Subscribe | UPI Odd Newsletter Subscribe STOCKHOLM, Sweden, Jan. 11 (UPI) -- Erik Pederson, vice chairman of Sweden's Student Unions, sharply criticized Ulf Perbo, an official who suggested students don't need kitchens or common rooms. Perbo, a top aide to Sweden's housing minister, was quoted by a construction trade magazine as saying students don't need those facilities in their university-provided housing, The Local.se reported Friday. Advertisement "If you want to simplify building rules, student housing is the first place to start," Perbo said. "It's not a life-threatening catastrophe." The comments angered Pederson. "This shows the attitude that students are second-class citizens," he said. "We are not lab rats," Housing Minister Stefan Attefall said his aide's comments were misunderstood. "The quotes are exaggerated and not presented in context," he said.