a student’s belongings without their consent.

Zikuski also shared some straightforward tips for off-campus student safety, including traveling in groups, keeping expensive electronics out of plain sight in windows and leaving lights on when out of the house.

Robbie Woodward, a senior majoring in history and a resident assistant in College-in-the-Woods, said he has had numerous interactions with the University Police who question students on his floor about potential offenses.

“The on-campus officers are usually very patient with students,” Woodward said. “But I think students don’t always have a good perception of them.”