In February 25, 2003, when the Roh administration took over, they announced twelve plans including educational reform, Pursuing culture and knowledge. To attain those goals, the government insisted on autonomy for universities with a legislation of faculty council and on building foundation for university autonomy. That was the first reference to the incorporation of national universities. 
    CNU's story of incorporation goes back to 2007. As the master plan of a multifunctional administrative dry came to the fore, school authorities mapped out a plan to be incorporated into the city. However, CNU couldn't become a corporate body by reason of objections by CNU members although they submitted a plan. However, the plan has surfaced again. 
    Most of the students ac CNU worry that incorporating CNU will result in raising the tuition. As you know, raising the tuition is the students' biggest concern. Me, many students can understand a tuition hike if the school uses it for the improvement of the education environment, such as for a shortage of professors in the college of economics and management, in 2010 seventy percent of the budget sum, eighty-two billion won, was from tuition and support from the national treasury was barely two percent of it, three point five billion won. This means, students' tuition will increase annually because support from the government will decrease every year. If CNU can't find methods to raise capital tuition will skyrocket. 
    How can we be financially stable? The authorities cake the case of SNU (Seoul National University)'s incorporating plan as an example, but its budget is significantly larger than CNU. BK21 a national enterprise that trains liberal educated people, contributes nearly fifty percent of the total support fund that has been injected into SNU since 2000. This fact is important for the future of CNU. Our school failed to secure that fund even [hough k was a national project. What happens if CNU enters competitive society without support? The result is predictable. Several famous universities will monopolize the support of businesses, and die remaining universities will be left desperately searching for financing. Furthermore, departments not oriented towards business or production, such as social science or humanities will suffer budget cuts while the school finds a suitable method to raise funds. 
    An inefficient but easier method of collecting funds is Ki offer space within the school's territory. A year ago, there was a signed agreement between Sogang University and Samsung Tesco. The business was allowed to build a new multy-functionaI structure on campus by giving one hundred million won to Sogang University and they will benefit from their investment by running a large-scale discount store in the building for thirty years. After the agreement was announced students made a strong protest against the school authorities. Why did the students protest? They did noc protest against improvement of the educational environment, but againstbuilding a commercial building un campus and its negative effect on the accident environment. Through this case, we can see the adverse effect of universities which arc beginning to pursue financial profit and ignoring their purpose of establishment, to educate liberal people within the protection of a national university. Now, all students can guess what will happen when CNU is incorporated without a concrete plan. 
    We are in the midst of a very important historical event. I thought that although all universities have changed, their purpose of establishment, a hall of learning is static. But I realized the school authorities are trying to make profit through businesses which might prevents students from studying. Can you see Plato's tears? His grand vision is being ignored because of the government and school authorities. Universities, the grand hall of learning, have to realize the must beneficial path for students.  

 

Kim Yeon-woong, Editor-in-Chief 
kenesys@cnu.ac.kr

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