'We want more than a place to sleep' 

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"WHY didn't you text-message me today? Are you angry because I didn't [write you] first?" Yang Chengjie wrote to his girlfriend Wang Jiayan, a student at Shanghai Business School, on November 14.

When Yang posted those words on his blog, he had no way of knowing that Wang, together with three other students, had jumped from their sixth-floor dormitory room to escape a fire and died.

Investigations found that the girls' use of a water heater could have started the fire. Wang's life might have been spared if only there was a kettle room available to students in the dorm building.

Inadequate facilities, the lack of a budget and poor management have brought inconvenience and, in some cases, safety hazards to Chinese dorm life. Fortunately, some schools are taking pains to fix the problem.

"Our dorms are certainly getting better," said Wu Duo, a sociology professor and the former director of teaching affairs at East China Normal University. "For example, we now have dorms with bathrooms, showers and water coolers. However, inadequate facilities and poor management still exist.

"I knew some students who connected their own lamps to the electrical wires in the public bathroom after the lights were turned off in the dorm. It was very dangerous," said Wu.

In China, the dorms of public universities are subsidized by the government. Universities collect rent fees from students and turn the money over to the education authority. The authority then allocates each university a budget for dorm construction and maintenance. The Ministry of Education says university dorms should not turn a profit.

But Wu believes university administrators need to cater more to the needs of students.

"We have managed our dorms in a way that is easy to regulate. For example, we cut off electricity at night to save on the electricity bill, and we ban electric appliances to prevent safety hazards," Wu said. "But these [policies] make the dorm a place that is cold and rigid, a place of many rules. Today, we need to think from the students' point of view and help make their dorm life [more comfortable]."

Ye Tao, director of the Student Affairs Bureau at City College of Wenzhou University, believes dorms should be more than just a "sleeping place". In universities in Hong Kong and some European countries, there are gyms, laundry rooms and places for students to socialize. These facilities make the dorm feel more like a "community", said Ye.

At Ye's university, the dorm is operated by a property management company. Students pay 1,100 yuan per year for their four- or six-person room. "The company is in charge of the daily maintenance of the dorm. It trains its staff and responds quickly when problems are reported," said Ye.

Bigger rooms, fewer people: How Chinese universities can make dormitory life better

Zhu Qinzhe, 18, Freshman journalism major, Communications University of China, Beijing

OUR room is very crowded. Six girls share one room of about 19 sq m. We have to tuck our personal stuff into every space we can find in the room. We only have three desks, so we usually read books or do homework on our bed. I wish the university would assign fewer people to each room. I pay 700 yuan for the room, but, to be honest, I'd pay double if we had a larger room.

Liu Minwen, 19, Junior English major, Wuhan University of Science and Technology

WE'RE not allowed to use any electric appliances other than lights and computers in our dorm. If we are found using kettles or hairdryers, they will be confiscated. The electricity in my room will go off automatically if four computers are used at the same time. The dorm's old wiring can't handle the burden. I hope the university will upgrade the lines. Electric appliances have become part of life, and students should have the right to enjoy them.

Huang Yiqing, 19, Sophomore biomedical engineering major, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics

OUR dorm is managed in a kind of military style. The staff checks the sanitary conditions of our dormitory every morning, and we're not allowed to leave our beds unmade or our desks messy. However, many students feel that they don't have the freedom to decorate their room. Others feel that their life and belongings are being monitored by others. I hope the university will give us more freedom and privacy. After all, the dorm should be a place to relax and enjoy life.

Xiao Mengyun, 19, Sophomore English major, Shanghai International Studies University

FIFTEEN dormitory rooms, with 60 people in all, share only one bathroom with about 10 toilets and 20 water taps. We have to rush to use the toilet or wash our faces during the peak hours in the morning and evening. The toilets are in the same room as the water taps, which means the unpleasant smell of the toilet is with you when you wash your face. If it is too much for every dorm to have a bathroom, I wish that just four or five dorm rooms could share one bathroom. I also wish we could have a room with washing machines on each floor.

Interviews by Xu Weiwei

单词：capitalize on 利用

catered 包办伙食的

confiscate 没收

kettle 热水壶

sanitary 卫生的

top-up 缴纳

tuck 塞

BONUS

Vocabulary

宿舍楼

hall of residence/dorm building

住宿费

rent/accommodation fee

宿舍管理员

dormitory attendant

accommodation officer

洗衣房

laundry room

热水房

kettle room

活动室

common room

水电费

utilities bill

储物柜

locker

饮水机

water cooler

Sentences

Here are several ads for student halls of residence in Britain and the US.

Students are accommodated in single study bedrooms with hand-washing basins, communal showers, WCs and kitchen facilities.

single study bedroom: single room where study facilities are provided which often include a desk and a book shelf.

hand-washing basin: in the room, there is a water basin (水盆) for hand washing but there is no toilet in the room.

communal: 公用的

Cooking utensils, crockery and cutlery are not provided for self-catering residents. Every study bedroom has a telephone and a data point.

Frying pans (cooking utensils: 烹饪用具), bowls and plates (crockery: 陶器) and silverware (cutlery: 餐具) are not provided.

Students who cook by themselves.

data point: 数据点. It means there is an Internet connection in the room.

Bedding is not provided in study bedrooms. Students may either supply their own or request a bedding pack from the Hall. Bedding packs consist of a single duvet and pillow, and a single set of bed linen (3). An additional charge is made for these packs.

bedding: 被褥

single duvet: 单人被

single set of bed linen: 一套单人床单

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