Most of those problems were in fact related to a shortage of the school’s budget; this year, the budget was cut down to 44.1 billion won, which is approximately 4.6 billion less than last year. “This budget problem is expected to worsen next year,” said Lee Yong-ho, one of the faculty members in the Department of Finance. He continued, “In 2014, we are expecting an additional 1.3 billion won cut.”

UOS is currently facing a big challenge: to meet the needs of students as much as possible within its budget. For problems that require a bigger budget, such as an improvement of the library environment and installation of security cameras, a long-term financial strategy is required and it should be carried out slowly. Other problems, such as noise in the library or the inefficient course registration system, should be adjusted in a short period of time with effort from all faculty members.

Overall, the Education and Scholarship Conference brought about the opportunity to strengthen the bond between students and the school. “For this conference to be successful, we need to pull this out into action, rather than discussion,” one faculty member pointed out. “However, we alone, cannot solve all the problems. Students as well need to give good care and love to their campus. Pollution on campus, for example, is one of the problems that students themselves need to fix.”

Students need to give more attention to their own campus and take actions to protect the place where they reach for their dreams. This perhaps is the most recommended solution for making the best use of the school, regardless of its budget.

By. Park So-eun