It's official.

The WSU Board of Regents voted Friday to make a permanent change to the law that allows police unrestricted access to residence halls.

The regents unanimously passed a motion that changes the legal definition of guests to residence halls. The regents solidified the law they made under emergency rules in September, citing students' safety as a paramount concern.

"I recognize that many students are likely to consider this action an unnecessary infringement on their daily lives," board Chairman Ken Alhadeff wrote about the decision. "I respect and understand that opinion, but I do not agree with it. I see this, instead, as an important step that the regents need to take as responsible stewards of the institution."

Police patrols halted in May when a Whitman County Superior Court Judge ruled WSU's decadesold policy illegal. Judge David Frazier cited the Washington Constitution and the state law the Board of Regents officially changed today.

Most of the recent discussion on the issue happened Thursday at a regents' Student Affairs Committee meeting, but several people spoke up in a 15-minute discussion during today's board meeting.

Alhadeff said he was concerned about a lack of communication with students about the issue. Regent Chris Marr said the residence halls' open-door environment is something that should be preserved. ASWSU President Zach Wurtz said students need to be educated about the issue.

But all were in favor of allowing the police patrols.

After the vote, administrators praised the regents for taking the issue into consideration for so long.

"I hope I can communicate back to the students of the genuine concern you have for the students," said Al Jamison, interim vice president for Student Affairs.

The regents' vote came after a survey by the Residence Hall Association found 65 percent of students in dorms opposed the police patrols. Alhadeff said he thought many of the survey questions were oddly worded.

"And what kind of brought up the final resolution, in what I feel is exasperation, is that the survey [was ambiguous]," Alhadeff said before the vote.