This spring semester, Ewha students are encountering two obstacles on the way to school. One of the two escalators in the Ewha subway station has been shut down due to construction, causing a surging crowd of people pushing each other as they crowd onto the one operating escalator. The competition for limited roadway space continues on the ground level, where one of the two sidewalks from the subway station to the main gate has been narrowed and filled with dust due to the construction of a shopping mall, "Yes Apm." Students tend to crowd onto the other sidewalk and are sometimes forced into the street during rush hour.

▲ One of two escalators at Ewha station is closed due to construction.

   The construction site itself is an additional problem because it is only separated from the sidewalk by a loosely fastened nylon cloth. Dust from the construction site covers the sidewalk, the roadway, food-stands and other stores on the street.
Lee Joo-yeon (Clothing and Textiles, 4) also complains, "Overall, the way to school is very unappealing. The crowded subway station and massive construction site make me feel tense and uncomfortable."
   However, there will be no alleviation of these inconveniences for quite some time. In Ok-gi, the stationmaster of the Ewha subway station, states, "The construction will continue until October to place elevators for the handicapped. Until then, only one escalator will be operating. However, for students safety, during rush hour, about 8 to 10 a.m., we are placing security guards in front of the entrance gates where the ticket machines are located."
   Relief outside the subway station will be even longer in coming. A spokesperson for the sales division at "Yes Apm" states, "We will be putting up a tall, solid fence as soon as possible, and once the construction is complete in 2006, the sidewalks and driveways to the Ewha campus will be expanded as well."

저작권자 © Ewha Voice 무단전재 및 재배포 금지