The University of Seoul [UOS] is now banning for 30 days some students who saved their library seats for long periods of time even though they were not actually using them. The school authority said that this is their best solution to deal with selfish use of the library by some students. However, some students are asserting that this is too harsh of a restriction. In this opinion column, we will hear what Chungdaites think about this issue, as it is not just a problem at UOS.
    There is a very famous quotation, "Give me liberty, or give me death," which is about the struggle for liberty in this world. However, some people are likely to misunderstand the quotation and mistake liberty for selfishness, but they have no right to take liberty away from others. If we respect each other, we can keep our society and ourselves safe and secure. Some students at a university in Seoul were banned from using the library reading room for 30 days because of saving the library reading room's chairs for a long period of time without sitting and studying. The students said the action of the school was not acceptable, so the students accused the school authority of overreacting. In this case, we can see a case of selfish people who misunderstand liberty and don't acknowledge their faults, and it is extremely absurd for them to demand their rights in this situation.
    Let's consider what it would be like if not only a few students but many students saved seats in the library and didn't appear for a long time, until the closing time.
    The other students who really want to study have to look around to find empty classrooms available, and if there are none available because of classes, they have to keep on looking. This is a waste of time and everybody can be a victim of this case. Then, we ought to also consider what the students said and where their confidence came from in accusing school authorities of reacting too strongly. After considering this, we need to point out the faults in their attitude. Here are two of their statements: First the university's regulations violated their rights, and second, there was no appropriate survey of students. Before refuting their claims in earnest, let's check the library Clause 2, "The purpose of the library is collecting, arranging, analyzing, and conserving material and giving the public places to study. "Through clause 2, we can confirm that we cannot justify using the library as a private place.
    Nevertheless, the students have insisted that not being able to use and enter the library reading rooms for 30 days is an infringement of their rights and freedoms. Are they really sincere if they are earning their freedom by taking away the rights of others? If they had consideration towards others instead of selfishness, this kind of case would not happen at all. In addition, the regulation against their use of the library does not take away their rights to study because they could find other places to study.
    In addition, the claim that there was no proper survey of students does not make sense. Even though there was no direct survey, the reason the authorities made the regulation was that many students who had suffered from a lack of seats had asked for a solution. Therefore, we could take this as a good enough reason for t he regulation. Also, this is no problem for those who follow the rule well. If the selfish students won the case, the whole purpose of the library would be lost and more students would reserve seats, so through this regulation the public can better use the library.
    Why on earth have the students tried to secure only their benefits and rights as guaranteed by the law? This selfishness always makes me upset and, as with many problems, we can solve this easily if we put ourselves in their shoes. Of course wanting to punish them may make it seem like I am betraying them as a Korean student, but I want to put myself in many students' shoes, wanting to study, but instead having to wander around because of reserved seats. And through this proper regulation, we have a duty to bring them consciousness and teach them how to live as responsible citizens. Finally, if we use our liberty with responsibility, not with selfishness, our society will be better for sure.

By   Han Kwang-heeJunior
Dept. of English language and literature