Promises, for SURE!
Last December, SURE! was elected as the 56th student council of Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU). As its key pledges, SURE! suggested a range of policies encompassing students’ essential needs. These were divided into three main categories: academics, daily life, and culture. In terms of academics, SURE! emphasized the need to establish a faculty-student committee for efficient communication. This newly established committee aims to discuss the various academic systems of SKKU, such as increasing major course quotas, guaranteeing the grade appeal period, and expanding the credit limits for students serving in the military. SURE! also promised four regular meetings yearly, with all discussions shared with the SKKU community. For students’ daily lives, SURE! pledged their support for housing, transport, and facilities. One of these pledges was to repair the wooden stairs at the side entrance of the Natural Sciences Campus (NSC). Yoon Hye-lin (Sophomore, Department of System Management Engineering) expressed her excitement for SURE!’s repair plan after describing the stairs as “dangerous and inconvenient considering the number of students using the path.” In addition, considering the nature of the Humanities and Social Sciences Campus (HSSC), SURE! promised a range of support for housing: a partnership with law firms and real estate to avoid scams and financial burden, and an alliance with pest control companies to combat bed bugs. Lastly, SURE! aims to further establish a bond between the HSSC and NSC by strengthening the connection between the two campuses during ESKARA and the Cheering Festival. The new student council will amplify ESKARA and the Cheering Festival to unite Kingos. Furthermore, SURE! plans to establish the colors of Sungkyunkwan by building SKKU TOWN at HSSC and cooperating with the local community. SURE! ensured all benefits and various pledges will apply to both campuses and help characterize the unique colors of SKKU.
Surely, Moving On
SURE! successfully started this academic year by negotiating a tuition fee freeze with the university. Last January, SURE! reported that they had reached an agreement on a tuition freeze emphasizing students’ growing financial burden. However, the new student council failed to preserve seasonal semester tuition fees, which in turn have increased from ₩91,000 to ₩100,000. To commence the academic year, SURE! intends on active communication in and out of the campus. SURE! stated in an interview with the Sungkyun Times (SKT), “Partnerships with law firms, pest control companies, and real estate for housing support in HSSC are in their final steps.” Regarding its academic pledges, SURE! mentioned that there are numerous ongoing meetings with the SKKU Office of Academic Affairs and that the faculty-student committee has been successfully established. In terms of SKKU TOWN, SURE! emphasized the importance of connecting with the local community, suggesting upcoming meetings with the student council members and Merchant Associations. Kim Min-ki, the 56th student president of the HSSC, told the SKT, “SURE! will prioritize students on every occasion,” promising dependable support for Kingos in the upcoming year.
