There is a belief that one of the highlights of campus life is participating in a university club.  Clubs serves as dynamic hubs, providing students with opportunities to interact with diverse groups of people from different majors. Dankook University (DKU) has over 70 clubs on the Jukjeon and Cheonan Campuses, and Dankookians (Students of DKU) are actively participating in their activities. However, for international Dankookians, it is hard to find a welcoming campus club. For DKU to become a more global university, it is pivotal that the university make campus clubs more accessible for international Dankookians.

▲ A Picture of International Dankookians Participating in a Club Notification Event (Photo from DKU Portal)

  To many international Dankookians, a notable barrier exists when it comes to participating in campus clubs, the language barrier. Clubs have stringent conditions for participation, including proficiency in Korean or having a fluent-speaking companion accompany them to club activities. In addition, paths to finding detailed information about clubs are lacking. Domestic Dankookians readily access information about clubs through the ‘Everytime’ application or on the DKU website. However, international Dankookians have complained they do not understand each club's requirements overall because information is sparsely available on the DKU website, with only simple club listings with no other pertinent information. Moreover, there is no bulletin board that international Dankookians can easily access for more information and even if the information existed, it isn’t written in English. This information gap extends to department clubs as well. Although it is generally easier to join and access departmental clubs because they are more accessible to students than campus clubs, joining a departmental club can still be challenging for international Dankookians due to the absence of information on the campus website.
 

  The Dankook Herald (DKH) met with several club managers to gain an understanding of the current status of club participation among international Dankookians. We met Kang Hee-ju (Junior, Polymer Science and Engineering Major), managing NRSC (a hip-hop club) with diverse members, including over 10 international Dankookians. Acknowledging the difficulties of creating club activities that involve domestic and international Dankookians, she cited communication problems as the primary challenge they face. To address this, she highlighted that building a strong relationship with domestic Dankookians is a pivotal factor for the active participation of international Dankookians. We also met with Lim Hyun-jin (Junior, Dept. of Display Engineering), the manager of the ‘Kendo Club’ at the Cheonan campus. He said, “Students from Brazil and Kazakhstan once joined our club, but currently we have no international Dankookians. Kendo is an unpopular sport, and only a few countries are aware of it.” Because of cultural factors, the Kendo Club doesn’t actively promote its activities to international Dankookians. We recognize that any promotional efforts may not yield substantial results.” 

▲ A Picture of the Special Event Held by the Club Association of the Cheonan Campus (Photo from DKU Portal)

  The DKH also met Jeong Hyeok (Senior, Dept. of Environmental Resource Economics), the president of the club association of the Cheonan campus to seek their perspective on this issue. He said, “According to the regulations, any Dankookian, including international Dankookians, can participate in clubs, but fewer than 10 foreign students are in clubs at the Cheonan campus.” He attributed this low participation rate due to their lack of promotional efforts and the prevalent use of online promotions strictly in Korean, which may not effectively reach them. Acknowledging the need for change, he expressed the need for customized promotions that would appeal to international Dankookians to create an environment where they can fully enjoy club life. He emphasized that the club association’s mission is to ensure that all Dankookians, both domestic and international, feel comfortable and included in club activities. In contrast, the club association of the Jukjeon campus took a different stance. They stated that they are not currently involved in club activities with foreign students and are unaware of their current participation rate as they delegate promotion and management responsibilities to individual clubs. 

▲ NRSC (Hip-Hop Club) Performing Hip-Hop Dance (Photo from DKU Portal)

  The DKH also surveyed foreign students to learn more about the difficulties they face when trying to find information on campus clubs. The survey respondents included nine international Dankookians attending both the Jukjeon and Cheonan campuses and was distributed using Google Forms. Four of the nine student respondents are in clubs, and the others are not. Two of the respondents who do not currently participate in clubs told us of the challenges related to information accessibility making it hard to understand what clubs exist and how they can go about joining them. International Dankookians who are presently participating in clubs mentioned that it was quite difficult for them to sign up because of the scarcity of information and the language barrier. Their inability to speak Korean fluently made it challenging to keep up with conversations, often leaving them feeling awkward or apprehensive about continuing. International Dankookians rely on the Kakao international group chat, Instagram, and the DKU website or information shared by their friends. So, while ways to get information exist, eight out of nine respondents said that it was difficult to find the information. They often only saw the names of the clubs and had to guess their purpose and activities. This is because the information available is primarily written in Korean, which makes it even harder to comprehend the details. In response to the question of what they wish to see improved in the environment of the clubs, there were two answers: better information accessibility and increased interaction with domestic Dankookians. More importantly, almost all of the respondents were willing to participate in clubs if the environment improved. One participant also suggested the idea of a speaking club focused on improving Korean language skills and helping domestic Dankookians improve their foreign language skills.

  Currently, both club managers and international Dankookians are struggling with their matter from their own perspectives, making it clear that there is a pressing need to enhance the inclusivity of club activities at DKU. The responsibility of the club association, tasked with bridging international Dankookians and clubs, often falls short of providing the necessary support to address these challenges. These circumstances interrupt the active and harmonious engagement of both international and domestic Dankookians in club activities. But by encouraging international Dankookians to participate in clubs with an improved and more welcoming environment, DKU will be able to make a more interesting and engaging campus club culture that encourages meaningful interactions with Dankookians from around the world.