CNU Students Voice Their Opinion at the Public Hearing

A public hearing of candidates for the CNU 2025 General Student Council (GSC) was held at the Sarim Hall on the first floor of the Education Convergence Building on Nov. 13. A public hearing is a platform typically used by governments to allow stakeholders to voice their opinions on important policy decisions. This public hearing took place to verify candidates' campaign pledges and qualities. The No.1 candidates for the 2025 GSC President and Vice President are Kim Eui-jong (Senior, Faculty of Economics) and Jeong Da-eun (Junior, Dept. of Korean Language and Literature). The No.2 candidates are Shin Seung-hwan (Senior, School of Polymer Science and Engineering) and Jin Yeong-chae (Senior, Dept. of Wood Science & Engineering). They answered questions from representatives of student-led campus media: The Chondae Shinmun, the Chonnam Tribune, Chonnam National University Broadcasting. CNU students who attended the hearing also asked questions on their pledges. 

In Q&A sessions for media, Chonnam Tribune pointed out that neither campaign headquarters has any specific pledges for international students in CNU and asked whether they will take measures on this issue. No.1 candidates said, "We scheduled a meeting with the Office of International Affairs (OIA) but it has not taken place yet. We will discuss the matter with them soon. Most of all, we are considering expanding festivals such as CNU International Day. More details will be uploaded to the official account.” No.2 candidates said, "Except for some countries, there are not enough communities for international students to communicate. Also, according to the meeting conducted with OIA, they want more active exchanges with Korean students. We will take this into account. Additionally, we will provide English versions of school notifications and share them as card news.” 

In addition, students who attended the hearing asked several questions to examine whether the pledges were feasible and verify whether the candidates would fit for their duty. Some of the questions on the pledges included ways to enhance communication channels within the GSC, expand parking permits, convert grade point averages (GPAs), and more. They also advised on the position's role, which can be seen as a philosophical issue. Choi Sung-gwang (Senior, Dept. of French Language and Literature) said, "The hearing was well-organized. I give a big hand to those who have tried to achieve this event. Nevertheless, it could not satisfy my curiosity because the quality of answers was ambiguous, and most were nothing but declaratory. I hope the candidates answer clearly regarding the practicable fields in the next primary debate. The day of the election for the 2025 GSC is Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. 

By Choi Daniel, Editor