On January 12^th, Chonnam National University (CNU) announced a tuition freeze for this year, continuing from last year’s policy to help   ease students’ economic burden. Last year, about 290 universities across the country decided to freeze tuition because of the international economic crisis. However, this year, around 110 universities announced a tuition freeze due to financial difficulties.  CNU deserves to be admired for continuing the tution freeze policy. However, there are still some problems to be solved.

    First, the pre-medical and pre-veterinary medical students did not benefit from the tuition freeze because their colleges have been changed. As they had to pay about fifty percent of the difference between the preparatory course and the regular one, their tuition fees are higher than last year. Although their colleges have changed, the students still take the same courses. For them nothing has changed except for the tuition increase.

    Second, many department student councils have been receiving student fees separately from the General Student Council (GSC).. For example, students of the College of Education must pay around 300,000 won because the number of students is smaller than in other departments. In addition, unlike the GSC, which did not increase student fees this year, most department student councils are likely to increase the fees. Some departments increased fees more than ten percent. The GSC explained that this decision is unavoidable because of inflation and the desire to improve the quality of student activities. 

    However, there is some irony in this statement. Last year, the student council strenuously insisted on freezing tuition to the Administration of CNU because a tuition increase would put an economic burden on students. Do they not think that student fees also put an economic burden on students? Why do student councils increase student fees continuously even though they want the Administration to lower tuition fees? For CNUians’ welfare? We always want to lighten the burden of tuition and assert our opinion that the authorities at CNU need to decrease or freeze tuition every year. At the same time, we want to take good-quality classes and use improved facilities. It might be as impossible as killing two rabbits with one shot. It is time for us all to reconsider the problem and do something about it. I found the right expression in Hamlet to describe this situation. To increase or not to increase, this is the question!