On September 22, Godaegonggamdae, the Korea University Student Association (KUSA) posted a long announcement on their Facebook Page. With the title "We Will Not Even Accept Your Sincerity; We Oppose to the University Ranking Evaluation", KUSA declared their long protest against the university ranking evaluation by Joongang Daily. Though started in early autumn, this again became the issue as KUSA is now fiercely accused for its fraudulent election. Students of KU are throwing questions to whether the demonstration would continue or not in such a situation.

"This evaluation of our paper focuses more on the capability of universities rather than the value of their names, and is purposed to introduce universities which constantly attempts to enhance the quality of education," goes the brief greeting of the Joongang Daily University Evaluation Team. From 1994, the paper had continued to rank universities in Korea, with Chosun Ilbo, Dong-A Ilbo, and Kyunghyang Shinmun following in its footsteps. Unlike what these newspapers claimed about their main intention, the university ranking evaluations are currently laying out side-effects with universities fixing themselves into strict lines through intense competition.

It was the students of KU who first stated "no" to the annual university ranking and actively planned a demonstration against it. With the title "We Will Not Even Accept Your Sincerity", Godaegonggamdae pitched rejection against the lining up of universities. This is a continuum of the "We Will Only Accept Your Sincerity" demonstration which occurred in early 2013. Similarly, KUSA strongly gave an opposing opinion to the Samsung's President Recommendation System used for employment. Now KU is taking another step to improve the university environment of Korea and confront barriers up front. Though currently going a hard time with the election dispute, the idea Godaegonggamdae instills becomes the foundation to the safe and sound university community.

University of the Students, by the Students, for the Students

"Holding a protest against the university ranking evaluation was in fact one of our most essential election pledges," stated Kwon Soon Min, the former representative of Policy Bureau at Godaegonggamdae. The members of KUSA came to devise a pledge that would directly point out a social issue in which all students can take part in and include English lecture problems as well. The answer was the university ranking evaluation, which has been a great controversy in KU since 2010. As Godaegonggamdae won in the election, the "We Will Not Even Accept Your Sincerity" demonstration marked a beginning.

From September 22, KUSA had made a diligent effort in facing the problem directly and encouraging participation of KU students. It first posted an announcement on its Facebook page and continued with uploading an official document, holding a booth, and opening a public hearing with the Joongang Daily. With the recent exposure of election problems, future plans had been foundered and became unstable, but the past progression of KUSA is still appraised as desirable, effective, and successful.

To begin with, the official document generally included information and analysis of the Joongang Daily and other newspapers' university ranking evaluations. Most essentially, it listed all specific reasons for why university evaluation should be either improved or abolished with detailed statistics. Choi Jong Un, the previous president of Godaegonggamdae, said, "The Joongang Daily is now asserting that they assess universities to trigger their development, but they are in fact aggravating the sequencing of universities with provocative articles." He added that the Joongang Daily evaluation is greatly influential, that most universities are altering their education courses according to its ranking standards. They are considering quantity over quality and this stimulates the regression of educational enhancement.

The first direct method Godaegonggamdae selected was to hold a booth with campaigns named "University Assessment Field", "I Can Hear Your Voice", and "Ask Anything" on September 29, 30 and October 1, 2. In the programs, the members of KUSA let students solve questions related to the university ranking evaluation and explained each answer in detail. You Seung Hee ('13, School of Media and Communication) who had participated in the campaigns said, "The program actually changed my mind. They carefully told us that the evaluation standard has fundamental errors and the results for such evaluations are meaningless."

The Unstable Future of Demonstration

The progression of "We Will Not Even Accept Your Sincerity" demonstration had been clear throughout October. Nevertheless, as Godaegonggamdae, the pivot of the protest came to tilt with the fraudulent election dispute, the demonstration also came to sink under the surface. Presently, most of the members of Godaegonggamdae have resigned under their responsibility to the affair and no one is actually taking charge of this long-term demonstration. A number of plans that had been settled and were to be discussed are all floating over the unclear existence of KUSA.

Up to October, Godaegonggamdae successfully shared a conversation with the Joongang Daily with other university student associations and newspaper reporters. "They fortunately showed their will to listen to our voices and alter some of the erroneous standards used in evaluation," stated Kwon. It would be a relief if the Joongang Daily keeps its word, but with much power and influence in their hands, constant demand of student associations is required. However, with Godaegonggamdae, one of the leading powers of the group in absence, the future schemes to cooperate with the Joongang Daily is left suspended. According to Kwon, four student associations, including KUSA, planned to carry on the negotiation with the paper this month, but it will be postponed to the next year with the following KUSA members to be elected.

"We hope the next members of KUSA would not give up on forming a desirable educational community and continue on rejecting the university ranking evaluation," stated Kwon. Like the words of Choi in the interview which goes, "As intellectuals of the society, we will reflect on the university community on our own. We will scold ourselves if needed and will develop ourselves. This is what we think as the essential solution in enhancing the overall university community," above the problem of KUSA's resignation, the demonstration would have to continue by the hands of university students, including those of KU. As the awakened intellectuals, it would be better to roar out to the illegalities of the society and again claim, "We will not even accept your sincerity."

▲ The main poster of “We Will Not Even Accept Your Sincerity”. Provided by Godaegonggamdae.