CBT interviewed the Doyak campaign members as they are running for the Student Council election in 2020. The interview was conducted to help school members understand the campaign pledges and encourage them to vote.

Q: Please tell us the meaning of Doyak, your slogan, your philosophy of operation, and why you are running in the election.

A: Our Doyak campaign team has the slogan ‘Changing thoughts, keeping promises and moving forward.’ First of all, the idea of changing thoughts is to accommodate the diverse opinions of the students. When we review the former Student Council’s pledges, we will keep them if the students need them. The idea about moving forward is to become a Student Council that focusses on the safety of the school until the day we finish our term. Therefore, according to the slogan, we decided to make CBNU the center of Korea. Also, our representative color is light green. As sprouts represent the beginning of life, we chose that color. The philosophies of the campaign team are continuity and development. As I mentioned earlier, we have set these operational philosophies to apply them to the development of CBNU by comparing the pledges of the former Student Councils and by reviewing the existing pledges.
  There are many reasons that our campaign team is running for the Student Council, but the basic reason is that the services that students receive from the school aren’t sufficient. For example, sometimes students take a dangerous path that is not paved. Thus, I want to make a school that I can be proud of.

Q: What do you think about the pledges of Synergy, which is the present Student Council?

A: First of all, I think it is too difficult to evaluate the Synergy Student Council. However, I will answer this question as a student, not as a candidate. I think they worked hard getting the services that the students deserve. Synergy has become a Student Council loved by the students. Therefore, we will follow what they’ve done and continue to be loved by the students, even when Synergy’s term ends.

Q: Using as much detail as you can, please introduce your six main pledges.

A: We are trying to resolve the student-governed contradictions and gaps, and we are focusing on pledges that can enhance the individual student’s rights, not on promises that require a lot of funds. Therefore, we presented six main pledges, including adding application courses and functions, gradually keeping the second library open 24 hours a day, eliminating the duties of the mentoring program, providing guidelines to prevent human rights violations, simplifying the Student Council launching events, and providing employment website partnerships. Also, we have sought ways to implement our pledges after considering the completed pledges of the previous Student Council, and we have visited the relevant school departments and reviewed their feasibility. We made our promises only as possibilities. However, if students don’t support us, we cannot implement these pledges.

Q: It is important to know where and how transparent the Student Council fees are used. How do you plan to ensure transparency in Student Council fees that will be used to run the council?

A: I think the issue of transparency in Student Council fees should be considered in all Student Councils. I think the reason why many students do not trust the Student Council is because of the uncertainty of how they use the budget. Of course, there are representative meetings, but it can be a big pressure for students to attend it and to ask for business plans about the budget. Also, even if the students take a look at the business plans, they can’t understand well. If we get elected, we’ll make a much more understandable budget document and release it on social media so that they can see it at the end of each event.

Q: I am curious about the specific feasibility of eliminating mandatory mentoring.

A: There is a mentoring program in CBNU where students must take, from the freshman until graduation. The purpose of this program is to help professors and students become more united and continue their relationship forever. However, at some points, it seems that the program is only a requirement for graduation. Thus, I think the program should be operated voluntarily. Everyone knows that the program goes wrong, but not even one person impugns this program. While preparing for the pledge to eliminate the mentoring program, I was asked various questions such as when we are going to eliminate it. The important thing is that the program should be raised first to the stage of public debate whether this system should exist for the development of students.

Q: Among pledges, you said you would push for opening the second library 24 hours, and I’d like to ask you how you plan to solve this problem specifically, and how long it takes to be gradual.

A: One of the Synergy Student Council’s pledges was to open the library for 24 hours, but it didn’t go well. In response, we will give the effort to help students study in the library within a comfortable environment. There should be no inconveniences due to the lack of time available for students to study sufficiently. Doyak will require the library to open its doors so that students do not experience any inconveniences in studying late. Also, we will actively work to secure the budget to operate the second library 24 hours for the students’ continuous demand.

Q: I’d like to ask you about your commitment to partnering with employment websites, and I’d like to ask how it works.

A: Our pledges are not going to cost a huge budget, but rather we’re going to solve institutional contradiction and gaps with our ideas. The question of whether the employment sites are effective is not available to answer yet as there are no sample surveys. Thus, after the election, the Student Council will need to take an active stance on conducting a demand survey, by directly interviewing students at the central and main gates.



By Nam Min-woo l mw38@cbnu.ac.kr
By Yoo Seong-woo l sw38@cbnu.ac.kr
By Ahn Young-tae l ytann05@cbnu.ac.kr