Much work is needed to improve the amount and quality of student housing, members of the National Students’ Union of Taiwan (NSUT) said yesterday.
The group made the remarks during a forum in Taipei cohosted by the Ministry of Education and the NSUT to discuss the campus dorm issue.
Students and representatives from more than 50 colleges nationwide attended the event.
Photo: Chiu Chih-ju, Taipei Times
Since last month, the NSUT has been conducting surveys on the opinions of university student associations regarding student housing, it said.
The survey found a lack of housing and storage space, and poor privacy and soundproofing, were among the areas that students believed needed improvement, it said.
In communal spaces, the general consensus was that kitchen and dining facilities were the most lacking, it said.
Most students said that beyond being places of residence, dormitories should serve to help students make life adjustments, develop relationships and learn about democracy, among other functions, it said.
NSUT president Tao Han (陶漢) said he hoped that the government would invest more in dormitories.
Dormitories could be managed by students and teachers, who could work together to draft dormitory policies focused on students’ lives and learning, he added.
In a statement issued after the forum, the ministry said it proposed a NT$5 billion (US$163,34 million) plan in May to “build a new dormitory environment for the young generation.”
The plan would include rent subsidies for disadvantaged students living off-campus, the creation of off-campus social housing for students, construction loans for on-campus dormitory buildings and design improvements for on-campus dormitories, the ministry said.
The five-year plan was approved by the Executive Yuan in August and launched by the president last month, it said.
The first phase of the plan, which runs through 2023, is expected to add 30,000 beds to dormitories on and off campus, it said, adding that they are also renovating dormitories with 64,000 beds in them.
The plan would help 13,000 disadvantaged students renting off campus, it said.
Chinese spouse and influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China videos that threaten national security, the National Immigration Agency confirmed today. Guan Guan has said many controversial statements in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “the red flag will soon be painted all over Taiwan” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” and expressing hope for expedited reunification. The agency last year received multiple reports alleging that Guan Guan had advocated for armed reunification. After verifying the reports, the agency last month issued a notice requiring her to appear and explain her actions. Guan
GIVE AND TAKE: Blood demand continues to rise each year, while fewer young donors are available due to the nation’s falling birthrate, a doctor said Blood donors can redeem points earned from donations to obtain limited edition Formosan black bear travel mugs, the Kaohsiung Blood Center said yesterday, as it announced a goal of stocking 20,000 units of blood prior to the Lunar New Year. The last month of the lunar year is National Blood Donation Month, when local centers seek to stockpile blood for use during the Lunar New Year holiday. The blood demand in southern Taiwan — including Tainan and Kaohsiung, as well as Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Taitung counties — is about 2,000 units per day, the center said. The donation campaign aims to boost
The Kaohsiung Tourism Bureau audited six hotels in an effort to prevent price gouging ahead of Korean band BTS’ concert tour in the city scheduled for Nov. 19, 21 and 22 this year. The bureau on Friday said that the audits — conducted in response to allegations of unfair pricing posted on social media — found no wrongdoing. These establishments included the local branches of Chateau de Chine, Hotel Nikko, My Humble House, and Grand Hai Lai, it said, adding that the Consumer Protection Commission would have penalized price gougers had the accusations been substantiated. The bureau said the Tourism Development Act
The military yesterday said it has located the flight data recorder, or black box, of an F-16V jet that disappeared off eastern Taiwan earlier this month, and it would soon deploy a salvage team to try to retrieve it. Air Force Command Headquarters said that while it had pinned down the location of the black box, it was still searching for the aircraft’s sole pilot, air force Captain Hsin Po-yi (辛柏毅). Without providing details, the air force said it had located the black box days after detecting some intermittent signals and would now engage a team of professionals to retrieve it. The air
RSS