The KAIST Graduate School Association 1cm+ is currently in the process of drafting a bill of rights that outlines the rights and responsibilities of graduate students. On September 17, 1cm+ held a public hearing on the most recent version of the bill of rights to gather the opinions of the KAIST community and take suggestions for further improvement. A number of graduate students, undergraduate students, and professors were in attendance.
Talks about a bill of rights for KAIST graduate students started last May, following a meeting hosted by the Presidential Committee on Young Generation. During this meeting, graduate student representatives from universities such as KAIST and POSTECH joined members of the committee to review surveys and reports regarding the current status of graduate students in Korea. Taking into consideration the existing bill of rights at American universities, the committee outlined a bill of rights for Korean graduate students. 1cm+ then revised the document to be more KAIST-specific, and hosted a public hearing at which they revealed a first draft on August 22.
At the September 17 hearing, the audience voiced some strong opinions, including the need to increase protection of whistleblowers and granting students the right to refuse work unrelated to their research. They also pointed out ambiguous terms and words that may exclude some members of the KAIST community. Though some expressed discontent with how the bill did not mention specific measures to protect the rights of students, it was emphasized that the document is meant to be a foundation upon which future KAIST policies are made. While the bill should empower graduate students by defining their fundamental rights, it also needs to be worded in a manner that would make it relevant in the long run.
Final revisions to the bill are to be made by the end of this month. After being screened by the vice president and president of KAIST, the final version of the graduate student bill of rights is to be made available online on October 1. An English translation of the document will also be made available by this date.
A declaration ceremony is tentatively planned to be held on October 6 in front of the Main Library, from 2:30pm to 3:30pm (time subject to change). The first Korean Ordinance of Student Rights was proclaimed in Gyeonggi Province on October 5, 2010; consequently, October 5 has become known as Student Rights Day. The ceremony is scheduled for the day after the fifth, as October 5 falls on a Sunday this year. Presenters will primarily consist of members of the Graduate Student Association, but President Sung Mo Kang is also scheduled to make an appearance. To advertise the event, 1cm+ plans to display blue stickers in the shape of shields next to the entrance of laboratories and the offices of professors.