The students who had been occupying the Couper Administration building on the Binghamton University campus are holding a news conference to take issue with a University statement defending plans to install blue lights and emergency call boxes on the west side of Binghamton.

The so-called Frances Beal Society is gathering in the lobby of the Couper Administration building, which the students are now calling the People’s Administration Building.

The students said money earmarked for the blue lights could be better spent on other things like on-campus counseling.

Some of the occupiers said that most students have cell phones and don’t need the call boxes and the presence of the blue lights in neighborhoods would promote the impression that Binghamton is a dangerous city.

The students said there had been little or no consultation with the campus and off-campus community before plans were put in place for the emergency notification system.

 

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