Universities students often talk about pop music stars performing at their campus

Universities students often talk about pop music stars performing at their campus festivals. This year, Hanyang University in Seoul invited the popular band Girls` Generation to its spring campus festival, causing explosive repercussions among students. The band, which had been on a concert tour of Japan, hurried back to Korea despite its busy schedule due to the university`s strong request for a performance. For its fall festivals, Hanyang invited another popular girl band and a singer. Universities are now in a fierce competition to invite popular singers and entertainers to raise the mood at their campus festivals.

In spring 2008, Seoul National University invited the Wonder Girls, one of the most popular bands at that time. The move triggered controversy because it was the first time that the nation`s most prestigious university had invited an idol band to its festival. Students at the concert welcomed the band with great cheers. Wonder Girls members could not even walk to the stage, as they were surrounded by a cheering crowd of students. After the performance was over, most of the students left the venue and paid no attention to other programs.

Since 2000, inviting celebrities to campus festivals has been considered a gauge of the competence of student councils. Before that year, a campus festival was a venue for discussion of social issues, harmony and solidarity among students. From the mid-1970s until the 1980s, the event was called a “festival of great unity.” Though today`s campus festivals sometimes show pleasant deviations from everyday life, they are increasingly being driven toward consumerism and hedonism. At festivals, university campuses are crowded with booths set up by businesses to sell and promote their products. At the apex of the consumerist and hedonic festivals are performances by top celebrities.

The relatively lenient perception of universities inviting pop stars as part of university culture is considered to reflect the trends of the times, but this is changing. It is preposterous for university student councils that demand a 50-percent cut in tuition to squandering huge sums of money for celebrity performances. While hosting a university festival, a popular comedian drew boisterous laughter from students when he said of a splendid firework display, “Your tuition is blowing up right now.” His comment reflects the hard truth that should not laughed off. The fireworks and celebrity invitations will be partly covered by taxpayers` money from next year.

Editorial Writer Chung Sung-hee (shchung@donga.com)

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