After a long wait, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (Utar) was finally launched this month. The temporary campus is located in The Star former office in Section 13 of Petaling Jaya. Undoubtedly, it was an auspicious occasion for the ethnic Chinese.

But it is doubtful if the university can provide the conducive environment for the 260 students who will be studying there. Section 13 is an industrial area and the university on Road 13/6 is surrounded by some 30 factories. A high volume of big and small trucks pass by the Utar campus every day, some at high speed.

The lecture schedule adds to the students' frustration. The classes are sometimes split to two hours in the morning and another two hours in the late afternoon. The break is inconvenient as the transport system there is far from satisfactory.

Some classes even end at 9pm; can you imagine the risks this puts students to when they have to walk through the industrial area at night?

The library of Utar is just a few feet away from a truck factory. The noise emitting from it affects our concentration. The cafeteria is unhygienic with dirty stains on the floor and is stuffy with no air circulation. Facilities such as banking are also lacking.

The standard of Utar administration staff is also unsatisfactory. Since the university was organised in a hurry, its recruitment of staff must have been haphazard. When questions were asked during registration day, you could be sure to get an answer like "I am not sure" or "Wait for feedback."

Its student loans are also in a mess. The university has yet to be given an institution code from the largest government education loan fund (PTPTN) so students are unable to apply for loans yet. The loan terms offered by Kojadi, an MCA affiliate, impose a condition that students buy RM700 shares from the co-operative to be a member. And its interest rate of eight to nine percent adds to the burden.

Although tuition fees for Utar are cheaper than for other private institutions, its standard and quality leave much to be desired. Most students come from not so well-to-do families and their parents struggle hard to support their education. As MCA runs Utar, the party should do more for the people it claims to champion.