There have always been complaints about the method of selecting students allowed in the dormitory. Regardless of how far the students are from their home, the Dormitory Administration Office has selected students only through the raffle. Unlike other universities, students who live in Seoul, and students who live in far regions, have an equal chance of entering the dormitory. Even though a lot of students have been complaining about the system, saying it is unfair, the Dormitory Administration Office has never officially taken an action about this controversy. Furthermore, the difference between Residence Hall^[1] and International House^[2] is also one of the main reasons that cause students’ complaints. This is because the Residence Hall’s facility and hygiene are significantly inferior to that of the International House, and students are reluctant to live in the Residence Hall for that reason.

                  This semester, the new selection system of the dormitory provoked criticism again. Due to COVID-19, the rooms of the Residence Hall, which were designed for two students each, have been occupied by one person for almost two years. However, as many regulations about COVID-19 have been relieved, Student’s House came back to its original rule: double occupancy. In doing so, most students applied for International House this semester, and the dormitory office announced that older students would get the priority of occupying the International House. Many freshmen and sophomores expressed disappointment with this system, arguing that age cannot be the basis of such privilege. The Dormitory Administration Office ended up facing bigger criticism from many students. To understand the situation more thoroughly, The UOS Times interviewed Choi Uijoon (Dept. English Language and Literature, ’22) who failed to enter the dormitory this semester. `

Q1. What do you think of the selection system of the UOS dormitory?

A1. It is unfair. They do not consider students’ financial status or the distance from home to school at all. For me, the system is incomprehensible. Also, the dormitory can only accommodate a small number of students among numerous applicants.

Q2. Why do you think the current selection system has to be changed?

A2. There are a lot of students who come to Seoul alone from various regions to attend UOS. However, as the housing price in Seoul is extremely high, it is not easy for most students to buy or rent a house nearby. It can be especially overwhelming to students who have financial difficulty. A student from Busan and a student from Seoul may have different amounts of burdens in terms of housing. Dormitories exist to help students who have those types of difficulties. Yet, I think the UOS dormitory does not seem to understand any of these.

Q3. What selection method do you think is more adequate?

A3. The Dormitory Administration Office has to consider both students’ financial status and the distance between the university and students’ hometowns. Most importantly, they must increase capacity. The acceptance rate is ridiculously low. Given the number of students who want to live in the dormitory, they have to expand their accommodation. I think having more accommodation facilities is the top priority.

                  Whom is the dormitory for? The dormitory has always been a high-profile issue among students. Yet, it is also difficult to blame the Dormitory Administration Office. The Dormitory Administration Office is only responsible for the overall administration of the dormitory and does not have the authority to build the new dormitory. It may also be problematic to select entrants in proportion to the distance from their hometown, because economic conditions are not proportional/inversely proportional depending on house distance. Above all, the main problem is that the dormitory has a small capacity, which is not a problem that can be solved by the Dormitory Administration Office. It is inevitable to contemplate on students’ better living conditions now.