《TAIPEI TIMES》 Rental of track and field sparks row at university

By Rachel Lin and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writer

National Taiwan University’s student council yesterday expressed indignation over what it called the school’s failure to prioritize students’ right to use campus facilities.

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At the center of the furor was the university’s decision to rent out its track and field as the venue for the “Sing! China: Shanghai-Taipei Music Festival,” which is scheduled for tomorrow and is cosponsored by the Taipei City Government’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Chinese reality TV singing competition Sing! China.

According to the department, the music festival is part of memorandums of understanding on cultural and arts events signed by Taipei and Shanghai in 2010 and 2014 respectively.

Representatives of the student council said at a news conference that the rental has not only caused structural damage to the facilities, but also denied their use by the university’s students and sports teams.

The damage to the track and field might also cause the facilities to lose their certification from the International Association of Athletics Federations, they added.

The university reportedly received NT$650,000 in rent for the event.

Student council president Lin Yan-ting （林彥廷） said regulations governing the use of the track and field stipulate that physical education classes have first priority to use the facilities and sports teams have second priority, followed by commercial rental, which should be scheduled on holidays or weekends.

The student council questioned the university’s decision to prioritize the music festival over students’ needs, as well as the “sealing off” of the facilities for a week.

There are already cracks in the surrounding pavement and some parts of the track have holes 20cm deep, Lin said.

The university handled the issue poorly, allowing damage to the facilities, which were recently repaired, and depriving students of their right to use campus facilities, Lin said, adding that it also failed to notify students and faculty of the event.

National Taiwan University Department of Athletics director Kang Cheng-nan （康正男） apologized at the news conference for what he called “actions lacking thorough consideration,” saying that it was a personal error in judgement.

Meanwhile, Democratic Progressive Party Taipei City Councilor Lee Ching-feng （李慶鋒） said the city government might have made shady deals with the other organizers, as it is odd that the facilities were walled off for a week during school hours.

Department of Cultural Affairs official Wu Chun-ming （吳俊明） said that such a mistake would not be repeated.

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES