No Scholarship if Absent from OT? Controversy Over Mandatory Attendance...

Notice of Changes Following Student Complaints
Announcement That Non-Attendees May Be Excluded from On-Campus and Off-Campus Scholarships
Stated as a Result of Discussions with Professors

There has been an allegation that a university in the Jeonbuk region is forcing students to attend orientation (OT) by imposing scholarship disadvantages for non-attendance.

University stock photo unrelated to the article content. Pexels

On the 6th, Yonhap News reported on the controversy arising in Department A of this university. According to the report, Department A recently announced that it will hold an OT at a resort on the 13th and 14th for freshmen and current students to foster camaraderie between seniors and juniors.

The student council conveyed, "Although the event is called OT, it is no different from a Mokkoji (MT), so please do not feel burdened and think of it comfortably."

However, it was also announced that "OT is an official department event and attendance will be reflected in attendance scores." It was further notified that "those who do not attend may be excluded from eligibility for on-campus and off-campus scholarships." There was also a request to deposit 70,000 won to cover alcohol, simple snacks, accommodation and event costs, and bus rental.

Students voiced concerns such as, "Is it reasonable to force attendance?" and "On what grounds are absences being recorded?" In response, the student council re-announced the OT-related matters on social media (SNS). The re-announcement changed the statement about reflecting OT attendance in attendance scores to a statement about penalizing attitude scores. Additionally, it included a notice that any surplus after settling OT costs would be refunded.

However, the notice that non-attendance could lead to exclusion from eligibility for on-campus and off-campus scholarships was not changed. The re-announcement added that this was "the result of discussions with professors to establish more reasonable standards," and stated, "We judged that this method is an alternative that can reduce the burden on students while maximizing fairness."