Daily routines such as buying a cup of coffee or paying the bills have become financial dilemmas to Chung Ye-rim (Voice, 3) ever since she began lodging in Dangsan-dong. Chung decided to live alone with hopes to become more independent, but soon began suffering from housing fees that cost around 500,000 won per month.

 

 

To alleviate university students’ financial burdens, seven studentunions in Seodaemun-gu, including Ewha andYonseiUniversity , have proposed that rental houses be built for university students.

 

 

The proposed agenda for the establishment of rental houses, led by the Student Government Association of Yonsei University, YOU, targets students residing in Seodaemun-gu.

 

 

The large-scale project requires government cooperation including the Seoul Metropolitan Government and Seodaemun-gu Office. In case of Seodaemun-gu Office, YOU has to wait until June when the election for the president of Seodaemun-gu is over.

 

 

“The plan is now at the preparing stage,” said Yang Mi-do (YonseiUniversity , 3), the managing director of policies in YOU. “We met Seodaemun-gu Congressman Lee Sung-hun twice this year to find solutions to the housing problems. He agreed that Seodaemun-gu, the educational district where many universities reside in, should provide more spaces for students.”

 

 

 

 

The united SGA also working towards gaining students’ cooperation. Since united SGA plans to push the rental house agenda to government members depend on the students’ vote powers, students’ active participation is crucial. The union is planning to establish a special organization that urges students to vote and make posters to promote the election among university students.

 

 

“We will strongly urge students to actually participate in the voting process,” said Yang. “Problems like getting a job, high tuition fees and insufficient boarding houses are complicated to solve. Innovative approaches should be made and voting is the first step,” said Yang.

 

 

The rental house plan is a long-term project and a one-year term in which student unions take office, is far too short to solve hosing problems. To overcome such limitations, the Housing Negotiation Committee (HNC) has been organized. Ewha andYonseiUniversity plans to take an active role  in completing the negotiation with the government bodies.

 

 

“Although the committee has not been fully shaped because of the absence of the SGA in Ewha, HNC would definitely do its best to promote students environment,” said Yang.

 

 

Students living in the Sinchon area greet this plan with optimism and the realistic and concrete methods in dealing with the government are highly evaluated by students.

 

 

“Building rental houses would relieve students’ economic situation since it is a fundamental solution,” said Kang Ye-rim (Scranton , 2). “As a self-boarding student, I sincerely hope that students’ unions would actualize building rent houses for students.”
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