Students abjure campus living
(CRIENGLISH)
Updated: 2005-08-23 14:27

Real estate agencies near local universities are enjoying a busy season as college students hunt for apartments following the Ministry of Education's new policy that allows them to live off campus when the new semester begins next month.

"One-room apartments with a rent of 1,000 yuan (US$123.46) per month are not available (since the price fits most students' budget)," said Jia Zheng, a property agent at Shanghai Housing Replacement Co Ltd's Guoding branch, which is near Shanghai University of Finance & Economics. "Moreover, two-room apartments are also in short supply.

"We have already rented out about 20 apartments since June. And the small agencies nearby, some of them illegal, have more business than us, as they offer an even lower price."
In july, the ministry issued a new policy on management of university students'
accommodation, in which the ban on students' out-of-campus accommodation was relaxed.
The ministry first issued the ban in June 2004. However, despite the ban, many students still lived outside campus.

The decision to do away with the ban will see more students moving out of dormitories when the new semester starts.

"The dormitory sometimes is too noisy, and living with roommates doesn't afford you much privacy," said Huang Hao, a sophomore of Fudan University, who plans to move out.

Privacy is just one reason. Some students complain about the accommodation environment despite efforts to improve conditions in recent years. Particularly in summer, almost all dormitories run without air conditioners.

"Without air conditioning, it is unbearable for us, especially in the hot summer and freezing winter," said Qian Mingfeng, a sophomore of Shanghai International Studies University, who now studies at the new Songjiang campus in the suburbs.

If most students are moving outside campus to pursue a more comfortable and private space, some are doing it for love.

At least one property agent, He Yan, of Shanghai Housing Replacement's Zhengtong branch near Fudan University, pointed out that some of her student clients leased rooms for co-habitation.

Despite the students' wish, the parents have a different opinion.

"Students should live in dormitories," said Song Yaping, a mother whose son is in senior grade at Shanghai University of Finance & Economics. "The university can guarantee their security and the students won't befriend people they shouldn't."

Local universities, including Shanghai Jiao Tong University, seem to be adjusting to the new policy quickly.

"We will agree to a student moving outside, but they need to file an application first and ask their parents to sign," said Xia Kejia, a Fudan official. "After the move, students should provide a detailed address and contact information."

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