Starting Ewha, the 49th Student Government Association (SGA), began its term with the start of the 2017 school year. Last year left many unresolved issues and with new issues having arisen recently, the new SGA’s plans are being put into the spotlight.
Starting Ewha started acting upon their pledges right after their nomination. They participated in actions against the Nomination Committee of Presidential Candidates and discussions for student participation in the Board of Trustees in early 2017. The SGA also routinely updates the topic areas of its website, notifying students of the current state of affairs.
Through active participation, the SGA mainly seeks to change the decision making process at Ewha to a more democratic system. Based on this, the SGA’s keyword for this year is “starting.”
“We want to start new changes for Ewha students,” said the SGA. “After the former president’s resignation last year, we are left with the task to work toward a new Ewha, more democratic and open to students.”
Since the elections last November, Starting Ewha has focused on making changes for students. Student president Woo Ji-su and vice president Kim Hye-wan pledged to improve the school’s presidential election process, upgrade school facilities, and reduce tuition fees. Additional pledges include democratizing the school’s decision-making process, enabling active student participation in the Board of Trustees, improving and making better use of school facilities such as the ECC kitchenettes, and running safety inspections for school buildings. Though better utilization of facilities for students have appeared many times before, Starting Ewha plans to continue acting towards that pledge.
“We plan to solve problems like tuition fees and student life that were forgotten about during last year due to conflicts with the former president,” said SGA. “We are currently trying to gather the voices of Ewha that are pointing out these problems and make them loud enough so that we could formally request to the school to make changes.”
The voting rate for the election was 59.6 percent, the highest in five years, with a voter approval rate of 91.5 percent. With the small and large incidents on campus last year, students paid much more attention to the election process and candidates.
“I hope the SGA properly wraps up the unresolved issues of last year and paves the way to a more democratic and student-centered school,” said a student of the Division of International Studies. “Students want more involvement and I wish that the SGA will adequately reflect their requests.”
With the weight of students’ attention resting on their shoulders and a goal to achieve, Starting Ewha is now revving its engine for 2017.
“Starting Ewha will strive to become the SGA that listens to students’ opinions and become a center for Ewha’s students,” said SGA. “And with the united forces, we want to play a role in creating a more democratic Ewha.”