So far, student response has been positive. "Before, it used to be a hassle to go all the way to the Alumnae Building or to the Student Union Building just to get something to appease my hunger," says Hah Ji-sun (Business Administration, 2).
The shop was opened by the student-sponsored Ewha Life Cooperation Association (ECOOP), which was granted its contract without competition. Usually, several businesses compete with each other and the school"s Office of Financial Affairs selects the one that fits its needs most. However, ECOOP executive director Lee Sook-kyung explains, "No other enterprise was interested in investing in the store because of the obvious lack of customers concentrated in the area. In other words, the estimated profit was very low. ECOOP exists for the purpose of aiding students" welfare and is not money-oriented, so it took over the plan to open the shop."
The store is more elegant than most other shops on campus, floored with a carpet, surrounded by leafy pots, and furnished with tables and chairs along the glass window overlooking the Sinchon area. "The shop was specially designed in consideration of the foreign students and prominent people who visit," says Kim Jin-woo (Political Science & Diplomacy, 4), the president of ECOOP.
Some students wish the store would do more. "It is a much sought improvement in the building. Nonetheless, it would do more if it offered a better variety of food. Something more substantial than sandwiches and cakes would help us get through the day," comments Kim Pia (International Studies, 2). Lee said the store may introduce changes in the future. "If there is a need we will respond to it after we estimate the number of people who will consume the products requested," she says.
neyessioui@ewha.ac.kr