Facilities of the UOS campus are developing, but the welfare for students is decreasing. For example, a road between the Law School and the Museum is being repaired by heavy equipments. Most importantly, the safety of the students has been neglected.
What is democracy? Democracy is a form of government in which power is held directly or indirectly by citizens under a free electoral system (Wikipedia). This means that there are many rights for the citizens. In the history of democracy, the needs of citizens are a concern.
The first article of the constitution is that the ruling principle of Korea is a democracy. But in the UOS, this principle is not kept. Causes of this problem relate to both the students and university faculty. First new students are so busy seeking employment when they are freshmen; therefore, they are not concerned about how to change society or what their school does.
In the event, rights of the students are being lost. Second, the school doesn’t ask their opinions about how the school should change. In addition, the school doesn’t inform the students about future plans or finances. For these reasons, we could miss a better opportunity to improve the UOS. The extreme indifference between the students and the school makes this matter very important. Constructing new buildings are necessary, but we must not put the cart before the horse.
The construction is not reasonable because it disturbs many students when they are studying. Only fine plans and endless communication can solve those matters. The school should know the students, and the students should, express actively their opinions. With this, we can make the UOS better now and in the future.
Gong Jeong-ryeol Editor-in-Chief
hidenthuser@uos.ac.kr