Love in the time of campus life

A poster in Zhejiang University's Ningbo Institute of Technology welcomed about 3,000 freshmen last weekend saying, "one should have a relationship during his/her time in the university irrespective of how it ends". The suggestion appears bold, but on second thought it could serve as a useful guide for students, says an article on gmw.cn. Excerpts:

Subjectively speaking, all the eight suggestions listed on the poster in the Ningbo Institute of Technology were rather good and could inspire freshmen to study harder and lead a more fruitful social life. Those who rue the suggestion to students to have a relationship should understand that there is nothing wrong in two adult students falling in love. The need, instead, is for universities to be prepared to treat their students like adults.

Relationship and marriage are two of the most important aspects of a person's life, and love is one of the most beautiful human emotions. In fact, the lack of sex education in secondary schools has prompted some universities to start "love courses", which have been welcomed by students.

Relationship-related issues and worries have affected the life and studies of many students because they lack proper knowledge and guidance. So universities' managements should help them acquire those.

But students should not use the well-intentioned suggestions of the poster as an excuse to have a relationship just for the sake of it, because that's not what is expected of a mature person. Students should behave like responsible citizens because they are the future of the country.

Build separate toilets for kids

A woman severely scolded a man in Dongguan, Guangdong province, recently for taking his three-years-old girl to a women's toilet in a shopping mall. Since many parents have faced a similar situation for taking their sons and daughters to public toilets, the Dongguan incident has drawn the attention of a lot of Internet users, says an article in Xi'an Evening News. Excerpts:

Toilets, especially those for males, and other facilities in shopping malls, parks, hospitals and other public places are designed according to the average height and weight of people. As a whole, problems such as potential safety hazards of displayed products in supermarkets and dirty toys in children's amusement parks are relatively small for children. But when it comes to facilities tailored for children, some of the problems can be serious.

Nevertheless, the Dongguan incident should be a lesson for parents: a father should seek the help of a woman to take his daughter to a public toilet, and a mother should ask a man to do the same for her son to avoid possible embarrassment. It is equally important for people to help such parents.

Some public toilets in a few cities, such as Beijing and Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, have separate sections for children. It's time city authorities across China built more such toilets not only to prevent parents from been humiliated, but also to make life less complicated for children who venture outdoors with their parents.

But at the same time, parents have to teach their children from a very young age how to take care of themselves in public places such as public toilets. Such a lesson will go a long way in helping the children grow up into independent and confident adults.

(China Daily USA08/29/2013 page12)