Shanghai Daily News

Unmarried students at Fudan University will no longer be immediately expelled for having sex, according to a draft version of a revised campus regulation posted on the school's Website last week.

Students will still be punished if they are caught between the sheets with a lover, however.

The school is looking for feedback on the draft, and the rule will go into effect this September after necessary revisions.

Students caught having sex, whether on campus or off, will receive a warning and a bad report on their personal record. Students can be expelled after two warnings.

The new rule comes in response to the Ministry of Education's decision to end a ban on students getting married.

"The revised draft is designed to be in line with the Ministry of Education's new university student management rule," the Website announcement said.

The ministry's new rule, which was issued in March, didn't say anything about students engaging in sex.

Earlier this month, Chongqing Normal University set off a controversy when it issued a rule saying students would be immediately expelled for improper sexual behavior. The rule specifically forbids female students from engaging in adulterous affairs with married men, but didn't mention male students having sex.

Fudan officials refused yesterday to say what constitutes improper sexual activities, or what is allowed.

Many students question whether schools should have the authority to ban sex, and suggested the rule can't be enforced.

"The sex ban goes against the law and therefore violates students' rights," said Shan Min, a graduate student at Tongji University.

In China, men are allowed to marry at the age of 22 and women can tie the knot at the age of 20, he said. Since many students are older than that, their sex lives are no one else's business, Shan added.

Shen Yaxin, a Fudan university student, said that the ban is simply to show the school opposes students having sex and won't be enforced.

"No one would let the secret out if they have sex," Shen said."How could the school know if they have no evidence?"

Earlier this year, a male student at Shanghai University was expelled after he allowed his girlfriend to spend the night in his dorm room to look after him while he was sick. His expulsion raised a great deal of controversy among many people in the city.