As seen in the previous article, the HUFS General Student Council has an urgent emergency because of the low student participation in school politics. It is losing its authority although it is an essential institution in charge of many important jobs such as holding events for students and discussing school policies or systems with the university authorities. Then what is the role of student councils in other countries’ universities and their students’ perceptions toward them? The Argus met three international HUFSans and listened to their thoughts.

The Argus: Please briefly introduce yourself.
Allan: My name is Allan and I am 26 years old. I have been in Korea for almost three years. I came to Korea for the first time in 2012. I am majoring in International Studies. I studied studying Psychology before coming to Korea.
Corey: My name is Corey from the United States. I am a regular student of HUFS and am majoring in Business Administration. Before I arrived in Korea, I completed a year of university in my home country.
Leonie: My name is Leonie and I am 21 years old. I am an exchange student from Germany. I study Political and Social Studies at my home university. I have stayed in Korea for two months.

The Argus: What is the role of the student council in a university in your country?
Allan: In general, it provides a link between the students and the university to access students’ well-being and satisfaction with the university, as well as to listen to student demands about what needs to be improved and how it can be improved. Furthermore, the student council organizes parties, makes the student lounge more comfortable, and negotiates for better prices on the dormitory or cafeteria menu.
Corey: Within my university, we were classified as the Associated Students of the University of Nevada (ASUN). The main purpose was to act as a voice on the behalf of students and to relay student opinions to the staff and faculty. The core of their operation was based on diversity, the art of thinking independently together. It gathers students’ voices and submits them to the university.
Leonie: The role may differ from city to city. The university in the town where I live, Wurzburg, has a lot of different small working groups devoted to things such as equality, racism, democracy, or international students. They voice what students want, and their thoughts go to the higher representative, the general student council where solutions are finalized. At the end, final solutions are made in that higher council.

The Argus: How influential is a student council in your country’s universities?
Allan: On paper, it is supposed to be a big deal. It is important in the sense that they represent the body of students on campus. However, during elections, candidates sometimes fight so fiercely that they start badmouthing each other and making corruption claims.
Corey: The ASUN is the core of student opinions and concerns. However, most students settle their problems individually through one-on-one interactions, which is highly recommended. The ASUN is more of an option for students to remain anonymous, while sharing their concerns.
Leonie: In a way, it is influential. Student councils are fighting for many things such as gaining more spots for master degree students or dorm housing. I once signed a paper asking for more transportation support from the university. It reached 1,000 signatures and went to student council to support the students’ voices. It helped to improve the situation.

The Argus: What are students’ perceptions of the student council in your country?
Allan: Students usually do not care what is happening unless it affects them directly and severely, for example, issues dealing with grading or graduation requirements or university parking spots because a lot of students drive in Brazil. However, unless you are directly involved with an issue, it is difficult to know in detail what is happening behind closed doors.
Corey: Overall, we think they are doing well but are not hugely popularized or marketed across the campus. If students are interested, then they inquire on their own. Like I mentioned previously, most students attempt to handle their own problems, ideas or concerns as they occur. Nevertheless, the option is still available for students who seek that option.
Leonie: I think, and I also asked other German friends their opinions, but student councils are not regarded favorably. Students are not that aware of their work because we can see what they are doing only on certain websites. They should be doing more than they are actually doing if they are trying to do something for students.

The Argus: How much do students participate in school politics?
Allan: They participate very little. We never make an official quorum. Interestingly enough, most of the student council members usually belong to the Department of Law, and a lot of “politically active” students are also studying Law. People make comments in classes about the school system, but they rarely do anything about it. If the students are not aware of the student council’s role and politics, that is entirely its own fault for not doing a good job at promoting itself.
Corey: The students who generally participate in these activates are the ones who have past involvement or a passion in being active in a union of school government. Thus, I concluded the amount of people who participate in these activities have a connection with their past or possible major.
Leonie: The participation rate of the elections is actually really low. It is about 14 to 20 percent. It is not a lot. The student candidates are struggling to get people’s votes. Elections are quite a big problem throughout German universities.

The Argus: Do you think the situation of the HUFS student council is similar to your country’s universities?
Allan: Yes, pretty much. I must say, however, that students’ non-involvement in school politics is not always a case of apathy. In my particular case, I never had any dissatisfaction with a university that pushed me to start a revolution.
Corey: With both organizations, the main focus is to act as an anchor for students, expressing their ideas as one. For the most part, I can find similarities such as possessing a passion for student government, but also differences. For example, the ASUN’s core objective is diversity, but in HUFS, I think only the GSC members know and care about the school problems.
Leonie: The system is different. However, I think the general thoughts of the students toward their student council are the same, except that there are only one or two candidates in Korea, while we have more than a hundred.