Professor Jumpstarts Debate over Access to University Campuses
Following the Covid-19 pandemic outbreak, Chinese universities took the precautionary measure of closing their campuses to the public. Most installed facial-recognition checkpoints to ensure that only faculty and students could access the premises. Despite China lifting its pandemic controls in December 2022, the majority of its universities still maintain closed campus policies, which continue to be a source of contention for students, staff, and the surrounding communities.
But one Peking University professor has leaped his way to the center of the debate. Li Zhi, an associate professor of engineering, made news on December 3, 2023 for climbing over the campus fence, after which he was chased by a janitor. Li later posted an article on Zhihu, China’s equivalent to Quora, criticizing the school’s facial-recognition system for inconveniencing faculty and students with long lines during peak hours. “It’s perfectly justified for a university to be open to the public,” he wrote, adding that Peking University’s campus was accessible to everyone until the 2008 Beijing Olympics to manage the deluge of tourists.
Li’s story rekindled a heated debate online over whether colleges and universities should open their campuses to the general public.
His supporters argue that many schools around the world remain open to the public and integrate with their local communities. However, opponents argue that universities should provide quiet and safe environments for teachers and students rather than serve as tourist destinations. Many experts emphasized the importance of universities staying in touch with society while also nurturing and inspiring the public with their rich academic atmospheres.
On January 2, the Ministry of Education responded to the debate, calling for greater accessibility. Several universities including Peking University and Tsinghua University announced that they would partially open to the public through guest appointments and registration. Some schools, such as the Harbin Institute of Technology, have fully opened their campuses to the public.