The CBT interviewed GongGam’s President and Vice President of the Student Council who worked hard for the students this year. To end the year, reporters met them and asked some questions about their pledges. –Ed.

Q First of all, please introduce yourself.
P: Hello. I am Kim Jong-soe, President of the Student Council. It’s a pleasure.
V: I am Park Jae-se, Vice President of the Student Council. Nice to meet you.

Q What was your motive to join the Student Council?
P: I was the President of the Department of Social Sciences and Vice Chairman of Emergency Response Office last year. Therefore, I had much interest and noticed plenty of issues with the university. I thought that I worked efficiently for our university and students, so I opted for Student Council and did my best.
V: At first, I was only vaguely interested in the Student Council. However, after meeting Kim Jong-soe, President of the Student Council, I thought that the students felt the Student Council was lack of something. Therefore, I decided to join the Student Council as a Vice President.

Q What was the most impressive event or work you did for Chungbuk National University?
P: When Professor Kim Su-gap took office as University President, the students had voted in the election for the University President for the first time. That was the most impressive event. I regarded it as meaningful to participate in the vote. In the future, I think we should try to improve the rights of students and expand participation.
V: The thing I was most impressed with was the progress of our Welfare Bureau. When we prepared for the election campaign at first, we used a fad expression, ‘extensive survey.’ When people sometimes think of GongGam, the expression comes to their mind. I was impressed with the student surveys and our university students’ thoughts about many issues. With many results, we could do many things to satisfy the students’ wishes.

Q Which pledge was the most successful?
P: The pledge of remaking the school’s slogan. CBNU had used a slogan that the last president of the university made for the students in 2013. CBNU’s motto was ‘Dynamic future going together.’ I thought if we could change the slogan, we might encourage school spirit and pride in the school. Therefore, we made a promise to change the slogan, and we promoted a project that reflected students’ opinions. We ran a contest with the school magazine committee, and about 300 slogans were gathered. After a primary assessment by the school magazine committee and Student Council, we had 11 entries. Then, we surveyed 700 students and asked them to choose one of those entries. Then, the professor of the Department of Korean Language and Literature edited that slogan. Consequently, the slogan, ‘Chungbuk will become a shield, so you can proceed with justice.’ was selected. After this slogan was designed, we made it public and used it on our documents. We have been working on changing the motto around campus since then.
V: For me, hosting the TOEIC test was the most meaningful pledge. From preparing for the election campaign to hosting the TOEIC test, I wanted to be productive. At first, I discussed it with YBM, the company that manages the test. They said that it was impossible if there were no particular benefits for the students. They refused several times. The Student Council of the Department of Human Services and I started with absolutely nothing, so we started gathering students who wanted to take the TOEIC test. After receiving a positive answer from YBM, we collected applications and deposited 20,000 won from each student who wanted to take the test. In total, 150 students had applied, and by the test date, we ended up with 300 students who took the test at CBNU. Many students loved this and asked us to host it again. I was so proud that I succeeded with the pledge. If many students request this test again, I will give my knowhow to the next Student Council.

Q Which was the least successful pledge that you carried out?
P: Among our pledges, I feel sorry for not revising the grading system. In March, we had a lecture evaluation and took some surveys about making grade notices more detailed. We surveyed the needs of the students, and 1,300 students responded to our survey. Among them, 80~90% of students said they needed details about their grades, and we tried to change that. We submitted a proposal in August because we had to collect information about it. The faculty and Department of School Affairs had several meetings. The Department of School Affairs said they would answer by September. However, they did not, so I contacted them, and I asked when we would get a response. They said that this grading system could not be changed in one day and the faculty needed to get an agreement among the professors. Therefore, I was so sorry to the students for not being able to complete the pledge. The next Student Council needs to change this system. I worked a lot on this pledge, so I felt sad that I could not succeed.
V: For me, repairing or building physical training facilities. I heard students wanted the main stadium’s lawn to be repaired. Also, they complained about the basketball court’s urethane ground and the football field. We also wanted to install more chin-up bars. For the main stadium, we needed 500 million won to install the artificial grass, but due to some budgetary problems, the school could not afford it. We also could not plant grass on the smaller football field, but we are still trying. We fixed the basketball court, but it was too slippery, so I felt sad about this pledge. We are still searching for spots for chin-up bars. When a location is decided, we will install those.

Q Who helped you the most while running the Student Council?
P: There is a community of the Presidents of the Student Councils. They advised us and greatly encouraged me. They said, “If you need anything, just give us a call anytime.” Moreover, they contacted me first and asked if I was doing well. That was a great help, so I will remember them as good supporters.
V: The President of the Student Council. Before participating in the Student Council, I didn’t have a clear view of what I was doing. He helped me to have a clear view and supported me as an assistant. Thanks to him, I got real support and was able to spend a year without mishaps.

Q What would you like to ask the next Student Council to do?
P: First of all, having an open mind is the most critical factor. I think the views of the Student Council should reflect a balance of what the students want. Of course, thinking this way isn’t easy. We thought about the students’ views for a long time during our tenure. I think it is important to focus all promises and events on the students and not forget them. In the future, the Student Council should regain trust from students and faithfully try to enhance students’ rights. Not to lose confidence, I hope the next Student Council will proceed all business transparently and with their best effort.
V: We are working with the state of mind that none of this could have ever been possible without the students. Sometimes, we might be hurt by what students say, but I hope the next Student Council regards what the students say with great interest. Students want the Student Council to do better and try harder.

Q Do you have any last words?
P: I want to say something to the members of our council. During this year, you’ve done so well, and I hope we can see each other from time to time to maintain a good relationship. I want you to forget the hard times and retain the good memories of the Student Council. If it was good, it became a good memory. If it was bad, it became a good experience.”
We love GongGam.