Thai prostitution displaces students
Thailand campus cancels housing
By: ANDREA NOBLEThailand Correspondent
Issue date: 5/5/05 Section: News
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John Maxwell, director of operations, said the school has officially cancelled its contract with the Hin Nam Sai Suay hotel where it housed students for four years due to the blatant prostitution which takes place in the "Style Club and Karaoke," located in front of the hotel.
"The karaoke situation at Hin Nam has always been a problem," Maxwell said.
But with expansions added to the club in January, Maxwell and other administration felt the time had come to stop housing students there. Not to mention it was in direct conflict with Thai higher education standards.
According to the regulations of the Thai Commission of Higher Education, which gives Webster and other Thai universities their accreditation, it's a violation of code to house students in a complex which serves alcoholic drinks by the glass and promotes "immoral action."
"The Thai education authorities hold the right to pull our accreditation if we are violating the rules," Maxwell said.
This year as WUT is undergoing recertification of its accreditation Maxwell said there was an administrative push to get students out of Hin Nam and into the other housing option, VIP Condominium. But Maxwell said he and other current administration have been concerned with the situation since they were hired.
Nearly two years ago when Maxwell first arrived at WUT, the karaoke club was small and inconspicuous, with "only three or four girls working there." The expansions earlier this year have boosted clientele, music can be heard pumping from the club late into the night and numerous bar girls troll in front of the club to attract customers.
"It's not that it wasn't obvious before," said Joseph Naw Lum, who has worked as a resident assistant at Hin Nam for over a year. "The main entrance students use is right by the bar so you would always come across the prostitutes."
Despite the obviousness of illegal prostitution at Hin Nam, many students were not bothered.
"Most people don't mind it," said international business major Nam Tran, who has lived at Hin Nam for one year. "The people who go to the bar don't go to the (housing) building. They separate it well."
In the short term Naw Lum knows some students may be upset with the decision but is the long run he sees it as necessary.
"People who live there have been living there for a couple of years and it will be very hard for them," Naw Lum said. "They are very comfortable with the way of living."
Currently WUT houses about 50 students in Hin Nam, but more students reside there on personal leases. Any students from Hin Nam who plan to stay in WUT housing for the summer term will be moved to VIP after the Spring II term ends. A meeting to inform students of the move was held April 18, giving them a full 60 days notice before the move was to take place. Students were also given the option of entering into personal leases with Hin Nam if they wanted to stay there.
Housing Director Chorleda Suppaso
Suppaso said transportation will continue to be offered to students living at Hin Nam in the future, and the school has no problem with students staying there but WUT simply cannot continue using the hotel as official student housing.
