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It has always been a big controversy whether Global Campus was a branch school or not. Global Campus at Kyung Hee University (KHU) has finally been approved as a campus equal to Seoul Campus on August 30th by Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MEST). KHU students’ voice that requiring legally equality of both Seoul and Global Campus finally brings out precious result. This legal approval was possible because of KHU students’ autonomous spirit and strong power of action for the past eight years.
Record of Process and the Changes
Last July 11st, KHU submitted an application form requesting legal integration of both campuses to the MEST. However, the MEST ordered retrial because of some duplicated majors in Seoul and Global Campus; such as School of English and Culture and Department of Free Major at Global Campus. Accordingly, KHU submitted supplementing data and, ten days later, got legal approval for the integration of both campuses. The approval is valid from March 1st in 2012. In the contents turned in to the national organization, KHU specializes each campus; the fundamental studies are located at Seoul Campus and the applied studies at Global Campus. Also, overlapped majors will be changed. School of English and Culture will change its name to Department of Global Communication from 2012 and the Department of Free Major will be abolished in 2013. Additionally, th e School of Dance at Seoul Campus, which belonged to the Department of Art and Design before, will be independent of the Department of Art and Design. It will be in Seoul Campus independently.
Students’ Views about the Changes
However, since both majors, the Department of Free Major and the School of English and Culture at the Global Campus, changed, students were embarrassed because the reforms were very sudden for them. Lee, Hwa-jin, a student in the Department of Free Major, said, “I didn’t hear about the decision about my major, so I was surprised when I got the news that my major will be abolished. If the admission office does not grant any more, my major will be forgotten and I will lose the value of what my major was. That would be harmful to graduates,” he said as he expressed his concern. In addition to these worries, there is an opinion that abolishment isn’t the only way to resolve the legal assignment. Lee Young-joon, a Student Representative of the Department of Free Major, said, “How about changing the curriculum while keeping the original aims of the Department of Free Major?” As what we’ve seen above, lots of students who are related to this change want to speak about their ideas on this issue. However, considering the situation the students find themselves in, it seems that the university authority lacks the ability to collect opinions from students. Despite the fact that both campuses got equally legal approval, it is pity that the university made a rash decision about the abolishment and changes to the names of some majors. One student suggested an opinion gathering method. “If it is difficult to gather the opinions directly, an e-mail survey would be a good way to collect students’ ideas,” said Lim, Go-yi, a student in the School of English and Culture.
Students’ Efforts toward Legal Approval
As seen in the chart, Student Council’s passion and efforts deserve to be praised however; they say it owes to students’ participation. For example, last summer, despite its heavy hot weather, two thousands of students participated in Student General Meeting in front of the Central Library. Thanks to students’ participation to the meeting, Student Council could propose requests including legal approval form. “The council in which so many students participated reminded me of autonomous voices of KHU and finally we got approval. This approval has meaning as breaking down social discrimination against Global Campus such as low evaluation by companies,” said Jung, Chan-jun, the President of Student Council. In this way, success of legal integration owes to KHU students’ spontaneous and historic efforts.
Legal approval of integration is visible outcome based on students’ unconstrained voice and spontaneous efforts. These efforts of students do not merely remain in legal integration, and was sprawling out to freeze in tuition of KHU in this year which was exceptional case in other Korean universities history. Considering most students’ amendable, uncritical, and even obedient attitude to university authority, it was hard to believe that KHU students did it by themselves. KHU students should be proud of their-selves and their autonomous spirit carried over through the ages, and that is what KHU students have to succeed forward.