Thus campus life is often conducive to the fostering of genuine friendships ? those not based on utilitarian or pragmatic principles.
So many Chinese, when looking back on their carefree student days, will recall tender memories of innocence and purity of sentiments.
Relationships from those years are among the most enduring and important in life.
These deaths make a mockery of that perception.
So much so that a heightened sense of humor is needed to fully grasp the much enriched new-age relationship among classmates.
Parodying a cliched slogan, some bloggers warn "Be wary of the hazard of theft, fire, and roommates." Some expressed tongue-in-cheek gratitude, "I thank my classmates for having the kindness to not kill me!"
Some parents are becoming genuinely alarmed. "When it comes for my kid to apply to a university, I must check first to see if it is safe," one mother reportedly said.
Ironically, some of these fatalities have taken place in some of the country's best universities.
The recent poisoning case at Fudan University revived memories of a similar poisoning case at Tsinghua University in 1994, when a student became paralyzed after being poisoned with thallium, allegedly at the hands of one of her roommates ("Call to re-examine similar case in 1994 that remains unsolved," April 20, Shanghai Daily).
Being accepted by universities like Fudan and Tsinghua is nearly every Chinese student's dream, and to be accepted by either will make parents extremely proud.
As Xiong Bingqi observed in a commentary in Wenhui Daily ("The Dislocation of Knowledge and Morality," April 17), this recent case at Fudan reflected how utilitarian tendencies have skewed Chinese education.
Local villagers climb mountains to get relief supplies
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