In a special meeting held over the issue on November 11, the UOS Student Representatives’ Committee announced the results of an inquiry about the administration’s disciplinary committee into allegations of financial misconduct in students’ clubs of Business Administration (BA). These student clubs were found to have misused funds from the university student activity fee. The disciplinary committee consisted of school faculty members and deans from each department. The committee confirmed allegations of embezzlement against the student council of the BA department and decided on penalties against five student leaders.

 
According to the Student Representatives’ Committee, the finance manager and president of the BA student council received 21 and 14 days of suspension, respectively. Three students were required to perform between 15 and 30 days of community service: the vice president of the BA student council, the finance manager for the student rock band Bark, and the finance manager for the Management Information Student Association (MISA).

The charges of embezzlement first emerged through a student of BA. Through the department’s online community, Biz Story, this anonymous informant cast doubt on the student council’s use of student activity funds. To calm the controversy, the BA student council convened an assembly on September 22, but failed to explain the reasons for the informant’s doubts, thus raising further suspicions among students. Soon, as evidence began to surface, all members of the council resigned. Further scandal emerged when it was revealed that council members had even photoshopped the list of their financial accounts in an attempt to hide their activities.

This was, however, not the end of the problem. During a regularly scheduled meeting of the Student Representatives Committee on October 15, its audit committee revealed that it had assembled proof of the clubs’ misappropriation from student union fees.

The clubs finally confessed to misconduct, and the Student Representatives’ Council reported the issue to the university administration. The disciplinary committee acted on the basis of the evidence supplied by the student audit committee and the confessions of those involved.

Jin-ho Yoon, a reporter for the UOS Press said, “Submitting evidence for misuse of student activity fees is not clearly documented in the department’s rules, so it is impossible to measure the exact amount of embezzlement.” He added that the university administration should consider making a regulation of evidence submission in order to prevent embezzlement.

By In-young Joung
 

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