Graduate+Student+Association
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New Charter of Respect and Loyalty between Professors and Graduate Students
KAIST established a ‘Charter of Respect and Loyalty between Professors and Graduate Students’. This new charter states measures to build trust between professors and graduate students, and improve the working conditions of graduate students.
KAIST President Sung-Chul Shin and President of the KAIST Graduate Student Association (GSA) Hye-Jeong Han signed the charter as representatives of the professors and graduate students on May 18.
KAIST has become the first university in Korea to officially proclaim a promise between the school and the student council for the betterment of conditions for graduate students, and the first to specifically guarantee full-time graduate students’ vacations.
Graduate students have a unique status as both students receiving education and employees performing lab research. The GSA explained that “however, in reality, this unique status places them in a blind spot where they are not being fully entitled to their rights neither as employees nor students.”
The newly established charter is a set of promises made between professors and graduate students to uphold the values of respect and loyalty, and to establish trust in each other. Professors should treat each student not only as someone they should teach thoroughly, but also as a human being who should be respected. The graduate student should also respect the professor, and diligently perform their educational and research duties.
The charter also includes provisions stating that professors should provide minimum grants for the encouragement of research and education to the graduate students transparently and reasonably. In addition, professors must define a fixed number of hours that graduates students have to participate in education and research projects, and guarantee vacation leave for graduate students. Degree and graduation requirements should be clearly defined, and graduate students should devote themselves to education and research, and adhere to research ethics and safety measures.
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2020.05.18 View 4214 -
Gonggam Emerged as 22nd Undergraduate Student Association
After elections on November 29, Gonggam emerged as the 22nd Undergraduate Student Association of the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST).
The election for the Undergraduate Student Association was held on November 29 from 8:00a.m to 7:00p.m. Students voted in seven different locations: the Digital Science Library, the Main Administration Building, Tae-Wul Gwan, the east and west cafeterias, the Undergraduate Cafeteria, and the Student Center. Students who participated in the election were required to bring their student cards or resident registration cards for identification. A group of avid volunteer members assisted in the election, leading students to the voting site and making sure everything was under control. Should the voting rate not exceed 50%, the election was to be prolonged a couple more days. But thanks to the high level of student participation, the election process was completed successfully without any further extension. Out of the 2790 undergraduate students, 1217 students casted their votes setting a new voting rate record of 57.7% in years.
Gonggam party was the only group running for the Undergraduate Student. Voters were required to choose either in favor of or against the election of Gonggam. 1217 voters supported Gonggam while 381 opposed to their election. The Gonggam party was thereby elected by unanimous vote as the new Undergraduate Student Association. According to the student rules, their official term is supposed to begin as of March, but they will immediately take office and undertake the business of the former president council.
The Gonggam party is literally based on the principle of “consensus”. During their campaign, they explained that their main goal is to bring about positive changes which the majority of the students agree upon. More specifically, their three main objectives are as follows: cultivating a culturally-vibrant environment by inviting various artists and entertainment guests to KAIST; establishing an Undergraduate Student Committee to represent the student body and make sure educational reforms reflect the students’ interests; and lastly, encouraging students to develop a social consciousness by holding discussion/debate forums on various social issues with local citizen organizations and expert panels.By KAIST Herald on December, 2007
2007.12.21 View 10909 -
Students Meet with KAIST Development Foundation
A group of department representatives and distinguished school staff gathered on November 21st to discuss the future funding of Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST). Participants of the meeting included the Vice President, Dean of Academic Affairs, Director of Welfare, the President of Undergraduate Student Association, and many more. The Vice President explained that students and alumnae are the owners of KAIST and should take pride in the successful development of KAIST. He also added that they should share the same goal of supporting KAIST to become the world"s leading institute of science and technology.
Statistics show a noticeable correlation between a university"s status in world rankings and the percentage of its alumni donation participants. In the case of top U.S. universities, a large number of their alumnae donate astronomical sums of money in hopes to contribute to the school"s development. For example, in 2006, a whopping 61% of the Princeton University alumni participated in school donations, while - in stark contrast - a meager 1.1% of 31,000 KAIST alumnae made monetary contributions. Perhaps this low level of donation participation explains why KAIST is making little progress in its efforts to advance into a globally-recognized university.
"Before we die, many of us look back and regret "I should"ve earned a little more"," said the Vice President. "But what we should really reflect on is how I could"ve given a little more." Throughout the meeting, he reiterated the significance of enrolled students practicing donation, no matter how insignificant the amount, when they are still young.
KAIST is currently receiving support from its alumni, parents, students, corporations, foundations, professors and staff. With a growing demand for increasing the number of professors, research fees and labor budget, however, KAIST requires the full support and dedication of students and alumnae alike if it is to fulfill its vision of becoming the academic leader in science and technology- it is essential for students to get accustomed to the habit of donating to the school. To promote this practice of contributing, the Vice President urged students to look for opportunities to make donations.By KAIST Herald on December, 2007
2007.12.21 View 11927