[Special] 2025 DGU Election Hearing – Day1

    The 2025 Dongguk University General Student Election Hearing took place over three days from March 18th to 20th, 2025. For the first day, the hearing ran from 6:10 P.M. to 7:10 P.M. The College of Liberal Arts Representative Council was unable to participate in the public hearing due to personal reasons, so only the College of Liberal Arts Student Council proceeded with the hearing. The order of questions was as follows: general questions from the Election Commission, questions from school media, and questions from the public. The regular election hearings were live-streamed on the school's broadcasting station, DUBS.

   Below is the and the questions asked by The Dongguk Post reporters and the following responses replied by the representatives.

The College of Liberal Arts Student Council, 'DA:ooM'

General Questions

Q. What is your election platform?

A. “Being myself, Together with the College of Liberal Arts!”

Hello! We are the candidates for the 57th College of Liberal Arts Student Council, Cho Jung-hwan (presidential candidate) and Lee Won-hyuk (vice-presidential candidate). We aim to create a student council that helps our fellow students of the College of Liberal Arts focus on their studies in a better environment, interact freely, and confidently shape their own futures. Given the current reality of insufficient academic support, limitations in interdepartmental exchange, and uncertainties about career paths, we have prepared practical promises to strengthen the College of Liberal Arts. Furthermore, if our fellow students face disadvantages or difficult situations, we will swiftly voice out on their behalf and directly take action to ensure their rights. We will work together to make your university life filled with romance and hope, and make the future of the College of Liberal Arts a reality.

Q. What are your main pledges?

A. "Being myself, Together with the College of Liberal Arts!"

The key promises we have prepared are divided into three areas: academic support, interaction, and welfare.

1. Academic Support and Environment Improvement

   During exam periods, we will extend the opening hours of Myungjin Lounge and classrooms, and provide support for online lectures related to certifications and civil service exam preparation through partnerships. We will also invite professionals from various fields to hold career workshops. Additionally, to help students concentrate on their studies, we will hold snack events and support campaigns, while posting important announcements such as academic and scholarship notices in one centralized location.

2. Promotion of Interaction

   We plan to hold a friendly sports competition called the Myungjin Sports Festival between the College of Liberal Arts and the College of Natural Sciences. We will also operate various booth events during university festivals and support inter-departmental exchange activities and joint projects through “The Night of the College of Liberal Arts.”

3. Welfare

   To ensure students do not face any inconveniences, we plan to offer charging stations, book supplies, and stationery rentals at the student council office. We will survey and partner with nearby businesses to offer discounts, while also identifying facility improvement needs and requesting repairs from the school administration. In case of emergency, we will provide temporary repair tools like hammers, screwdrivers, and foil mats.

Q. How would you evaluate the student society this year?

A. The opening of the student general assembly in 2024 was unsuccessful, and tuition was increased in 2025. However, during this process, the College of Liberal Arts was under an emergency response committee, and the regular election in November was also canceled. Naturally, there was a lack of representation for students’ opinions, including voting rights.

This situation left many regrets regarding the student society of the College of Liberal Arts. However, I believe that these regrets must now be addressed, and I firmly believe that the student body desires this change. In the 2025 Newbie Orientation, the departments of the College of Liberal Arts unanimously expressed their desire to independently manage it. They also voiced specific concerns about the tuition increase. This reflects hope for a collective decision-making and representation body for the College of Liberal Arts, and such a conclusion is not an exaggeration.

Questions from The Dongguk Post

Q. What kind of support are you planning to provide for certification exams and civil service exam preparation? Also, is there a specific criterion for certification support, or will it be available for all certifications without limitations?

A. Support for certification and civil service exam preparation will be provided in two major ways. First, we will enhance study spaces and materials to create an environment conducive to certification and exam preparation. We plan to allocate seats in the computer lab on the second floor of Myungjin Hall and will work to use classrooms more flexibly outside of exam periods. Second, we are considering expanding support for certification exam fees and course fees. The support will not be limited to specific majors but will include certifications that are practically helpful for students’ career paths. However, given budget constraints, we will establish basic evaluation criteria to ensure fairness in the process.

Q. We know that Myungjin Lounge is already open during exam periods. Are there any additional opening plans? How will safety be managed when opening lounges and classrooms during exams?

