From Feb. 10 to Feb. 14 the freshman orientation (OT) for the class of 2019 was held. Just like any other major events, there were bumps in the road during the event. The ban on the orientation fees that senior students used to pay was a big issue. To get more insight on such matters, The Postech Times interviewed the lead organizer of the orientation, Kim Jeong-won (LIFE, 14).

“What is so special about this Freshman Orientation?”
We focused on various complaints that have been raised in previous orientations. To improve and better the 2019 OT, we delayed the first event back two hours every morning, considering feedbacks from previous attendants. Feedbacks saying that the event was physically difficult to continue for such a long period of time. Because of this, the mandatory breakfast was also turned into optional with students being able to sleep more instead of eating. The lectures, widely considered boring, were improved, diversifying the contents, using various media and inducing direct student participation. Unlike previous orientations where students were forced to shut down and sleep after a certain time, this year students were allowed to spend more free time in dormitories within the limit of not causing noise discomfort to other students.
 
“Can you tell us more about the process and the reason behind the ban of orientation fees?”
During my entire career at the committee in 2015, 2017, and 2018, there was a lot of controversy over the same issue. For all those years, I myself felt it was a major issue that had to be dealt with. When we first introduced the ban, many of us opposed it for a variety of reasons, such as the value of tradition. But I didn’t think that any of those reasons could justify “being forced to pay money,” and I went ahead with the ban. To officially inform the students, especially those who are preparing for the OT, I prepared a head supervisor orientation before the end of the second semester of 2018. Since then, the committee has been able to discuss and prepare plans for the operation of events. With continuous and rigorous planning, we successfully completed the orientation without the fees.
 
“Some say the abolition was a one-sided decision and that other opinions were ignored...”
The advisory committee for the freshman orientation is responsible for the overall planning and execution of the event. Therefore, the committee has the authority and the responsibility to select the operation plan. With people saying that they don’t want to pay but are forced to pay, constantly through various channels, I thought it would only be right for us to abolish it. As it is very difficult and almost impossible to converge the opinions of so many students across various grades, I felt that a strong resolve by the committee was necessary in this regard. Unexpected, unpredicted challenges and problems arose because of such strong resolve. I hope that such bump this year will be solved by new and senior members, helping to create a more complete orientation next year.