In this blog post, we will examine the reality of student autonomous spaces on university campuses and question whether schools should take responsibility for the lack of space.
Nowadays, there are an increasing number of courses that require students to carry out team activities in a project format. As a brief personal example, five of the seven courses I am taking this semester require at least one team activity. In addition to regular courses, students are involved in many activities that bring together large numbers of people through academic societies and clubs. Seoul National University consists of 16 colleges, and clubs that are not greatly influenced by the characteristics of their departments, such as bands and sports clubs, exist in each college or department, and there are also central clubs for all members. Currently, there are 103 officially registered central clubs, with 24, 19, 25, and 35 clubs in four divisions, respectively. In addition, there are about 200 clubs registered under each college, and the actual number is expected to be much higher.
However, among the 180 buildings on campus, only two buildings, the Student Union Building and the Duremunye Hall, are equipped with spaces that can be used as student autonomous spaces for these activities (hereinafter referred to as “other student activities”). Although each college allocates a certain portion of its buildings for use as club rooms, this is only possible when the college student council actively requests the necessary space, and adjustments can be made at any time, so it is still difficult to say that students have the conditions to carry out extracurricular activities with peace of mind. The same is true for activities that are irregular but require frequent meeting spaces, such as team meetings. In reality, it is not easy to find a place on campus where students can hold closed discussions for long periods of time, and even if they do apply to use a room, if the discussion goes on late into the night, the students who gathered to study are often asked to leave the classroom. This is likely due to the inconvenience of patrols and operational costs.
Should school authorities simply stand by and let students resolve all these issues on their own? I believe that creating an environment that empowers students to grow as well-rounded individuals and pursue self-improvement through constructive discussion and the development of measures is not only a moral responsibility, but also consistent with the educational objectives of a university. In addition, more and more companies are looking for talented individuals who not only have knowledge in their field of study, but also have diverse leadership experience and teamwork experience, and the type of talent they seek is becoming more diverse. I believe that creating a curriculum that includes not only majors but also a variety of liberal arts courses with a little bit of teamwork and extracurricular activities is part of the school’s policy to respond to the needs of the times. However, there are various abilities and qualities that cannot be developed through such a curriculum alone. Students are engaging in many activities on their own to grow and develop these abilities and qualities. Therefore, in addition to increasing the convenience and efficiency of the various team activities included in the curriculum, I believe that the school needs to take the initiative in seeking solutions to create an environment where students can gain rich experiences and grow through extracurricular activities.
To that end, let us first look at the supply side in examining the problem. Is the current state of campus buildings and construction unable to keep up with demand? As mentioned earlier, the Seoul National University Gwanak Campus consists of about 180 buildings, including dormitories and research facilities. Among them, only two buildings are allocated for the self-governance, academic activities, and extracurricular activities of 17,000 undergraduate students, which is clearly insufficient when considering the absolute situation. Furthermore, since I enrolled, there has not been a single day without construction on campus. New buildings are always being built, and even if the exterior remains the same, many buildings are undergoing interior renovations. However, while the number of buildings that have been built under the guise of research buildings and are used by fast food chains with grandiose names has increased significantly, the only buildings where students can carry out team activities late into the night or early in the morning are the Shinyang Academic Building and Haedong Academic Building, which were built with private funds.
I do not want to argue that the only solution is to use the construction budget allocated at the discretion of the school to build new buildings for students, as the budget is likely to be limited. Of course, considering the current situation, I do not think it is unreasonable to request that the budget used to build buildings for research and events be used to construct new buildings for students, whose needs are significantly unmet. However, even without new construction, I believe it is possible to meet some of the demand, if not all, by improving operational efficiency.
First, it is necessary to integrate the reservation systems for each faculty, department, and building. Currently, each building is usually managed by a faculty or department, and school facilities and special facilities are managed independently. However, the problem is that there is a restriction that only students belonging to the relevant faculty can apply to use classrooms in those buildings. On the one hand, this may seem like a reasonable measure when considering the convenience of management and the prevention of damage to classrooms due to indiscriminate use. However, first, there is a huge loophole in the system, as students from other universities can easily make reservations online using their friends’ accounts. Second, as the saying goes, “Don’t let the fear of maggots prevent you from eating meat,” it is unreasonable to prevent students from studying and engaging in self-development activities out of concern for tidiness and damage to classrooms. Therefore, there is still room for improvement in the system.
Next is the expansion of the target users. As a prerequisite, it would be efficient to integrate and operate the reservation system, which would also increase user convenience. Subsequently, allowing students to use the facilities they want without restrictions based on their department and implementing a real-name system would resolve the concerns. By clarifying responsibility for classroom use through the use of real names for representative applicants, it will be possible to expect tidiness, garbage disposal, and preservation of equipment after classroom use by suspending the accounts of users who misuse the facilities for a certain period of time and extending the one-time usage time for excellent users.
Next, the scope of lecture rooms and sports facilities currently available to students from each college should be expanded. For example, in the College of Business Administration, which consists of Buildings 58 and 59, the seminar room on the 4th floor of Building 58 is designated for graduate students, but it is rarely used, and the situation is no different for the seminar rooms in Building 59, which undergraduate students are not eligible to use, as can be seen from the reservation status. On the other hand, if you look at the reservation and usage status of the seminar rooms for undergraduate students in Building 58, you will see that they are fully booked from the moment they open until they are forcibly closed. Where does this distrust of undergraduate students’ usage patterns come from, and why are the seminar rooms being wasted? If the rooms are intended for specific purposes, priority should be given to the individuals or groups who made the reservations, and any management issues can be addressed through the real name system and incentive system mentioned above.
In addition, it is necessary to classify classrooms by type, such as multimedia use, team meetings, and gatherings, and to allow students to freely and easily apply for and use them during periods other than those already allocated to existing courses or advance special reservations, to the extent that there are no gaps in operation and management. In other words, as mentioned earlier, it is necessary to expand the space that can be reserved for exclusive use, but classrooms used for lectures can also be used as alternatives in the evening by changing their purpose. As it is difficult to expand the space for exclusive use in the short term, this would be the most realistic solution. Meanwhile, if each building has a break room for basic needs other than its primary purpose, such as eating and drinking, it will reduce the amount of trash and clutter in the classrooms.
Finally, in the long term, it is essential to expand the space for student activities through the construction of new buildings or the conversion of entire buildings. Currently, clubs are divided into small spaces due to a lack of space, which reduces their effectiveness and usage, leading to a vicious cycle of supply shortages and dissatisfaction. While the opening of coffee shops and brand-name restaurants on campus would clearly be convenient for students, both students and the school need to consider the opportunity costs. I think it would be a more valuable use of the space and buildings if they could be used for team meetings, club rooms, or practice rooms for dance and music.
There were many students who were chased away by the security guard after discussions that lasted until dawn, or who were able to extend their time by flattering the security guard, students who played musical instruments on the floor of the academic building because they had no place to practice, and students who spent money outside the school to practice because they urgently needed a place to dance in front of a full-length mirror. Now that the internet is readily available, students can hold lively and passionate discussions in a place where they can share their ideas on the wall with whiteboard pens, close the classroom doors and practice without worrying about passersby, and practice comfortably in a practice room with mirrors even during the busy festival and performance season. How much more relaxed and energetic would school life be?
The buildings that stand proudly under the name of “research buildings” but are rarely used and are empty in the mornings and evenings are clearly the result of showmanship. The school authorities have a responsibility to come to the student union building and take a good look at what students really want and need. They have a responsibility to carefully consider the voices of the student council and put them into action. We look forward to a more vibrant and energetic campus life through the efficient and rational operation and expansion of facilities and spaces.
