[464 Campus] The Role and Challenges of Student Organizations at Dongguk University

   Student organizations play an essential role at universities in Korea, including Dongguk University. At Dongguk, these organizations are particularly focused on inheriting and promoting the Buddhist spirit and national traditions in line with the university’s founding philosophy. They aim to cultivate the qualities needed to be democratic citizens through student self-governance while also working to achieve school autonomy and contribute to a democratic society. As an integral part of the university, student self-governance organizations hold significant importance in actively and collectively addressing campus issues. In this article, The Dongguk Post will explore such student organizations, their roles, and the challenges encountered during the Spring Festival planning process. 

The role of student organizations: what they are and what they do 

   Student organizations are divided into various organizations to accomplish their goals and work together and counterbalance each other. Some of the most common student organizations include the General Student Council, the Student Councils of College and Department, the General Representatives Council, and the Club Union. 

   The most representative of these organizations is the General Student Council. According to the Student Council Constitution, all enrolled students are full members of the general student council. Students have the right to vote, have a say in management, make resolutions, and request disclosure of decisions. The student council, as we usually recognize it, consists of elected representatives. The General Student Council carries out various projects for student self-governance. These include welfare issues such as lecture rooms and cafeterias, cooperating with other universities and creating conditions for students to live independently. 

   Following are the Student Councils of the Colleges and Departments. These are the student organizations closest to the students’ lives. They carry out projects for the benefit of students. They organize partnerships with businesses around the school, snack events during exams, and MT. Although student councils tend to be perceived as organizers of events, they also play a role as student representatives. They participate in the Student Representatives Assembly, including Student Councils of Department, to deliberate on budgets and business plans and express opinions on amendments to the bylaws with voting rights. It is an organization that not only plans and executes projects for students but also represents the voice of students and can directly influence the work of the General Student Council. 

   Another essential student governing body is the General Representatives Council. This is the body that checks and balances the General Student Council. It is composed of class representatives, grade-level representatives, and major representatives. They are crucial in auditing the student council and amending the constitution. It has the right to propose and vote on amendments to the bylaws, impeach representatives, and conduct audits. 

   The Club Union is also a student organization. It comprises members of registered clubs and is in charge of planning, coordinating, and supporting club activities. Students are familiar with the organization as the organizer of club fairs, where various clubs gather to recruit members. The important role of the student organizations is not only to effectively represent students’ opinions, but also to keep each other in check and solve problems rationally. 

Credibility crisis of student governing bodies in spring festivals 

   As mentioned earlier, the General Student Council is the organization that plans and organizes school festivals. However, although candidates ran in the regular election last November, the organization was canceled because it failed to achieve 50% of the votes that could be counted. Furthermore, no candidates ran in the March by-election, leaving the position vacant. The emergency committee was also unable to be formed, so the chairman of the General Representatives Council substituted for that role according to the bylaws. As a result, a festival planning team was organized around the chairman, and the festival was planned and operated. However, students’ critical voices were raised during and after the festival, pointing out operational issues and accounting problems. Among them, some issues were not clear about the role and purpose of the student organization. 

   The first issue is the involvement of the former vice chairman of the General Representatives Council in the festival planning. The festival planning team was formed through a rigorous selection process, and the executives were elected student representatives. During the festival planning process, which involved large budgets and contracts, it was revealed that the former Vice-Chairman Moon of the General Representatives Council participated in meetings without any position and accepted payments from a vendor through his personal account. In the public audit of the Spring Festival, he explained that he only acted as an advisor when the festival director asked for his help and that he participated to expedite the process. Another issue is the public audit. It is the job of the General Representatives Council to conduct audits. However, the issue was raised that the audit was conducted by the chairman and vice-chairman of the General Representatives Council. This is like auditing themselves. This issue was criticized in the first public audit announcement, leading to a reorganization before the audit was conducted.

   What is noteworthy about the above issue is that the person not qualified through a legitimate method such as an election was overly involved in the business, and the role of the student organizations, which is supposed to be a check and balance, was almost undermined. The above problems may have been caused by the complacency of student representatives about the proper process of handling business. In addition, it should not be overlooked that the lack of interest in student organizations by students inherently leads to the failure to form a legitimate student organization.

   In universities, student organizations are formed by different entities to work for students’ welfare and criticize school issues. Student organizations effectively allow students to voice their opinions to the school. However, a decline in student interest in student governance makes it difficult for student organizations to fulfill their role. Many factors contribute to this decline in student interest, such as a lack of trust in student society and changing values about student governance. It is crucial for student organizations to be more mission-focused, transparent, and accountable, to build the needed interest. By recognizing the positive effects of the purpose of student governments, it is hoped that a desirable relationship will be created in which student governments work for the benefit of students and students actively express their opinions.