Have you heard of the ‘Gettysburg Address’? Everyone has heard of it at least one time. The ‘Gettysburg Address’ is the Abraham Lincoln addressed for the ceremony, which was comforting the soul of the dead soldiers in the battlefield. The most important sentence was that the ‘Government of the people, for the people, and by the people never disappears’. It means the ideality of democracy. In the present time, almost all countries are adopting democracy. Korea also has adopted democracy, and all social groups in Korea are adopting it, too. That is, they are realizing ‘Of the people, for the people, and by the people’.
Chung-Ang University (CAU) also has democracy groups. There are such as Student Body Council (SBC) in Seoul campus and Anseong campus, and Coed Student Body Council (CSBC) in both campuses. All four groups are elected by the CAU students with regulated procedures. Likewise, they are of the students, for the students, and by students.
They prepared many election pledges and would try to realize what they pledged to the students.
‘Stylist’ is the name of SBC in the Seoul campus. ‘Stylist’ means that they want to make a new style of SBC to collect various demands, to achieve their own CAU’ style to affirm, to design a new feature of SBC in accordance with ‘Euihyul’, and to create the new thought applied to the CAU with fellows. It has pledges. First, they want to make new style of SBC. Specifically, the SBC had new concept that stressed horizontal system. Second, it is cooperative actions to freeze tuition fees by negotiating with school government. Third, it has to be promoted to guarantee the students’ right to participate in the restructuring of CAU, and arriving at agreements on every subject. Fourth, it is supporting the parts for revitalization, and organizing the united network to connect with the whole country’s students and former CAU’s students. In addition, ‘Stylist’ is managing ‘Euihyul guards’, ‘the welfare scholarship’, ‘supplying the homecoming buses for Chuseok’, ‘diary and graduation yearbook’, ‘the crash courses for TOEIC and driver license’, and ‘Establishing the employment information room’. By experiencing these welfare benefits, the students can see the efectiveness of SBC.
‘The alchemist’ is CSBC in the Seoul campus. It is trying to create a school, in which female students can attend comfortably, pleasantly, and safely. To begin with, it is forming the program “school free from sexual violence”. Moreover, it has all kinds of SBC’s businesses be unable to exclude the female students or sexual discrimination. To guarantee women’s right to being present in any lecture. Therefore, ‘The alchemist’ is promoting a plan called ‘monitoring group’ for capturing linguistic sexual violence in the lecture room, and introduce the ‘public absence system during menstruation’. More specifically, ‘public absence system during menstruation’ may be the biggest issue of the female students. It has already finished the final confirmation; it will be carried out before long in the first semester of the resent year, and it will be come true definitely by the second semester. Now, the computerized system for managing system is preparing. Moreover, ‘the alchemist’ is preparing ‘lady zone’. It is reaffirming the safe zone from sexual violence by separating the women and men’s rest rooms, and the free zone from displaying pictures that commercialize sex; an agreement made after a consultation with the neighborhood storeowners.
‘Why not’ is the Student Body Council (SBC) in the Anseong campus. It is also planning many things for the students. For example, there are plans consisting of education, welfare, culture and local community departments. In the educational part, ‘Why not’ is basically planning tuition fee problem, registering for courses, giving up units, and approving of changing majors between both campuses. In the welfare part, they plan to reduce consumer price in Nae-ri (It is a regional name), remodeling prime cafeteria, insuring the library, and repairing the rest rooms etc. In the cultural part, they are travel’s journal of Mt. Baekdu and Geumgang. In addition, ‘Why not’ is planning other things. Lastly, Anseong campus is close to Pyeongtaek. Therefore, ‘Why not’, the SBC in the Anseong campus is also interested in a local community. By establishing the study room for the children in the local community, they offer a local community service. Moreover, they help to protest on anti-U.S. base protest in Pyeongtaek.
‘Sympathy factory’ is the CSBC in the Anseong campus. ‘Sympathy factory’ means that it will make dreams thatthe female students, “the social weak”, have had come true. They will be a dream manufacturer. It has many plans such as extending women’s' rights. First, it is ‘the invitation to the daily life’. They include like ‘yeowoo cafe’ to tour each college, supporting women sessions, gathering the female representatives all together, and starting women and men’ rest room paper. Second, it will recovers women’ rights from the view-point of women. In details, they are raising women fund, managing women center, giving medical treatment to the female students twice a two weeks, and introducing ‘no lecture system at one day during menstruation’. Third, they are working in pro of a better welfare in the campus. Specifically, they are reduction of cost of sanitary napkin in the campus, making women’ lounges, changing the rest rooms’ condition, repairing the off streetlights, and taking place ‘the festival of yeowoo’ and so on.
As this groups mentioned above, all of them are eager to practice ‘of the students, for the students, and by the students’. Other SBCs of universities are all trying to realize the important students’ rights.
‘Fighting Ewha’ is the SBC of Ewha Womans University. This SBC has been doing many things. From the welfare point, this is their planning; constructing administrating graduate units, installing the unmanned returning cases, demanding for being free at the swimming pool and fitness club for the students, and insuring a right of way at the campus and so on.
‘Close up’ is the SBC of Kyung Hee University in the Seoul Campus. They are planning to provide the students with giving back the student dues, no charge coffee, operating no charge TOEIC test, and improving the circumstances of library, etc.
All groups have their own aims. However, the aim related to the group members is the most fundamental. In case of many SBCs and CSBCs, if you think about their origin, their fundamental aim is themselves. All of them think highly of the students. CAU’s also thinks so.
CAU’s cases different from other cases are putting more forth strength to the basic values. It is important subjects. Nevertheless, the thing to be regarded as same as the basic values is the real life of the students. Another SCB is supplying the opportunities to enjoy cultural and daily life. Of course, CAU’s groups are trying to meet the students' needs. To realize efficiently, All of the students should think about what is ‘Of the people, for the people, and by the people’ from the first thing to the last thing related to the students.
By Woo Yeo-rum
Culture reporter