Maman, Papa. Could you move over?
Sex Poster Calls Attention to France Housing Shortage
Students in France have long had a hard time finding a place to live. A campaign by the student union called attention to their plight using posters depicting a couple having sex in the parents’ bed. The message of the poster was clear: Because of a chronic housing shortage, a huge number of those attending university in France have to live at home for lack of anywhere else to go.
The sultry campaign may have had the desired effect: Earlier this month, French Minister for Higher Education Valerie Pécresse announced a new plan budgeting €620 million to build 5,000 new lodgings and renovate a further 7,000 per year until 2012. The government likewise expressed support for so-called “intergenerational housing,” a system whereby students are matched up with elderly people who have rooms to spare.
But UNEF is not totally satisfied that the government plan will provide the relief necessary. The government pegged the yearly allotment to the French budget, meaning that any shortfalls could endanger the plan. [...]
