Building a Communication Network
Spring, the 54th student council of Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU), launched an internet forum called “Kingos’ Baekinso” to create a communication network between Kingos, the student council, and the school. The student council also established “Spring Camp,” where they met with Kingos each month at the Piloti Rest Area in front of the Business School building to promote direct communication. Additionally, Spring pledged to correspon under the name “Spring Mate” for the student councils who might experience issues due to the pandemic’s prolonged nature. An example is how Spring announced plans to eliminate 10% of the overall student council fee allotted to them and ultimately stayed true to their initial pledge.
Assistance for Education
Spring promised to raise the highest marks for re- taking liberal arts classes from B+ to A0. But after the March meeting with the office of academic affairs, the school turned down Spring’s requests, and no subsequent announcements have been made. Meanwhile, due to the students’ demands, Spring surveyed students about the credit system during military service from October 11th to 21st. Furthermore, Spring has stayed true to their pledge by allowing students to access the number of spots available for a class on the Golden Lawn Square (GLS) page. Also, the Oral Proficiency Interview- Computer (OPIc) and the Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC) Speaking will be added to the requirements starting in December, according to a response Spring received from the Office of Academic Affairs. Previously, only TOEIC was accepted for students to obtain the global certification for graduation.
Respect for Human Rights
Unfortunately, no discernible progress has been made despite Spring’s vows to work with SKKU’s Center for Students with Disabilities to uphold human rights. However, Spring created a barrier- free environment for the May ESKARA Festival and attached alternative texts to posters for all Kingos to enjoy under the same conditions. Spring also maintained a barrier- free environment for the September ESKARA 2022 and aided with the subtitles service by hiring a professional stenographer. Furthermore, a vegan cafeteria menu was provided once a week for four weeks as a test- run program in the Geumjandi Restaurant from May 12th to June 2nd. “I wanted to try the vegan menu, but I missed the test- run time,” remarked Kim (Junior, Department of Global Economics). In response, Spring announced that the vegan menu would become a permanent option starting next semester, every second Tuesday of the month. Meanwhile, Spring has also publicly declared they would expand the counseling center, but no changes have been made.
Again, ESKARA
Spring coined the slogan “Again ESKARA” to commemorate the comeback of offline festivals. The Geumjandi Cultural Festival, which took place in March, was so popular that the rental service for picnic blankets ran out early on. The 2022 May ESKARA Festival, “Jump until the World Shakes beneath Your Feet!” was held following the mid- term examinations. To cater to all Kingos, it was hosted on both the Natural Sciences Campus and the Humanities and Social Sciences Campus. Lastly, Spring re- branded the traditional September school founding anniversary festival as “ESKARA 2022: Green Waves” and held a co- declaration between both campuses to promote a sustainable festival culture. In recognition of their successful efforts to forge a unified SKKU identity, Spring was given high marks by both campuses.