"Can bed curtains be installed in student dormitories to give students a private space?"
On April 23, the related topic #Colleges and universities in many places prohibit students from hanging bed curtains# rushed to the first hot search on Weibo, triggering discussions among netizens.
On March 27, according to the website of Xinjiang Medical University, Xinjiang Medical University replied to the students' opinions and suggestions.
Among them, in response to the question of whether bed curtains can be installed in the dormitory, the reply said: the student apartment is a densely populated place, and there are certain fire safety hazards in hanging bed curtains in the dormitory, and the bed curtain is a flammable product.
The reporter noticed that many colleges and universities have banned students from hanging bed curtains.
In January this year, Northwest University for Nationalities issued a management method for student apartments, strictly prohibiting students from hanging door curtains and bed curtains (cloth curtains) in the dormitory. On March 27, the Department of Foreign Languages of Gansu Normal University for Nationalities held a meeting of dormitory directors for the spring semester of 2024, and also demanded that behaviors such as pulling bed curtains without permission should be prohibited. Hebei Zhangjiakou University has also recently carried out the "special rectification of bed curtains in student dormitories".
On March 28, the website of Nanyang Normal University in Henan Province published a signed article by a counselor, explaining in detail why "the seemingly simple decorative act of hanging a bed fence is often strictly restricted by the school."
According to the article, the bed circumference, as a kind of cloth or plastic shield, is very easy to ignite and become a medium for the acceleration of the fire. In 2019, a female student at a university forgot to turn off the power after using an illegal electrical appliance "electric splint" in her dormitory, and when her roommates were all going to class, the electric splint continued to heat, causing a fire, which quickly ignited the bed wall next to her, and then began to burn in a large area, and a fire broke out in the dormitory.
In addition, "dormitory administrators may need to frequently lift the bed girth when checking hygiene and facilities, which not only increases the workload, but may also cause dissatisfaction among students, and it seems unfair not to lift the bed girth for inspection." In the event of a student illness or other emergency, bed circumference may hinder timely detection and rescue, the article said. In June 2020, a school official said that there had been an incident in the dormitory where a student fell ill and died in a bed covered by the bed enclosure, and was not discovered by a roommate until two days later.
According to the article, the bed wall usually encloses the bed tightly, resulting in poor air circulation, which is easy to breed bacteria, mites and other harmful substances, posing a threat to students' respiratory system and skin health. Especially when heating or air conditioning is used in winter or summer, bed circumference can hinder the even distribution of hot and cold air, resulting in uneven temperatures in the dormitory. When the bed is hung up, the ventilation and lighting in the dormitory will be affected. Being in such an environment for a long time is not only not conducive to physical health, but may also cause psychological depression. If the material and design of the bed circumference does not meet safety standards, there may be risks such as strangulation and suffocation, especially for sleeping students.
"The dormitory is not only a place to rest, but also an important place for students to exchange feelings and build friendships. The article said that the existence of the bed fence has invisibly erected an "invisible wall" in the dormitory, hindering the communication and communication between students. Some students reported that because their roommates hung up their beds, they felt that there was less communication between them, and the dormitory atmosphere became indifferent. In the long run, this kind of estrangement can lead to interpersonal tensions and even conflicts in the dormitory.
Dormitory life is a key scenario for college students to exercise their social skills, and a moderate shared space helps students to open their hearts, respect each other, and understand and tolerate each other. Hanging bed fences may make students pay too much attention to personal space and ignore the collective interest, which is not conducive to cultivating students' teamwork spirit and sense of public responsibility. In the absence of beds, it is easier for students to interact face-to-face and participate in group activities in the dormitory, which leads to closer team spirit and friendship.
"Just imagine, if everyone lives behind the bed curtain, I wonder if there will still be a 'brother who sleeps on my top bunk' feeling?" On March 20, the College of Water Conservancy and Civil Engineering of Xinjiang Agricultural University released an article entitled "Closing the Bed Curtain, "Blocking" Safety", saying that in recent years, more and more college students like to hang bed curtains. There are many reasons, such as: playing games by yourself affects the rest of others, and you can better protect your privacy. However, the hanging bed curtain in the dormitory has serious potential safety hazards, which affects the cleanliness and lighting of the dormitory, affects the physical and mental health of students, and is not conducive to the communication between students.
