2015 has been an eventful year, full of new changes and hot topics. Many of these news events were highly related to students speaking up to voice their opinions. To look back on the events of the past year, Ewha Voice has selected some of 2015’s most significant news events and listed them to form an acronym of “Ewha Voice.”
Ewha’s A level in college restructuring evaluation
This August, Ewha acquired level A in the college restructuring evaluation conducted by the Ministry of Education. The evaluation was conducted in order to improve the quality of tertiary education and to restructure universities according to the decrease in the general student population. Among the 35 universities that received level A, Ewha received one of the highest scores. As a level A university, the school is exempt from mandatory reduction of admissions capacity, and retains rights to maintain government funding, national scholarship and student loans.W
Wireless LAN service and Eureka Innovation
Starting from this fall semester, wireless access to the internet has become more convenient, thanks to the newly installed wireless LAN EWHA. Students are now able to access EWHA WiFi with their student ID number and Eureka password. In addition, through the Innovation Eureka project, students can access the new Eureka website without downloading any additional programs such as Java or Active X. Eureka was also made available on mobile devices. Services such as checking grades or seats for chapel services, which used to be only possible via computer, are now accessible on smartphone as well.
Hunger strike against unilateral school reform
On Oct. 1, Ewha’s student representative Son Sol started a hunger strike that lasted for 15 days, showing intense conflict between the school and students. The conflict sparked on Sept. 15, when the Student Government Association (SGA) started the RESET project against the so-called “dogmatic” decisions of the school, such as building the Pavilion without any prior notice and abolishing the Excellence 2 scholarship. When the school had failed to comply with the SGA’s six demands, RESET project season 2, which included a hunger strike, began. A week after the strike, the SGA and the university president proceeded with a five-hour meeting, but most of the proposals have yet to be put into action.
Advancement of College Education
This year, Advancement of College Education (ACE) selected Ewha as one of the universities that has an exemplary model in education. Financial support that reaches a maximum of 9 billion won will be devoted to increase the quality of education over the next four years. The ACE center has introduced new programs from this fall semester, including Ewha Challenge Semester that allows students to engage in off-campus field experiences while continuing their studies. Furthermore, it aims to develop new curricula in both liberal arts and major courses in the upcoming years.