전남대 중국유학생들 후원활동 활발
CNU Chinese Students' Supporting Activities
By Rigoberto Banta Jr., Head Student Editor
The Chinese Students Union (CSU) of Chonnam National University (CNU), representing the more than 80 percent population of international students on campus, has been active in hosting programs that promote the welfare of Chinese students. Last March 28th and 29th, the CSU had a book donation drive amongst CNU Chinese students. The donation drive aimed to collect used books from students who have graduated already and will be leaving the country soon. The books will be set-up to build a small library where students can borrow books related with their respective academic fields. Li Teng (Junior, Dept. of Food and Nutrition), CSU President, said that the books will be the legacy of the students who will donated it for their juniors. “Students who donated the books need to leave a note about life at CNU and as an international student in the front page. They will leave not just a simple not but a message of hope for the future juniors who will enter the gates of our university.”
The two-day event was able to successfully collect a total of 90 books. With a huge influx of Chinese students in CNU, the organization as well hosted a welcome reception for freshmen Chinese students which were held in the Language Education Center Auditorium last March 30th, 4:30 in the afternoon. The welcoming event aimed to open the communication lines between the senior and junior Chinese students to talk about the new life that new Chinese students will face in CNU. The Consul-General from the Chinese Consulate in Gwangju attended the event and delivered a message of hope to the new students. An independent international student organization, the CSU-CNU is under the umbrella of the Gwangju-Chonnam Chapter of the Chinese Student Association in Korea. As the organization is officially recognized by the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China, the CSU-CNU works closely with the Chinese Consulate-General in Gwangju. More events are lined-up for March that focuses on the welfare and fellowship amongst Chinese students such as sports activities and safety training courses for the students.
Apart from the CSU, the university also has several nation-based international student organizations on campus such as the Mongolian Students’ Organization, Vietnamese Students Association in Korea, and Filipino Students Association in Korea among others. However, there is no official student organization recognized by the university or the Office of International Affairs nor there is an umbrella organization that supports the welfare of international students on campus. Currently, the university hosts about 2,500 international students from 43 countries all-over the world.