Beijing University bars public access
(Beijing Today)
Updated: 2004-10-28 14:04

Beijing University decided to limit visitors' access to the campus during the National Day vacation. It has doubled security personnel at all entrances.

A guard stops a visitor from entering of Beijing University. [ynet]

Different from other universities in China, Beijing University, the former Metropolitan University of the Qing Dynasty (Jing Shi Da Xue Tang) is the nation's top university. Foundedin December 1898, it is the most prestigious institution of higher learning.

Beijing University has a garden-like campus with beautiful natural scenery. Weiming Lake, the library and the Boya Pagoda are the three most famous tourists resorts.

One can always find visitors taking pictures and enjoying the scenery. During the May Day Holiday, National Day Holiday, summer and winter vacations, Beijing University campus becomes a popular tourist site. These thousands of visitors put enormous pressure on the university's security.

Now the vacation has ended, but heated discussions continue. Should Beijing University close public access to campus? Or do the public have the right to visit? Here are some opinions:

Shi Nian Kan Chai "10 years chopping firewood" on Internet bulletin board, a journalist working in Beijing, It's a dream for many parents and students

On October 4, I accompanied my wife and son to visit Tsinghua University and Beijing University. They came from our hometown and planned to look at these two famous universities on purpose.

But after we successfully finished the first visit of Tsinghua, we were stopped at the west gate of Beijing University by security staff, and they told us both vehicles and people cannot enter campus during National Day vacation.

I usually come here to conduct interviews, and I have never been stopped for any reason. Security staff explained it was a school, not a park. We were not welcome, especially during holidays. And we had to be brought in by people from the relevant department if we came here for business.

In fact, there are many royal gardens and parks in Beijing, all of them obviously better than the scenery in Beijing University. Why do you think people prefer visiting here with their children? That is because it is a dream goal for many Chinese parents and young ambitious students. Beijing University tops academic learning institutions.

Liu Zizhong, postgraduate student from Beijing University, It's reasonable to close the door to visitor.

This policy is only a temporary one, just for the seven-day holiday. Now it's back to normal. That is to say our university is in effect always open to the public. No serious check on visitors or vehicles took place at the gates before.

My friends from other universities who came to see me have never been stopped. For cars, if they have certificates granted by the school, there won't be any problems. But if not, a car can also enter by paying a 2 yuan charge.

Personally speaking, I think it is completely reasonable to close the doors to visitors, even on other days besides holidays, because Beijing University is not a tourism location.

Even if it was, it is by all means a special one. Sometimes it can become a really messy place. Too many students from other universities take up our seats in the classrooms.

And the dinner halls can get really crowded. And there are always too many cars on campus and they drive really fast. They can come, but they would do better coming during the weekend.

University authorities said that, as part of the increased security measures to protect students and teaching faculty and maintain a relatively quiet academic environment, people coming for sightseeing around the campus are not welcome. In addition, students from other colleges can only enter campus if accompanied by a student or teacher of Beijing University.

The university's security department says that the restrictons are required because too many visitors can make their job very difficult. The campus should not be treated like a park. Other universities, such as Tsinghua, have not taken similar action yet.

Anonymous, head of security at Beijing University, We were only obeying orders.

To tell the truth, it was an official dictate issued by Beijing Municipal Commission of Education to all schools and universities.

For our university, it was over the concern that many students and teaching staff would leave campus to enjoy vacations. The number of tourists from other cities that came just for sightseeing would triple.

They greatly harm security on campus, giving opportunities to potential dangers and bringing greater pressure on our security work. Thus the administration of the university decided to close the door to any visitors during National Day holiday.

Actually, there are about 100,000 of people and 10,000 vehicles who come in and go out of the university. It makes it impossible for us to check every visitor and car at the gate.

But we try our best to ensure a relatively good environment for students and teachers. For example, we put up "No Entry" signs around the study and living areas.

Jessie Liu, graduate student of the University of Missouri, Foreign universities have harmonious relations with surrounding communities.
During my two years' study at the University of Missouri, I felt that foregn universities have a harmonious relationship with the surrounding community. There are no boundaries separating our university from the community.

The library opens freely to residents. They can read and use the computer to send e-mail freely. At evenings and weekends, I saw families taking a walk in the green areas which belonged to school.

For a public university is usually built with taxes paid by residents of the community. Thus the university is theirs to some extent. But this concept sounds extremely strange to Chinese taxpayers.

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