It's okay to be hospitable, but if you get the subject-verb-object wrong, you're going to have to get on the board.....
Domestic universities have stepped up their efforts to recruit foreign students, a strategy that essentially aims to strengthen international exchanges and cooperation and enhance the global competitiveness of universities.
Of course, this is a good thing to be encouraged, and it is reasonable to give international students some proper care for this purpose.
However, all of this should be done in moderation, and the key is that it should not harm the interests of one's own students.
On April 18, 2024, Guilin University of Electronic Science and Technology forced domestic students to relocate their dormitories to make room for better accommodation for international students.
According to the students' complaints, the university intends to vacate the D2 dormitory area, a high-quality accommodation area for domestic students, for international students to live in.
This means that long-term domestic students will need to move to the school's older residence halls.
In order to quell the students' dissatisfaction, the school even held a mobilization meeting and announced a compensation of 50 yuan for each student who was forced to relocate.
On the campus forum, one student's comment stood out: "It's unacceptable to celebrate international students while kicking out our dorm where we've lived for three years just because they want a better place to live."
This 50 yuan compensation is simply an insult to our self-esteem. ”
Obviously, this kind of behavior touches the bottom line of the students.
Students are not only unhappy with the relocation itself, but also angry at the way the school has handled the problem.
They believe that while the school is trying to meet the needs of international students, it ignores the feelings and rights of its own students.
Behind the scenes, the motivation of the school is actually not difficult to understand.
Recruiting foreign students not only enhances the university's international profile and influences in the global higher education sector, but also may bring additional financial support and concessions.
Taken together, these factors form the incentives for the school to implement it.
However, the school's decision-making also reflects the management's short-sightedness and poor decision-making in resource allocation.
While it is true that international students can bring many benefits, this should never come at the expense of domestic students.
The online discussion has become increasingly intense, with many netizens expressing their dissatisfaction with the school's move and supporting the students' protests.
Some netizens questioned why foreign students should be treated especially preferential while ignoring the basic living conditions of domestic students, since they are on Chinese soil?
Netizens shared their views on social media, with some supporting the students' protests and others calling on parents to take action.
For example, a netizen from Harbin Institute of Technology left a message: "Study Harbin Institute of Technology, our international college and undergraduate accommodation are separated, which is fair and reasonable. ”
Another netizen said angrily: "I will not let my children go to such a school that only values foreigners and ignores domestic students." ”
At the same time, some students did not seem particularly angry about the incident, but instead expressed understanding of the school's decision.
"This building was originally for the International College, we only lived here temporarily, and now the school needs it, and we should move out. One of the students in question said.
However, this understanding is not accepted by everyone. Some students questioned, "Why should international students live in the new dormitory, when we have to live in the old dormitory?
The comments showed obvious dissatisfaction and sarcasm, as one netizen said: "Why don't these rich parents fly to the front of the school to protest? ”
More extreme comments involve similar situations at other schools.
For example, a netizen mentioned: "Some schools provide apartments with elevators for international students, while we Chinese students can only climb the stairs, and they explain that this is to let us exercise, which is ridiculous." ”
Another Chinese student studying in South Korea offered a comparative perspective: "In South Korea, the accommodation and scholarship conditions for Korean students are obviously much better than those of us Chinese students, and although we often complain about South Korea, we really can't say anything about it." ”
When a staff member of Guilin University of Electronic Science and Technology bluntly stated in a conversation with students: "Because you have to make room for international students to live, you have to move next door." ”
The staff's answer was even more direct: "Zone D2 is for international students, and you only lived there temporarily." ”
A boy indignantly retorted: "We don't pay a penny less in tuition! Why can't we even live in a good dormitory?
His words were marked with obvious dissatisfaction and questioning: "Are you discriminating?" Such a scene quickly heated up on campus, and the emotions on the scene were pushed to a fever pitch.
Faced with the ensuing questions and anger, the staff began to answer inconsistently. Some people admit unabashedly: "It is indeed necessary to make better arrangements for international students." ”
Others tried to calm the situation in bureaucratic terms: "Domestic students were supposed to live in D1, but they were temporarily relocated to D2, and now it's normal." ”
"This is especially crushing the self-esteem of our students!" "The evil foreign slave mentality", "Where is the quality education? College students should not be discriminated against in this way", "This is too much to take face." ”
In the end, the university had to respond, explaining that the D2 area was originally a dormitory for international students, and that some domestic students had indeed been temporarily placed there, and now it was just a restoration of the original design.
However, such a response did not quell public discontent. Netizens continued: "It's been three years of temporary placement, how can there be an explanation?"
"Three years is not a short time, we have been living here for three years, why do you want to drive us away like a passer-by?" ”
One student stepped forward and questioned, "Does this mean that we live here for free for three years in a good dormitory?" and his words prompted a whisper.
Some students dug into the details and asked more pointed questions: "We have paid for the mortgage and the money to support the family, and these dormitories are built on our own land, using the tax money of the common people."
Why now, instead of living in a good dormitory here, our own children have to be relinquished to foreigners?"
In fact, this phenomenon is not uncommon in domestic universities in recent years.
High-quality resources, such as high-standard dormitories, are allocated to foreign students first, while the rights and interests of local students seem to be easily ignored or even clearly sacrificed.
It is true that we warmly welcome foreign students to China for academic exchanges and cultural interactions, but this enthusiasm must not be built at the expense of the well-being of our own students.
Many netizens and parents of students have spoken out on social media, calling for colleges and universities to treat every student more fairly and provide equal opportunities and resources regardless of nationality.
As one netizen said: "Only when all students can study and live in an equal and just environment can the real exchange of Chinese and foreign cultures be realized, and the friendship between the two peoples can be truly enhanced." ”
In this regard, we strongly call on the relevant authorities to strengthen supervision to ensure that every decision made by universities in terms of enrollment and resource allocation can be open, fair and just.
At the same time, public scrutiny and media criticism are essential to ensure that there is no longer any unchecked neglect of students.