Previously, Jilin Agricultural University issued the "Work Arrangement for Safety and Fire Prevention in Student Apartments" in November 2023, and it is strictly forbidden to hang bed curtains and hanging chairs in the dormitory. In July 2023, China University of Petroleum (East China) also issued the "Notice on Carrying out Special Rectification Work on Safety and Health in Student Dormitories", prohibiting the hanging of bed curtains.
At present, Beijing and other places have clearly stipulated in the "Acceptance Standards for Standardized Apartments in Colleges and Universities" that there should be no beds in the dormitories. In October 2019, according to the website of the Communication University of China, the logistics service hall of the Communication University of China revealed in response to the student's message about "why it is forbidden to install bed curtains in the dormitory", and the "Acceptance Standards for Standardized Apartments in Beijing Universities" stipulates that there are no beds in the dormitory.
The reporter noticed that the "Beijing University Standardized Student Apartment Standard (2008 Edition)" mentioned in the "Health and Environment" section that "no bed circumference" is worth 1 point, and the "Beijing University Standardized Student Apartment Acceptance Standard (2016 Edition)" also stipulates in the "Health and Environment" section that "no bed" is worth 0.5 points.
However, the "National Guiding Standards for the Establishment of Standardized Student Apartments in Colleges and Universities (Trial) (2016)" does not mention bed curtains and curtains in the "Hygiene and Environment" section, but only stipulates that the beds are neat and tidy, and the quilts and pillows are placed on one side. Doors, windows, screens, curtains, fans, air conditioners, etc. are clean and intact. The room is well ventilated and odorless.
Netizen comments
In this regard, some netizens believe that hanging bed curtains is very safe and has their own private space in the dormitory.
Some netizens feel that hanging bed curtains is very strange, which will make people get farther and farther away from each other.
Some netizens also pointed out that the bed curtain was not the root cause of the dormitory fire.
Media Commentary
The bed curtain guards the privacy needs of college students
In this regard, The Paper commented:
The reason why bed curtains cannot be hung in university dormitories is that "fire hazards", "affect communication and lead to unsociability", and "not conducive to air circulation". However, just like netizens said, bed curtains are flammable, so are quilts and mattresses non-flammable? Are books non-flammable? Obviously it is a problem of illegal use of electrical appliances and fire candles, why did the board hit the bed curtain?
Hanging the bed curtains was originally to reconcile the work and rest time difference of different roommates. For example, some people go to bed early and wake up early, some people go to bed late and wake up late, and some people are used to taking a nap. So, the headlights were turned off all the year round, and everyone hid in a small space surrounded by bed curtains and turned on the small table lamp.
In addition, the small bed curtain also implies "territorial awareness". The size of the bedroom is not large, and if two people are side by side, it is difficult to pass through the aisle between the beds. The bed curtain is a silent reminder that personal belongings should not go beyond the bounds of the curtain.
Gradually, the bed curtain became a tacit hint: when it was closed, it meant that it was doing business, so do not disturb, and when it was opened, it was gathered together again and laughed. Sometimes when I go back to the dormitory and see a few bed curtains down, I consciously gently close the door. Everyone's "business" is also different: some people are coding papers on their computers, some are doing planks, and some are anxious about math problems. The bed curtain bears witness to these reluctant efforts to be humane.
Article 1032 of the Civil Code stipulates that privacy refers to the tranquility of a natural person's private life and the private space, private activities and private information that he or she does not want others to know. "Privacy" is the inherent right of every citizen, even in a "public place" such as the dormitory, there should be a reasonable expectation of privacy, and students in the dormitory also have "private activities and private information that they do not want others to know", which may be their own household chores, emotional disputes, frustrations in learning, and indecent physical display that they do not want to mention to others......
Such a "bed curtain" culture is expanding, and has even become a symbol of young people in the new era. A few days ago, the popular "train bunk hanging bed curtain incident" originated from two young people hanging curtains on their lower bunk beds, and as a result, there was a "collision of concepts" with the elderly. It has been pointed out that young people are more likely to conform to a pattern of behaviour with a clear sense of boundaries, which is also more in line with today's social perception.
The bed curtain reflects the general expectation of college students for privacy in the dormitory, and it is also the sense of boundary between people that young people pursue: even if they share a room, they expect to have a "small" space of their own, rather than showing their roommates 360 degrees without dead ends, which is not hypocritical. As for the fire hazards that may be caused by bed curtains, they can actually be solved through fire drills, education and publicity.
The bed curtain guards the privacy needs of college students and the sense of boundary of college students, and I hope that colleges and universities can pay attention to the legitimate needs of college students when they launch management measures.
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Source: Surging News, netizen comments