Chungnam National University and Kongju National University, integrated voting for and against from the 8th... Watershed moment whether to proceed or not

(Daejeon/Gongju = Yonhap News) Reporter Yang Young-seok and Byun Seon-jin = Chungnam National University and Kongju National University, which are pursuing integration, will hold a vote on the pros and cons of integration for students, staff, and professors starting on the 8th.

This vote is expected to be a watershed that will determine whether the two universities will pursue integration, as the integration may be canceled depending on the results of the pro or con vote.

According to Chungnam and Kongju National University on the 7th, both universities will hold a vote for three days from the 8th to ask members whether they agree or oppose university integration.

About 24,000 people participated at Chungnam National University, and about 16,200 people were eligible to vote at Kongju University.

The method of counting voting results is different for the two universities.

Chungnam National University calculates the data by applying different weights to each occupational group, including faculty (50%), staff and teaching assistants (30%), undergraduate students (15%), and graduate students (5%).

The integration plan is judged to have been passed only when the total approval rating, calculated by reflecting the weight of each occupation, secures a majority.

Kongju University divides voting targets into three categories: students, faculty, staff, and professors. If the majority of the two categories agree on the integration plan, the overall approval rate is considered to have exceeded 50%.

This approval criteria was decided by the integration promotion committee of both universities based on the data submitted when participating in the 'Ministry of Education Glocal 30 Project' on the premise of integration.

However, the Kongju University Faculty Association proposed an amendment to expand the series to four and increase the voting participation and approval rate standards ahead of the vote, but the school did not accept it.

The results will be released within three days, excluding holidays, after the vote count results are confirmed, and it is said that there is a high possibility that they will be released along with the vote counting on the last day of voting.

If the majority agrees to the integration plan, based on the voting results, the two universities are expected to speed up the integration schedule by going through the deliberation of the Academic Affairs Meeting and the University Review Committee and submitting the final integration application to the Ministry of Education as early as this month.

However, university officials explained that if the approval rate of members does not exceed 50%, the application for integration cannot be submitted and the integration is aborted.

Last month, the two universities prepared an application for integration with the university's name being 'Chungnam National University' and its headquarters located in both Daejeon and Gongju, South Chungcheong Province. Until recently, briefing sessions were held for members.

Kongju University will also hold a separate resident briefing session on the 8th, when member voting begins.

Chungnam National University and Kongju National University have been participating in the ‘Glocal 30 Project’ hosted by the Ministry of Education on the premise of integration since September of last year.

This project is a project that selects 30 universities to increase the competitiveness of universities in non-metropolitan areas and provides project expenses of 100 billion won (maximum 150 billion won for integrated universities) for up to 5 years.