About the beginning of this year, COVID-19 became extreme, and after several announcements, Chung-Ang University (CAU) finally decided to conduct online classes entirely throughout the Spring semester. Students, who were unable to go to school and had to attend non-face-to-face lectures, took issue with the poor quality of education and the inability to use school facilities. They continuously demanded the return of tuition fees through school community sites like Everytime, and the campaign was also active into June. In response, the student council of CAU, ‘syn-‘, officially petitioned the school, but CAU remained silent. Eventually, after several discussions between CAU and syn- in early August, the ratio of students winning grade scholarship was reduced to 3% on August 11th, and the payment of a COVID-19 special scholarship was decided. Many students complained about the decision and the process of it. Let's look at why students were furious.
What Is the COVID-19 Special Scholarship?
The Student Council of Seoul and Anseong Campus called on July 30th to set up a consultative body to discuss the demand for a tuition refund, as well as details on how much, and how to do so. Accordingly, a meeting with student representatives and university headquarters was scheduled on August 3rd and 5th respectively, to discuss the tuition fee returns and related grade scholarships. At the meeting, the student representatives said, "It is true that students' right to study was not fully guaranteed in the Spring semester, and there would be remaining funds such as the cost of events that could not be carried out, despite additional expenses due to COVID-19. Therefore, the tuition fee should be returned in the form of a special scholarship." The university headquarters acknowledged that the effort of CAU to guarantee the damaged right to study of students due to the COVID-19 crisis was not enough for the students. They also said they wanted to discuss the payment of special scholarships after the request of the student council, specifically mentioning that there were discussions on providing scholarships for students who suffered due to the COVID-19 crisis. After a long discussion, the headquarter decided to raise and pay about 4 billion won for special scholarships. On August 11th, a notice from the CAU president confirmed that CAU would provide special scholarships worth about 3.83 billion won, which is about 6% of the actual payment of tuition fees. It also said that the university had separately discussed scholarship types and deciding to reduce the ratio of students winning grade scholarship to 3%. President Park Sang-gue said in the notice, "Considering students' complaints, scholarship records for students who got outstanding grades will be recorded separately." In a detailed COVID-19 special scholarship plan announced on August 19th, students who have paid tuition last semester and registered on the CAU portal site will be paid 6% of their actual payment on August 31st. It later announced that students who missed the deadline of registration could be paid the scholarship on September 16th.
Students Have Been Furious of Diminishing Grade Scholarship
In the meeting held at the beginning of August with the student representatives, the university headquarters asked students to understand the financial situation of CAU. They also explained why the ratio of students winning grade scholarship was reduced from 10% to 2-3%, referring to other universities' cases of special scholarship payments after the abolition or reduction of grade scholarships. The headquarters also argued for the justification for reducing grade scholarships, saying that inflation in grades caused by absolute evaluation the last semester has weakened discrimination capacity of recipients of grade scholarships. And they added that additional expenditure of about 1.4 billion won is needed to pay scholarships for foreign students and outstanding students on admissions. However, students have complained for various reasons why the special scholarship comes after reducing grade scholarship.
Problem of the Notice of Diminishing Grade Scholarship
In CAU’s official community site ‘Chung-Ang In’, there was a popular post pointing out the unfairness of reducing grade scholarships. The post raised questions about why grade inflation in the Spring semester was related to special scholarships for tuition return that many students had been demanding. It also said that it was unfair to announce the notice to reduce grade scholarships so late, long after the end of the Spring semester and only three weeks left before the opening of the Fall semester. In fact, a student majoring in English Language and Literature expressed regret, saying, "Even though I got a 4.5 GPA, I unexpectedly did not get a grade scholarship because of the reduction to 3%."
Fairness Problem with Other Scholarships
Grade scholarships are fair in that students are evaluated by their rank, based on their GPA, compared to others in the same department, but the ratio of the scholarship was reduced to 3% because the discrimination capacity of students’ grades became unfair. However, the Ilchwiwoljang Scholarship, which is given based on the increase of grade regardless of the major, was paid on August 11th as originally planned. Many students felt that it was not appropriate considering the weakened discrimination capacity of grade due to grade inflation, which the university headquarters cited as the basis of grade scholarship reduction. Many posts filled with complaints about the reduction were posted on community sites such as Chung-Ang In and Everytime. In addition, according to an article published on Chung-Ang In, it was pointed out that the ratio of the scholarships for foreign students who are evaluated by the absolute evaluation should be revealed, just as the ratio of the scholarships for Korean students had been revealed to be reduced.
Problem of Deviating the Recommendation from the Ministry of Education
Education Minister Yoo Eun-hae said on July 7th that private universities with a reserve fund of more than 100 billion won should actively use the reserve fund to help solve the tuition fee problem under the catastrophic situation of the COVID-19 crisis. According to the list of universities ranked by their reserve funds, CAU has about 118.3 billion won saved. This means the Ministry of Education recommended CAU return tuition fees using the reserve funds. Therefore, the 3.83 billion won for tuition returns through COVID-19 special scholarship that President Park said in the announcement on August 11th can be all paid from reserve funds without reducing the grade scholarships.
As COVID-19 spread, CAU conducted the last semester non-face-to-face. Accordingly, students continued to demand the return of tuition fees, citing the poor quality of education in online lectures and the inability to use school facilities. Eventually, the university headquarters decided to award the COVID-19 special scholarship to return tuition fees after a meeting with student representatives in early August. However, in the process, CAU reduced the ratio of students winning grade scholarships, citing difficulties of the school's financial situation and differentiation of students' grades. In response, many students were furious, pointing out the problem of reducing the ratio and questioning the background of the decision. In the non-face-to-face classes in Fall semester, CAU will have to resolve students’ complaints through active communication with them and announce as quickly as possible so that they will not repeat the mistakes of last semester.