高校设立门禁引发争议 | Backlash against mass tourism in top universities

Nanjing University's Gulou campus is facing the most dramatic change since it opened in 1952. In order to block irrelevant visitors from entering the campus, the university installed barrier gates on both the north and south entrances. 

Following the regulation, students and faculty members have to swipe their cards through the access control system to get into the campus. Once issued, the newly introduced rules soon ignited widespread controversy.

Opponents counter that it's reasonable for taxpayers to visit a public university at any time. 

A professor from Wuhan University holds that access control may spark public discontent, thus diminishing the school's reputation. People tend to consider universities as a feudal institution ignorant of openness in culture, attitudes and atmospheres. 

Some added that opening campuses to the public actually confers a number of benefits. It allows prospective students and their family members to learn about school culture and facilities. 

Being on campuses; seeing current students, staff and faculty members getting through the day; admiring the historical teaching buildings and statues; and envisioning themselves there could uplift morale, and help them determine the path of their continuing education. 

Supporters of "access control" allege that the rule has effectively guaranteed the stability and safety of campuses. Before then, millions of tourists flocked to top universities every year. They would block the sidewalks and bicycle lanes, complacently pose for photographs in front of teaching buildings, curiously peer into classrooms and dormitories, or take a leisurely rest in the canteen, settling their feet on the opposite chairs. 

▲ Hibiscus Restaurant of Xiamen University are overcrowded with visitors

Yet at some points, the sacred academic institutions have become "tourist hells". Instead of beholding awe and admiration, tourists would aggressively disturb the order and shamelessly take up teaching resources. 

With some students saying they feel as if they're in a zoo, some universities have rolled out restrictive rules to remind hundreds of thousands of tourists each year from across the world that some kinds of sightseeing just go too far. 

▲ Restrictive rules issued by Nanjing University

Xiamen University allows visitors during weekends and holidays, while it restricts tourism from Monday to Friday. Wuhan University introduced facial recognition technology and automatic fare gates. Visitors who had made reservations on the internet could enter the campus with their ID cards. 

▲ Wuhan University was swarming with tourists this spring

Tsinghua University, along with its neighboring Peking University, also came up with better alternatives without blocking tourists right away. The two prestigious institutions strengthen restrictions either by reducing visiting time or limiting visitor quota. 

▲ A staff member of Tsinghua University holds a sign which says that the visitor quota is full

However, whether these kinds of restrictive measures are effective remains a question. Security is undermined when several groups of tourists who have missed their visiting times fretfully linger in front of school gates. 

Moreover, restrictive measures also lead to unjust gain. Ticket scalpers gang up with campus security, scrambling to grab a slice of profit from the chaos. Several months before, In order to smoothly get into the campus without being inspected, a family of four even asked a deliveryman to hide them in an express car.

▲ Tourists line up in front of the east gate of Peking University

Faced with a barrage of criticism, Nanjing University explained that the school is not opposed to campus tourism, but wants to maintain a safe and quiet environment for students. Visitors could still enter into the campus during school hours by filling out a registration card.

What is your opinion about campus tourism and the restrictive measures of top universities? 

Editor: Zhou Huiying

Intern: Wang Haoyun

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