A. In addition to the current opening of Myungjin Lounge, we are also planning to open classrooms. This will support presentation practices or group projects, which are common in many of the liberal arts department courses. Safety will be managed by restricting actions that might cause accidents and focusing on opening spaces equipped with CCTV. We will also collaborate with the campus security team to enhance safety for late-night users. Additionally, we will update the usage rules for night access and conduct regular checks through the student council to promptly address any issues. This will ensure students can study in a safer and more comfortable environment.

Q. You mentioned encouraging inter-departmental relations through various programs. Are there concrete plans for this, and have you had prior discussions with the departments?

A. The program aimed at encouraging inter-departmental relations will focus on providing students with opportunities to engage in exchanges beyond their individual departments. Through the “College of Liberal Arts Union Clubs Support,” we plan to support students with similar interests across departments to interact. For example, we will facilitate activities like book discussions, movie screenings, and sports activities to expand the interaction platforms between departments.

We will also promote “Departmental MTs and Interdepartmental Competitions” to organize joint programs between departments, such as sports activities or quiz competitions. To ensure smooth operations, we will collaborate with the department student councils and actively incorporate students’ opinions.

Q. What specific facilities will be improved in classrooms, and are there specific criteria for selecting facilities that need improvement?

A. The goal of classroom facility improvements is to create a more comfortable learning environment. Based on the academic demands gathered from the early discussions on tuition increases, we will prioritize the replacement of outdated classroom equipment. For example, some classrooms have deteriorating desks, chairs, and blackboards that hinder learning, and these will be addressed first. We will also propose adding additional electrical outlets in classrooms where electronic devices are essential. The criteria for selecting facilities to be improved will be based on students’ feedback. We plan to conduct regular surveys to identify classrooms that need urgent improvements and work with the department student councils and emergency response committees to set priorities. Through continuous discussions with the newly formed communication committee at the school, we will aim to improve the classroom environment gradually.

Q. You mentioned creating a sports competition not just as a competition but as an opportunity for communication and collaboration. Are there specific plans or considerations for this?

A. To make the Myungjin Sports Festival not just a competition but a platform for communication and collaboration between departments and colleges, we are considering several approaches. First, we will form mixed teams across departments to move away from the traditional department-based competition and increase the collaborative aspect. For example, depending on the sport, we plan to have several departments team up together, naturally encouraging exchanges. Second, we will increase cooperative events to emphasize the importance of communication and collaboration. In addition to the individual competitions, we will add events that require inter-departmental cooperation. Third, we will introduce event-style programs to ensure that all students, not just participants in the competition, can join the festival. We are planning mini-games reflecting academic features and various side events during the sports festival to involve as many students as possible. These efforts will help the event evolve from a simple competition into a venue for communication and collaboration between students from the College of Liberal Arts and the College of Natural Sciences.

Q. Given the financial aspects of the promises you have made, do you think the necessary budget can be secured and the plans can be realized?

A. As I am still a candidate, I do not have concrete alternatives yet, but I am considering re-distributing the student council’s budget. For example, some past contests had low participation rates and were not very effective. I plan to reallocate the budget from these underperforming projects and use it more effectively. Additionally, we will consult with the academic administration and external partners to request additional funding. Beyond the budget, we can also look forward to support from the school in terms of space and resources. We will work with external partners not only to secure funding but also to minimize expenses while providing actual services or resources that will support student life.

Q. Regarding the survey for partnerships with businesses near the school and your intention to consult with students regarding certifications. How do you plan to communicate with the students of the College of Liberal Arts, especially considering that not all students follow the department’s Instagram account?

A. When conducting research on the businesses students want to partner with, if we survey all students in the College of Liberal Arts, the amount of data collected could be overwhelming. Managing all this data could be difficult, and another issue is that not all students follow the department’s Instagram account. So, we plan to get help from the departments. Each department will select one or two partnership options they want the most and relay them to us. After that, we will narrow down the options through negotiations.

Similarly, regarding certifications, there may be different preferences across departments. For example, the Department of Chinese Studies may want support for HSK certification, while the Department of Japanese Studies may prefer JLPT certification. Since the needs vary by department, a general survey across the College of Liberal Arts could result in the voices of smaller departments being overlooked. For instance, if there is a demand for English-related certifications from the English Literature Department, it may be overshadowed by the larger demands of other departments. Therefore, we will survey each department individually regarding the certifications they prefer and then narrow down the support programs in a second step.

Ku Ji-won

Lee Jae-won