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Students line up to get a study room
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Transtlate How far will some students go to get a place to study for exams?
Late last month, the library at Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications (BUPT) addressed that question by issuing a new seating policy; students now must line up at the library around 5:00 am every Monday morning to get a number-card assigning them a study room.
The new measure was adopted in reaction to students' monopolizing valuable space in their library's study rooms for weeks during preparations for the postgraduate entrance examination, and they've developed some sneaky methods.
Some stacked books on desks, occupying study space for a week while only using the space for one or two days, while others not only staked claim for a seat themselves but also for friends.
"There are only four classroom buildings at the school, and there are never enough seats. Even if we get there at 8:00 am, all the seats are gone," said Huang Ling, a junior at BUPT.
However, after the new number-card policy began, the problem went from long waits for seats to long waits in line, many students queuing up as early as the night before.
"There are students who stay up all night waiting in line," said Huang. "At first, they were waiting from about 5:00 am to 6:00 am, but now, some even show up before midnight."
Although the system still has its advantages, number-cards have turned out to be a mixed blessing for students.
"First off, library staff clears the rooms of books every Sunday night, so nothing crowds up tables all night long; Second, a student can only hold one card, impossible for them to occupy another seat for a friend. Third, students willing to line for such a long time are the ones serious about studying," explained Zeng Xin, a senior at BUPT.
"But we are spending time in line when we could be sleeping," added Zeng.
Recently, steps have been taken to improve the situation.
According to Zeng, number cards are now distributed to each class according to their percentage of students needing study rooms, making it so students can get a card without having to line up.
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