Though the system aims to provide a chance for new entrants to build close fellowships by being in small classes, students raised doubt about its effectiveness.
“The class system only works as a tool to divide the students into small groups, so that it is easier to organize the students when attending official events,” Ryu Min-ah (Business, 4) said.
Even with this system, as there are too many students under each class, students cannot receive benefits.
“Each division in my major has more than 30 students,” Kim Eun-ha (Business, 1) said. “With this size, I do not think the class system fulfills its main purpose.”
Moreover, first year students are not well informed of the class system, thus many do not participate.
“I wish the student unions make big official events that require all classes to attend,” Lee Cha-won (Business, 2) said. “Then students will attend and get to know each other better.”
Majors that currently run the system include Business Administration, International Office Administration, Nursing Science and English Language & Literature.For the College of Business Administration, this is the third year it has operated the system with four classes for the Business Administration major and five for the Department of International Office of Administration.
“We wanted to help all the first-year students get to know each other better,” said Ha Da-jung (Business, 3), the president of the Business Student Government. “Business Administration has 160 students and it is easy for those who have just entered to become outsiders. By dividing the student body into four classes, we hope the students can build friendship.”
The Division of Nursing Science has a similar class system, in which students are categorized based on their student identification numbers; students with even numbers are placed in one class and students with odd numbers in the other. The problem arises as the class sizes are too big and the student council, High Heal, acknowledges the problem.
The student unions of different majors are trying to come up with solutions such as events that will motivate students to attend and interact with each other.
“We will have dodge ball matches on a class basis starting next semester,” said Woo Seung-hee (Business, 3), the president of the Business School student union.
High Heal is also working on a new “Mentor, Mentee” system, in which each first-year student will be paired with a sophomore who will be their mentor. When the first-year students become sophomores, they will become mentors for the following year’s first-year students. In the end, the system will connect all the students in the major.
Ahn In-kyeong
iahn@ewhain.net