When University Starts to Resemble Mall

In this past month, something has been bothering me every time I go to teach at Universitas Pelita Harapan (UPH). I knew it right away when it started: the beginning of the school year back in August. Prior to that time, whenever I drove my car into the designated parking area for staff and lecturers, a security guard would greet me and give me a parking card after he ensured that I had a pass to park in the area. But on that August morning, after the two-months break, I didn’t see just one guard, but another two who opened the doors and trunk of the cars queuing in front of mine.

Great, I thought to myself. The security checks had finally caught up with this university! But I didn’t put much thought into it, simply because we all had gotten so used to security checks in our ways around Jakarta. I got out of my car, and went through my usual route towards Building B, where the Department of Architecture was located. And there were two other security guards, standing in between the gates that separated the parking area from the university compound, checking bags of students who were walking ahead of me.

Fine, they wanted to do a comprehensive security check. Again, I didn’t put much thought into it because I was more concerned about getting into my studio and met my new students on the first day of school. After an introductory workshop, I went out of the compound to have lunch with other lecturers. And again, there stood two security guards in front of the gate, checking everyone’s bag. I asked my full time lecturer friend when they started doing the security checks at all entry points. My friend told me that it happened when UPH Festival was held about two weeks prior to beginning of school year.

Because I had borrowed some books from the library over the break, I decided to go there. Besides, I wanted to check out the library since it had been relocated into a new building. And there I saw the new building that had been scaffolded during its months of construction. The street level was almost completely open, and it had a big sign “FJ Square” on its front. I asked my friend again, what did FJ stand for? He had no idea. But apparently it’s the new food court.

What struck me most about this food court was its stark contrast with the old one they demolished about two years ago now. The old food court was an open air structure, with many stalls that were rented out, most were modest and sold food that was pretty affordable for students. But this new one was not like the old one. This food court could easily belong to any of the luxurious malls in Jakarta. The price, even after 25% discount for UPH students, was still rather expensive. Some of my students told me that they could not afford eating there. In August 2006 edition of Umbul-Umbul (Karawaci’s monthly complimentary magazine), I found out that FJ Square was modeled after the Food Junction in Singapore.

Because I had eaten lunch, I didn’t stop by the food court, and instead went straight to the library, which was located above the food court. I was told by my friend that as part of the new security system, all UPH students and staff had been required to possess a “smart card” which would let security guards quickly identify whether or not someone belong to the university. Now apparently, this “smart card’ was needed to enter the new library. Because I didn’t have one, I couldn’t even open the door of the new library!

As if having the “smart card” was not enough a security measure, there stood yet two other security guards in front of the door, ensuring that people with no “smart card” like me could not pass through the door by tailgating the person in front of me. After my friends ensured the security guards that I was indeed a lecturer there and I was asked to show my old library card, I was finally let in to the extremely luxurious library.

I said extremely luxurious, because the spaces between the aisle were around one meter or more. It’s fully air-conditioned, and here and there I saw genuine leather sofas that must had cost hundreds of millions of Rupiah to purchase! And when I walked towards the back of the library, the space was open, naturally lit, and had full horizontal windows opening to a view of rather undeveloped area of Karawaci.

But the very unfortunate fact was that the books I found remained the same unimpressive ones. Most of the architectural books were still the coffee-table books that you could typically purchase from book distributors, rather than those that you purchased in bookstores and through Amazon after you browsed through hundreds of them to determine which ones were of better qualities than the rest.

Done with checking the books, I decided to leave the library through the same doors that again were now guarded on the inside. I nodded confidently as I passed through the guards, and pushed the door in front of me. And I couldn’t open it! The guards started to surround me, which for some reason made me feel a bit panicked. They started asking me to use my “smart card”. So once again I gave them the same explanation that I gave to the two guards just outside to the right of the exit door. And they finally let me out.

On my way out of the university compound, I was struck by the unpleasant experience of the day. I kept thinking: Why would they not let anyone out from the library after they had ensured that whoever got in did belong to the university and had the right to be there? What would happen if there was fire and people were inside the library? Had the security of the university been breached over the break that made decision makers at UPH decide to intensify the level of security?

My experience at the university has started to resemble my experience in going through malls – and worse. I think a university shouldn’t be this way. But I couldn’t formulate what exactly is troubling me, except that I dislike the malls for this reason. But after having this issue at the back of my mind, found the least secured path into the university compound, and avoided going to the library for a little more than a month, I could finally pin point what the problem is. More on here.