Nanjing University has decided to limit public access to one of its campuses on a trial basis, which has sparked debate on whether a university should be open to the community, reports Chinanews.com.

Visitors pose for photos on Nanjing University's Gulou campus. [File Photo: IC]

According to the security department at the university, the trial requires students and staff to swipe their campus cards to enter the university. The trial, which started a fortnight ago, only applies to one campus of the university, the Gulou campus, and is not enforced during the busiest times on campus, in a move to alleviate traffic congestion.

The university administration said the move aimed to better control campus traffic safety, strengthen oversight of visitors, and provide students and staff with an orderly atmosphere. But public opinion about the move has been varied.

According to an online poll organized on social media by Nanjing's municipal government, 51 percent of respondents are against the limitation, as they believe that a university campus should be open to the public because of its role as a public institution. Opponents of the trial also emphasize that inside Nanjing University's Gulou campus there are many protected cultural relic sites, which belong to the whole society, and so should be accessible by the public.

Those in favor of the entrance limitations said that because the Gulou campus is located in the busy downtown area of Nanjing, having no limitations on entry poses a threat to campus security and disturbs the teaching environment. It has been reported that students on campus have frequently become victims of theft, and are often disturbed by elderly residents living nearby who practice square dancing inside their campus.

Nanjing University is not the first to limit free public entrance into campus. For example, Tsinghua University and Peking University, China's two leading universities, have reportedly both introduced an online real-name registration system for campus visitors. Xiamen University is said to have set limited opening hours for off-campus visitors, who are required to provide ID.