Yeungnam University’s student welfare fee for the first semester of 2022 has increased. It consists of a student council membership fee and a health deduction membership fee. They respectively increased by 9,500 won and 3,500 won. Compared to last semester, the total student welfare fee increased from 27,000 won to 40,000 won.
Without any prior notice, YU students were embarrassed by the increased amount. The critical comments were posted on YU’s Everytime Community. They usually said the student council needs to make a prior notice, before making the decision. On the contrary, there was also an opinion that more various welfare will be prepared as much as the price. The Yeungnam Observer interviewed the YU student council to determine its reason.
When asked about the fundamental reason for raising the fee, the student council replied: “Due to the decrease in the school-age population and the non-face-to-face academic management plans for two years, the collection of student welfare fees continues to decrease. We decided to increase the cost to facilitate in-school events and projects through continuous discussions. As the face-to-face lectures begin this semester, we promise to create a campus life that students will be satisfied with.”
The Observer asked about the correlation between the fee increase and student satisfaction of the existing welfare program. Regarding whether the fee has increased because the welfare projects have not been satisfactory, the student council answered: “Due to the spread of COVID-19, it was difficult to hold an event. So, we are fully aware of this issue. This semester, the campus has regained its vitality. So we will prepare various events to provide enjoyable campus life.”
Finally, The Observer asked if the increased cost would be the same next semester. In response to this question, the student council replied that there would be no further changes in the cost. Also, they said that they would try to promote high-quality welfare programs.
The student council promised to provide improved welfare services to students. It is time for students to pay constant attention to whether the student council will keep its promises.
