Foreign Students Face Hurdles in Joining SeoulTech’s Clubs

 From May 16th (Thursday) to 17th (Friday), the Torchlight Festival was organized by the SeoulTech Club Union. The festival enables participants to visit various booths and watch performances from a range of SeoulTech's clubs. Eight clubs, including the Shooting Club, Rap Star, Photography Club, Tabota, Grimrang, RCY, and Seogogo, operated booths at the festival, with foreign students participating and expressing their desire to join clubs. However, the Shooting Club, Grimrang, and RCY officially restrict foreign membership. According to the SeoulTech Club Union, out of the 46 currently active clubs, 16 restrict foreign membership.

 The SeoulTech conducted a survey on club membership restrictions for foreigners, and a total of 25 students responded, with 12 confirming they had encountered restrictions. 10 respondents gave details on their experiences. One student said, "I submitted an audition video to join a performance-related club but never received a response, despite my extensive musical experience and regular concert attendance. It left me feeling ignored, which was upsetting."

Why the Restrictions?

Most clubs that officially restrict foreign membership argue their activities require fluency in Korean, without which participation is challenging. This claim highlights how the language barrier is a significant reason why foreign students are prevented from joining certain clubs. A previous survey in The SeoulTech on why foreign students struggle to mix with Korean students similarly identified the language barrier as the primary issue.

How to Solve the Issue:

Case Study 1

 Despite the language barrier, most SeoulTech clubs do not restrict membership. These clubs inform potential members that club activities are conducted in Korean before joining, helping Korean and foreign members to engage with one another and overcome language problems.

 Eoeigong, which focuses on archery, is one such club. The SeoulTech interviewed a club manager and a foreign member. When asking the manager if there were difficulties in using different languages with foreign students, he stated, "Although the archery activities are officially in Korean, my ability to speak English facilitates communication. Sometimes, I use gestures when explaining terminology, and there are no significant communication difficulties." When asked why foreign students could integrate well, he stated, "I believe it’s due to their active approach and effort to mix with Korean students, which also helps improve their English."

 When asked about his difficulties engaging with Korean students, the foreign student said, "I had initial difficulties communicating with Korean students, who were sometimes hesitant to speak English. However, continuously engaging in conversation led to better relationships. Although initially reluctant to speak English, they could do it well."

 This case demonstrates that it's possible to overcome language-related issues, and membership should be open for individuals to decide if they can adapt. In the survey, 7 out of 10 respondents suggested there should be no membership restrictions for foreigners. One student stated, "Even if members were not proficient in Korean or English, communication would not be an issue with translation apps or body language, and it could be an opportunity for cultural exchange."

Case Study 2

 The International Student Club (ISC) has set up its own clubs so that foreign students can freely participate without restrictions on foreign membership. These run separately from SeoulTech's regular clubs and are part of various activities organized by the ISC to help foreign students adapt to school life and Korean culture. The ISC operates four international clubs: the Cultural Exploration Club, the Language Exchange Club, the Photography Club, and the Climbing Club.

 Through the Cultural Exploration Club and the Language Exchange Club, foreign and Korean students can share cultures, languages, and new, meaningful experiences. However, SeoulTech's regular clubs also cater to students interested in photography and climbing, and neither restricts membership for foreign students, making the ISC's Photography Club and Climbing Club less attractive to potential members.

 Furthermore, except for the Language Exchange Club, the ISC clubs run less frequently than SeoulTech's regular clubs, with lower participation rates from Korean students, which can result in limited interaction between foreign and Korean students.

 An ISC official suggested, "Given the ISC's challenges in providing a diverse array of club activities and SeoulTech's difficulties in communicating with non-Korean speakers in its regular clubs, it seems more collaboration is needed. Rather than running its own clubs, ISC could work with SeoulTech's regular clubs to help foreign students participate in all activities. This way, there would be no need to restrict membership for foreign students, creating a better-integrated community."

Reporter, Hyewon Kim

happyhw2@gmail.com