The Ministry of Education said yesterday that it would tighten regulations on the types of sponsorship that schools would be allowed to seek after two large ads for alcoholic beverages on the walls of National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) sparked controversy.
At a meeting of the legislature’s Education and Culture Committee yesterday, Vice Minister of Education Lu Mu-lin (呂木琳) said the ministry considered alcohol advertisements on campus “inappropriate,” adding that it was the position of the ministry that students should stay away from alcohol.
“Although schools are required to raise funds by themselves, they should nevertheless do so in an appropriate manner,” Lu said.
“After all, it’s not like schools are private businesses,” Lu said.
He vowed to implement clearer regulations for schools seeking sponsorship.
Two gigantic alcohol advertisements for Kinmen Kaoliang Liquor Inc were hung outside the walls of the NTNU library and dormitory.
Lawmakers questioned the appropriateness of such ads on campus.
Lu said that the ministry would contact NTNU officials and request that the advertisements be removed as soon as possible.
The dean of NTNU’s College of Sports and Recreation Cho Chun-chen (卓俊辰) said the school had to accept sponsorship from the liquor company for this year’s National Intercollegiate Athletic Games because it was short NT$60 million (US$1.8 million) and could not find other sponsors.
Cho said putting the advertisements on campus was not tantamount to encouraging students to consume alcohol, adding that drinking was part of culinary culture.
He said the school would hold a meeting to determine whether to remove the advertisements and that the university could not just break its contract with the liquor company.
Some NTNU students were not amenable to the advertisements.
“The school authorities should seek sponsorship from companies that match the image of the school,” a student surnamed Lee said.
SHIPS, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES: The ministry has announced changes to varied transportation industries taking effect soon, with a number of effects for passengers Beginning next month, the post office is canceling signature upon delivery and written inquiry services for international registered small packets in accordance with the new policy of the Universal Postal Union, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday. The new policy does not apply to packets that are to be delivered to China, the ministry said. Senders of international registered small packets would receive a NT$10 rebate on postage if the packets are sent from Jan. 1 to March 31, it added. The ministry said that three other policies are also scheduled to take effect next month. International cruise ship operators
HORROR STORIES: One victim recounted not realizing they had been stabbed and seeing people bleeding, while another recalled breaking down in tears after fleeing A man on Friday died after he tried to fight the knife-wielding suspect who went on a stabbing spree near two of Taipei’s busiest metro stations, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said. The 57-year-old man, identified by his family name, Yu (余), encountered the suspect at Exit M7 of Taipei Main Station and immediately tried to stop him, but was fatally wounded and later died, Chiang said, calling the incident “heartbreaking.” Yu’s family would receive at least NT$5 million (US$158,584) in compensation through the Taipei Rapid Transit Corp’s (TRTC) insurance coverage, he said after convening an emergency security response meeting yesterday morning. National
PLANNED: The suspect visited the crime scene before the killings, seeking information on how to access the roof, and had extensively researched a 2014 stabbing incident The suspect in a stabbing attack that killed three people and injured 11 in Taipei on Friday had planned the assault and set fires at other locations earlier in the day, law enforcement officials said yesterday. National Police Agency (NPA) Director-General Chang Jung-hsin (張榮興) said the suspect, a 27-year-old man named Chang Wen (張文), began the attacks at 3:40pm, first setting off smoke bombs on a road, damaging cars and motorbikes. Earlier, Chang Wen set fire to a rental room where he was staying on Gongyuan Road in Zhongzheng District (中正), Chang Jung-hsin said. The suspect later threw smoke grenades near two exits
The Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency yesterday launched a gift box to market honey “certified by a Formosan black bear” in appreciation of a beekeeper’s amicable interaction with a honey-thieving bear. Beekeeper Chih Ming-chen (池明鎮) in January inspected his bee farm in Hualien County’s Jhuosi Township (卓溪) and found that more than 20 beehives had been destroyed and many hives were eaten, with bear droppings and paw prints near the destroyed hives, the agency said. Chih returned to the farm to move the remaining beehives away that evening when he encountered a Formosan black bear only 20m away, the agency said. The bear
RSS