No 'romance' around university clubs?

A senior club member teaches juniors how to play the guitar in the rock band club room at the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul on Monday. The club runs programs to strengthen bonds between seniors and juniors. / Korea Times photo by Yoon Sung-won

By Yoon Sung-won, Park Jin-hai, Kwon Ji-youn

Spring is the time for university clubs to recruit newcomers. During this season every year, university walls are frequently covered with hand-written club promotional posters.

The feverish spirit of democratization movements in the 1980s was transferred to university students' clubs in the 1990s. Amid the growing popularity of such clubs in the 2000s, they diversified in subjects from literature reading to choirs, acting and rock bands, and those that help members learn career-related skills.

Club life peaked in the '90s. College clubs at that time played a key role in enriching students' experience. But today, it seems as though the "romance" is diminishing.

In recent years, posters have been replaced by advertisements for companies' internship recruitments or academies' special discounts for college students. Some news media have gone as far as to claim "the end of romance in universities."

A hand-written recruitment poster for university clubs for freshmen at the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul.

Hong Seong-hyun, president of Yonsei University's clubs association, said only 20 to 30 freshmen join clubs at the school each year.

"It really differs each year. Some freshmen continue club life until they become juniors and seniors, while many others leave when they become upperclassmen," the president said."

"Though career-related groups, or study groups, are rare as a form of club, it's true that they are becoming more and more popular."

It is as though career-related groups are becoming so prevalent that they are no longer considered clubs by the association.

Posters advertising internship programs are attached to a bulletin board at the university. / Korea Times photo by Yoon Sung-won

Kim Hyun-gyun, vice-president of the clubs association at the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, said those related to job-seeking are by and large enjoying continuous popularity among students.

"Clubs related to securities investment and venture start-ups are actively reporting various forms of activities to the association," Kim said.

Those who formerly headed hobby clubs pointed out that the dire situation of job hunting after graduation has changed what newcomers want.

Lee Gwang-jin, 26, the former leader of a school rock band, said many tend to begin worrying about their future career in their freshmen year.

"I have dreamed of doing what I had to postpone in preparation for the college entrance exam in middle and high school. But I was surprised to see so many freshmen hesitate investing their free time in hobby clubs. They also avoid clubs with strict regulations. On the contrary, they preferred looser gatherings or clubs that require much less time and effort," Lee said. "I think such tendencies have caused the falling popularity of hobby clubs with time-honored traditions and rules."

Cho San-sae, who led a choir group several years ago, said many students nowadays stay in hobby clubs for shorter periods of time compared to their seniors.

"I have seen many students leave hobby clubs after only one or two semesters to seek other activities like acquiring certificates to build up specifications for job-seeking," the 25-year-old alumni said. "I think such a tendency is closely related to uneasiness over the insecure job market."

Besides specifications and licenses

Different from university students' anxiety, some said indulging in club activities can provide actual benefits that cannot be substituted for with licenses or extra credits.
"I don't hire applicants just because they have high credentials, or so-called ‘specifications.' If they have the ability the job requires, it really doesn't matter," Kim Young-cheol, an IT company CEO said.

"As an employer in the IT industry, I need someone who can analyze others' system to get the information we need. To cure viruses or adware, we need that kind of ability, which is exactly what schools don't teach."

"If club activities are related to the job he or she is applying for, then it could mean something. But, if they are just a means to make him or her stand out from others, that's something else."

The CEO also said it is deplorable that only university clubs beneficial to "specification building" thrive, while others are undergoing a difficult time.

"It is partly because university students blindly pursue big-name companies, not small- or medium-sized ones. For conglomerates, applicants may need various credentials and extra credits because the competition for jobs is more cutthroat. In such a blind pursuit, university clubs that once were regarded as romantic and cool are falling behind."

When asked whether experiences in hobby clubs are helpful for careers, the CEO confidently said "yes."

"I studied electronic engineering at college. When I was a freshman, I entered a kendo club. It was hard, but in retrospect, I owe much to the experience. I learned patience, caution, and even how to read the opponents' moves while I was training. If I were reckless before I learned kendo, I became more considerate," the CEO said. "These qualities, you cannot buy."

Lack of communication

Seo Jung-min, who has devoted more than a decade to university hobby clubs, pointed out that the lack of communication between seniors and juniors in clubs is to blame for their falling popularity.

"In the '80s and '90s, many college clubs had a hierarchic relationship between seniors and juniors. But the stiffness began to collapse in the 2000s, and the relationship between them became more horizontal," he said. "But at the same time, a sense of belonging within college clubs has decreased accordingly, like the bond between alumni and undergraduates."

Seo said that the lack of communication between "old boys" and newcomers leads the former not to instruct younger generations the fun of participating in college club activities.

"Many old boys simply say that there is something missing in the juniors. But most are not willing to communicate with them juniors, and they eventually fail to build ties within the club."

To face the changing social environment, Seo emphasized that university clubs should make efforts to appeal to both the student body and to alumni.

"College clubs should improve themselves in a direction that eliminates disharmony between generations. To do this, clubs should not cling too much to what they have been in the past, but start looking for what good or fun they can offer to the newcomers."