As of October 2023, Ewha has only one officially operating sleeping room on campus, which seems lacking for a university with approximately 24,000 students. With the return of in-person classes marking its third semester, resting and sleeping areas on campus are in high demand as students with large workloads and hard-working students during exam seasons tend to spend more time on campus.
According to a survey conducted by Ewha Voice from Nov. 6 to 12, 94.1 percent of the 96 respondents agreed that the school does not provide enough resting area for students. The main reasons were the absence of sleeping rooms and sofas, and lacking resting areas compared to overflowing studying areas, marking 84.4 and 50 percent respectively.
Some additional comments expressed that the school’s sleeping rooms do not fulfill its high demands. Students especially emphasized the need of sleeping rooms and resting areas in the Art & Design Buildings and engineering buildings, as well as adequate sleeping and resting areas in the Ewha Centennial Library.
The Ewha Campus Complex (ECC) Sleeping Room, located on B3 of the building, has been closed for approximately four years since February 2020. Students have expressed their inconvenience about the closed sleeping room, especially during exam seasons when ECC reading rooms are open 24 hours, despite the gates of the building closed from 12 a.m. to 5 a.m.
The one officially operating sleeping room on campus, located in the Student Union, is lacking in its facility. According to a sophomore from Scranton College who wished to stay anonymous, the heating systems are not operated during late hours, the loud door is distracting to students, and not enough blankets are provided.
“The problem is not only about the sleeping rooms, but most resting areas on campus are open space, making it difficult for students to restcomfortably,” she said.
In the case of the Ewha Centennial Library’s lobby lounge area, students have started raising questions since the announcement of its renewal. Students are complaining about not only the increase of reading seats instead of resting areas in the library –– as its doors open and close following the same schedule of ECC during exam seasons –– but also about the recent unavailability of the only sofa on the first floor.
Similarly, the few resting areas in the engineering buildings have recently been changed into studying areas, and the school is not making use of the surplus space in the lobby lounges despite continuous student demands.
“Although the number of students using the engineering buildings is not small, the quality of infrastructure is poor in many aspects,” said a junior from ELTEC College of Engineering who wished to stay anonymous. “Many engineering students have been recently complaining about the lounge area and sofas being removed.”
According to the Access Services & Collection Development Team of Central Library, the ECC Sleeping Room had to stop its operation after the outbreak of COVID-19 due to its windowless and enclosed structure, making the room difficult for ventilation. Although re-operation was considered after the return of in-person classes, unavailability of the beds and inability to improve the existing ventilation systems made it difficult. Considering the difficulty of improving its facilities, the library plans to reform the sleeping room area into an open space area in the future.
The Access Services & Collection Development Team added that the sofa in the first floor of the Ewha Centennial Library, used for more than a decade, has also been aging and damaged, making it difficult to make clean despite the effort. Therefore, the library decided to replace the aged furniture for a more hygienic and pleasant learning environment and operate the area as a free learning and communication space as before.
Regarding the resting space in the Ewha Centennial Library, the Access Services & Collection Development Team explained that the library is providing various types of comfortable sofa seats. The B1 lounge where conversation and food are allowed, as well as the sky garden on the fourth floor newly established in 2023 for similarpurposes, are also some recommended resting areas.
“The library is working to maintain the cleanliness of the libraries and reading rooms, and we promise to create pleasant and safe learning space for students,” the Access Services & Collection Development Team replied.
According to the Administration Office of the College of Engineering, the number of staff and students at the college has been on a steady rise, with students using the New Engineering Building increasing sharply due to the change in lecture systems from online to offline after COVID-19.
As student complaints were received regarding the expansion of tables and chairs due to lack of learning space in the Haedong Creative Learning Space, the college collected student opinions through the ELTEC College of Engineering student council emergency committee. As a result, tables and chairs were added both in the Haedong Creative Learning Space and Idea Lounge area.
“The College of Engineering is continuously making improvements in resting areas by adding sofas in the hallways of engineering buildings and the Research Cooperation Building, as well as replacing the tables and chairs in the resting area on the first floor of the Asan Engineering Building,” the Administration Office replied.