At 5 p.m., students from CBNUʼs 56th Student Council, Gaehwa, held jacket, officially made by each of majorʼs council, and Post-it Note protests in front of the University Headquarters. During the protests, students discarded their jackets and attached flyers expressing opposition to the integration without proper consultation. Ahn Chae Hwan, the Student President (Dept. of Management Information, 19), emphasized that despite only 15 days remaining until the submission deadline for the integration application, negative opinions about the merger had persisted for over a year. The university had not taken adequate protective measures, leading President Ahn to oppose the application through formal deliberation.

  The Gaehwa demanded transparency by requesting the disclosure of the application formʼs contents. They also advocated for student interests, proposing that the integrated university retain the name “CBNU” and that diplomas and certificates reflect the time of entrance. Additionally, they urged the university to collect opinions related to merging similar and overlapping departments.

They criticized the administration for disregarding student input.

  Woo Soo-dong, the head of the Glocal University Promotion Team and a professor in the Dept. of Plant Medicine, announced the initial proposal for integrating similar and overlapping majors at CBNU. Notably, this proposal was made without consulting Korea National University of Transportation (KNUT). According to the plan, there would be no mandatory transfers altering the academic structure without members’ consent. However, partial departmental relocations and adjustments based on individual professors’ intentions were permitted. The overarching integration strategy primarily focused on addressing similar and overlapping majors.

  At 4 p.m., a briefing took place in the large lecture room of the College of Social Science (N15) regarding the submission of the integrative application between CBNU and KNUT. During the briefing, the academic structure reform plan related to integrating similar and overlapping departments was revealed. These departments were categorized into three types: Type 1: Overlapping majors with the same name and consistent department classification. Type 2: Similar majors with similar names and consistent department classification. Type 3: Departments with similar names but inconsistent department classification. Based on this classification, a total of 25 majors were identified as similar and overlapping departments: 14 Type 1 majors, 10 Type 2 majors, and 1 Type 3 major. However, a clear plan for integrating departments by types had not yet been presented.

  On that day, addressing concerns about the integration of majors, Planning director Woo stated, ‟I will fully consider department opinions regarding integration and proceed only for those who wish to merge departments.” Despite this announcement, participants expressed their distrust and complaints. President Ahn emphasized that student consent and department decision-making should take precedence in integration matters. 

  During the briefing, when asked about protective measures for students during department integration, Planning director Woo responded, ‟We will ensure that closed departments align with the graduation period so that students can continue to receive diplomas.” However, concrete plans for academic structure changes have not yet been finalized. Additionally, when questioned about the fate of programs and departments created during integration after three years of financial support, he replied, ‟It will depend on the school’s future financial situation.” He also affirmed that integration would continue, aiming for a gradual process.

  Meanwhile, an additional briefing on integration and an exchange meeting between CBNU and KNUT are scheduled to be held in Sept. and a final campus relocation plan is set to be established in Oct. in this year.

  In relation to Glocal University 30, CBT reporters conducted an interview with President Ahn of Gaehwa. When asked, “What does the student council president think about the two briefings held in June and July this year and the reorganization of the academic structure explained by the Planning director Woo?,” he responded, “The briefing clearly revealed the ‘unresolvable heaviness’ that was pointed out at each briefing. It happened again. There has been continued opposition to integration since last year, and a vicious cycle is continuing in which students are not getting the answers they want to hear. Among the explanations for the July academic structure reorganization, I think that ‘decision-making at the department level’ must be guaranteed by the university headquarters and made in accordance with student opinions from each department. This is because the list of similar and overlapping departments presented by the university headquarters is the result of a third-party service agency, and the department reorganization plan is also a simple content presented by the university headquarters. Decision-making by each department must be thoroughly made, and we must ensure that the department can decide on everything, starting with whether to reorganize the academic structure or not,” he said.

  In addition, to the question “Are there any plans or events being prepared at the enlightenment student council level for students in similar departments?,” “Academic restructuring/campus relocation due to similar and overlapping departments will be discussed by department through the central steering committee from the beginning of the student council term. We consistently conveyed the importance of responding and gathering opinions. Since decision-making by department is an important issue, we attended in the first semester and held a briefing at the student body president level regarding response measures when selecting similar and overlapping departments. In addition, even after the information session last July, we are providing various assistance by informing the student council presidents of all departments through the Central Steering Committee that a department-level response must be carried out, such as requesting a department information session, meeting with the department head, and expressing opinions through opinion collection.” He announced the current status of the student council.

  He finally said, “It has not been confirmed yet, but we expect that processes to protect our university’s name, such as a name vote, will be conducted starting from the second semester. As announced through the Kakao Talk bulletin board for each department, the name vote is a way to ensure that our universityʼs name is preserved. It also protects the universityʼs name by protecting the receipt of the same diploma that may occur due to integration, changes in the location of the university headquarters, and reorganization of the academic structure. This is a plan that can be protected. If the event is held in the second semester, the student council will do its best to protect the universityʼs name. This is a desperate situation that needs a lot of interest and participation from students,” he said, adding that he wanted to convey this message to CBNU students.