▲ CWNU University Dormitory Panorama (Source: Waagle)

CWNU Dormitory Instagram conducted a survey on lifting the dormitory curfew. The survey, which started on October 22, was conducted for about a month, and the exact results and follow- up measures have not yet been revealed. Currently, CWNU University Dormitory has hired CAPS, a security company, to control access from 1:00 am to 5:00 am, which is the curfew time. A random interview was conducted with a total of 15 students living in the dormitory, to hear their views on the student dormitory curfew.

Among the 15 interviewees, eight students asked for the dormitory curfew to be lifted, two students felt that the current dormitory curfew was to be maintained but it needed to be adjusted, and five students wanted it to continue as it is now. Interviewees who asked for the dormitory curfew to be lifted said that the reasons for this were: “On days when personal schedules are until dawn, you cannot enter the dormitory, so you spend meaningless time outside. This will put a lot of pressure on me to listen to the lecture the next day,” “It's not as strictly managed as other schools, so I wonder if we should maintain a curfew,” “we are not a minor, we are an adult, so we can take responsibility for everything,” “Due to the curfew being lifted during the festival, I went out to study, believing that 24- hour access would be allowed even during the exam period, but I was not able to enter the dormitory. I hope the curfew is lifted for efficient time distribution even for the exam period,” and “The temporary lifting of the curfew was so relaxing during the festivities. I have always taken a taxi to go to the dormitory because of the curfew, even after being out for leisure, but if it disappears, I think the taxi fare that I spent tring to meet the curfew will be reduced,” and, “I hope that the freedom of entry and exit of the students is protected.”

The current dormitory curfew is maintained, but the interviewees who think that the time adjustment is necessary say, “It doesn't make sense to realistically lift the curfew. This is because the dormitory is responsible if an incident occurs in the dormitory. If the curfew is adjusted, it would be appropriate to increase it by one hour.” Interviewees who wanted the curfew to remain the same as now explained the reason, “Even now, sleep is disturbed by people who come and go at dawn. If there is no curfew, I think it will do a lot of harm to people who go to bed early.” “I think adults should follow rules for the convenience of the community. Curfew is also a rule for the convenience of the community, so I think that dormitory students should follow it.” “If there is no curfew in the dormitory, of course there may be students who come in late while studying, but there will be many students who come in after leisure activities or drinking. Complaints due to noise from these students will also increase, and I would hate the rest of the students to suffer all the damage.”

There is still disagreement over whether dormitory curfew is a deprivation of freedom for students or a minimal order for community life. At Yeungnam University, there was an incident in April of this year where a student fell to his death while trying to escape the dormitory after curfew. In 2019, many university dormitories in downtown Seoul have abolished curfew regulations in response to students' demands to revise curfew regulations. However, since the curfew was created for the safety of students, if it is canceled, the cost burden increases as nighttime security companies have to be supplemented to ensure safety instead of the curfew. We hope that students' convenience and safety will be reasonably maintained by considering students' opinions about the university dormitory curfew.

By Kim Na-young, cub-reporter  skdud2986@naver.com

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