70's-80's: "Give me liberty, or give me death!"→ 90's: "Eat, Play, Drink" →2000's: "Who's coming to this year's festival?"

Campus Festival is the most talked about event of the year. It is a chance to close your books, let go of your pencils, walk out of your hectic life, and bring yourself to unconditionally enjoy what college life has to offer. Festivals in the 21st Century are characterized by the participation of popular celebrities, and it goes without saying this is the reason students come to the festival. Students may choose to go to the festival in accordance with the day their favorite singers perform. Strange as it seems, nowadays the center of "college" festivals is not "college" students, but those we see on TV, most of whom have nothing to do with college.
In fact, celebrities' performances take up the majority of the festival and students attend the festival as audience members, not participants. It seems that over time campus festivals have turned into a mini concert for celebrities. Student Council Representative, Kwon Ki-hong, said, "Students are indifferent to campus festivals without celebrity performances. In order to draw their attention to have them come and enjoy the festival, inviting celebrities is an ultimatum."

The Great Shift from Students to Celebrities
In the mid 70's to 80's, the term "Daedong" was first coined as a means to unite university students and launch democratization movements against the military regime. Thus the term "Daedongje (One big gathering)" first appeared during this time to gather students to fight against the political regimes of the past. Student council members would become the center of the radical upheaval, gathering other students to partake in the student movement. Likewise, students have been the center of the event. However, with years of time, campus festivals grew out of its political and social purposes and became a means to serve entertainment and recreational purposes. Since 2000, it is impossible to imagine a campus festival without celebrities. Celebrities are stealing the spotlight from students, and unlike the past, students participate in the event as passive audience members. The great shift from students to celebrities questions the purpose of hosting such festivals.

Behind the extravaganza of campus festivals lies the unsound competition of each university's student councils to invite celebrities. As difficult it is to invite certain groups, it is just as expensive to have them perform live on campus. A staff member of Dongguk University's Student Service Team said, "It takes about ₩25,000,000 to ₩30,000,000 each year to invite celebrities."
The amount of money as suggested above takes up more than half the budget universities offer to student council members. Last year, the university spent ₩34,000,000 on celebrities for its upcoming festival. Of the ₩50,000,000 that the school provided, more than 70% of its expenses were used on celebrities. This is only the beginning, and it seems that almost all universities are having the same issue.

Celebrities: Glamour? Or Clamor?
‘Albamon’, an affiliate of an online job portal ‘Job Korea’ polled 365 university students about the problems behind campus festivals. Celebrity invitation cost(28.9%) and on campus drinking(26.7%) ranked the highest percentage. Yet, when students were asked the most anticipating programs of the festival, celebrity performances ranked the highest, garnering a percentage of 38.2%.
The results may be strikingly ironic, but it seems that one fact remains certain. Inviting celebrities as part of university culture is definitely a controversy, and one that needs to be contemplated upon.

If the 70's and 80's campus festivals were bombarded by tear gas, festivals in the 2000's are filled with blasting music sang by popular singers. Students, however, have remained unchanged. Students still fill the campus grounds during the festival season like they have in the past. Thus, the change has to come within, within the minds of students, in order to make the culture of campus festivals meaningful and worth preserving. What are your thoughts, then, as a Chung-Ang University student? It is up to you to change the future of our campus festival.

 

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