The College of Humanities at Pusan National University (PNU)  is under fire for allegedly failing to adequately gather student input before proceeding with renovations to the “department student lounge,” a key space for student self-governance. Although the College of Humanities later distributed related documents, students expressed their dissatisfaction, saying it was an irreversible matter. While some support the renovations, backlash continues to brew.

Per the coverage by Channel PNU on the 28th, the College of Humanities is restructuring the basement floor of the Humanities Building into a shared learning space called the "Complex Learning Commons" as part of the "Digital Humanities Complex Learning Commons" project. The plan involves relocating the college-level student council office and the department student lounges of 12 departments currently located in the basement to other locations, and removing walls to create a single, unified space. Construction is set to begin during the upcoming summer vacation, with the new area expected to be available for use  by next semester.

According to the College of Humanities administration office, the student council room and department lounges will be relocated to different areas: Room 402-2 in the Moonchang Hall, Jinhyeonjae Room in the Humanities Building, and a storage room in the administration office. Notably, the Jinhyeonjae Room, and the administration office storage will be restructured into six separate spaces, with two departments sharing each space. This change means that students from the same department will no longer have exclusive use of a single room, as they did before. The administration office stated, “Professors have raised concerns about the lack of study and rest areas for students within the Humanities Building, aside from “Gildo” (a niche learning space). To address this issue, we decided to proceed with the renovation. We also determined that the student council room was spacious and versatile, and we engaged in enough discussions with students before making this decision.”

However, students argue that the decision-making process lacked genuine public discourse. Since the department student lounge is vital for student autonomy, many feel their opinions should have played a more significant role. According to multiple student council members, the issue was first raised at the College of Humanities Student Council Operating Committee meeting on December 30th, 2024 where members expressed strong opposition. A follow-up meeting was held on January 2nd between the college dean, administrators, and student council, but only 7 of the 26 committee members attended. Student Council Member A said, “The meeting was hastily arranged, and they requested only those available to attend. Most student council officers were unable to participate.”

At the meeting, concerns were raised that the student council’s input was merely a formality. Most student council executives in attendance claimed that the administration office pressured them to decide by saying, “The budget for the renovation has already been allocated, and if it is not used by the 20th of this month, it must be returned," and "We want to settle this matter today. Attendee B remarked, “It felt like they were just trying to create the pretense that they had obtained students’ consent. It seemed like they were guiding us toward agreement.” The students also stated that during the student council executive meeting, a proposal was made to conduct a Naver Form survey to gather student opinions, but this suggestion was also rejected by the administration office.

However, the College of Humanities administration office had a different stance. An officer of the administration office asserted, “At the meeting, student representatives agreed to the plan in order to provide better spaces for their juniors,” emphasizing that they had sufficiently considered the student council’s opinions. They also claimed that the actual design and implementation only began after the meeting, ensuring that the process was not carried out without student input. Nevertheless, attendee C, who had agreed to the proposal at the time, stated, “I agreed because I felt there would be no further progress in the discussion. I strongly urged them to actively reflect students’ opinions.”

There are also concerns about the timing of student council opinion gathering. The transition from the previous student council, elected in December 2024, to the newly elected 2025 academic year student council was still underway. This created an unsettled atmosphere within each council, making it difficult to actively gather student opinions. Additionally, the College of Humanities student council was not formed due to a failed election, leading to an Emergency Measures Committee (EMC). This committee changed twice in recent months, resulting in a lack of a stable leadership body, which also appears to have contributed to the situation.

Even the Task Force (TF) formed to discuss construction details showed signs of disorganization. The “Student Council Room Space Improvement Task Force” initiated by the College of Humanities administration office had no volunteers, so it was formed through a random selection of student council members. A TF member interviewed in February stated, “Since the project was already at an advanced stage, there was little room for change, thus everyone seemed unmotivated. The project itself felt more like a notice rather than a discussion. Still, we are trying to incorporate student opinions, at least regarding the remodeling and interior environment.”

Ultimately, the issue became widely known among the student body only after a post appeared on PNU’s anonymous online community app “Everytime” on March 19th titled, “Did you know the Humanities College student council rooms (department student lounge) are being removed?” The post claimed that the college had made the decision without proper consultation with students, pressured the students into a hasty approval, and failed to inform them.

On March 19th, a student from the College of Humanities independently surveyed 184 students. Then, on March 21st, the “Pusan National University College of Humanities Student Council Room Reduction and Relocation Investigation Committee” was formed. On March 25th, the committee posted a statement within the Humanities Building demanding a dedicated space for each department and a general vote among all College of Humanities students regarding the relocation plan.

As the controversy grew, the College of Humanities administration office attempted to defuse tensions by distributing a document titled “College of Humanities Student Space Expansion and Reorganization Plan.” The document outlined the current space allocation, project timeline, and future plans. The administration stated, “Since we have already received approval for the project, it will proceed as planned without disruption,” adding that they were no longer accepting opinions on whether to proceed with the project. They also mentioned, “We will continue to collect student opinions on the details of the remodeling. We plan to incorporate student feedback as much as possible through student council discussions or future surveys.”

Meanwhile, with a by-election on March 28th forming a new student council for the College of Humanities, there is a possibility that student representatives will raise concerns about the project during the transition.

Reporter Jeon Ha-Eun

Translated by Seo Yoo-Jung