What Is the School Support Association Fees?
    The School Support Association is one of the contribution students make to the university. Through these fees, the university provides research funds for faculty, support student businesses and welfare, and expands educational facilities, etc. The School Support Association Fees began as a form of urgent contribution right after Korea’s liberation from Japanese colonial rule.

 

Why Are ‘the School Support Association Fees’ a Problem?

 
    The School Supporting Association Fees should be given voluntarily; these fees autonomously should not be compulsory. However, the school forces students to contribute by forcing them join the School Support Association. Also, this fee is generally used to subsidize faculty salaries; not to improve school facilities or educational atmosphere. Excessive appropriation of the fees causes a serious a problem, too.

 

How Is CNU Coping with the Problem of ‘The School Support Association Fees?’
    In 2010, eight national universities including Seoul National University sued each school’s support ssociation for ill-gotten gains. The Seoul Central District Court ruled in favor of plaintiffs and sentenced that “All School Supporting Associations must pay 100,000 won to each student.” Accordingly, the 43th student association of Chungnam National University (CNU) has been planning a lawsuit demanding for the repayment.
    Jo-eun-ha-roo, the 43th student association of CNU, recruited students for the restitution lawsuit from March 21 to April 10, 2012. Each college promoted and recruited students to join this movement, and about 4,000 students joined. Students were very enthusiastic because movement of the restitution lawsuit of the School Supporting Association Fees is related to the issue of half price of tuition. Jo-eun-ha-roo expects that it takes about 3~4 weeks to gather petitions and supporting evidence. They added, “If the petition is accepted, the court will order to submit details about the School Supporting Association Fees. Then the matter of ill-gotten gains will be determined,” and explained “It might take about 8~10 months by the first judgment after rendition of judgment.”

 

The Present State of ‘The School Supporting Association Fees’
    The Chungnam National University collects the School Supporting Association Fees compulsorily in he forum of tuition fee. About 20.1% of the School Supporting Association Fees had been paid for personnel expenses from 2002 to 2008. It means that school personnel have received wages about 4/1 more. Also, it turned out that the amount of the School Support Association Fees in 2008 was 109 billion won and in 2009 was 67 billion won.

 

BY Kwon Da-sol CP Reporter
dasol422@cnu.ac.kr

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