( Photo credit: GMUK PR )
With the IGC housing application and payment due date right around the corner, many students were surprised to see a substantial increase of roughly $300 in the price of housing on campus. The increase sparked uproar throughout the four universities on campus. In response, the university student leaders from all four universities have actively organized a unified front in addressing the IGC Foundation. On May 22, The Voice interviewed current George Mason University Korea student president, Minsoo Chung (Economics, ‘21), to better understand both the housing controversy as well as the efforts the student leadership has been making to address this issue.
When asked to briefly explain how the IGC housing controversy first emerged, Minsoo explained the IGC Foundation only informed the student leadership very early in the morning during Spring Break of the price increase - a time in which almost no one was on campus. This miscommunication would continue as he recalled “We would never get information about what our meetings were supposed to be about until after the meeting had ended. Often our meetings were pointless and we weren’t able to discuss the actual issues.” This prolonged issue of miscommunication, Minsoo says, was one of the key reasons the student leaders decided to organize. Specifically, the process of organizing started when the SUNY student president asked the other presidents to meet on campus to discuss options in handling the situation. During these meetings, Minsoo noted that the feelings between each university started to shift. “We started to see harmony in the IGC community.”
In a unanimous decision by the student leaders, each university would conduct a survey to determine if a boycott against IGC housing would be initiated. While each university guidelines for the survey were different, the idea was consistent: if the students of each university were together, they would face the IGC Foundation head-on. However, these surveys would come back with barely not enough support for the boycotts to move forward. When asked about this, Minsoo responded “While it’s obviously not the result I wanted, it’s not necessarily about the result. It’s about the spirit and we see opportunity in that spirit. I thought I was fighting by myself, but I was shown a lot of support from my community.” Despite this setback, the GMUK student president is optimistic about the future. “Patriots are wise enough to turn this crisis into a future opportunity.” Additionally, Minsoo confirmed that the coalition between the student leaders will continue to meet on a regular basis in the future.
While the student body did not decide to move ahead with a boycott against the IGC Foundation, the formalized coalition between the student leaders on campus provides hope for the future. If a clear unified front and willingness to address problems as they arise, students can feel secure knowing that the student leaders are willing to fight for them. The next time another serious problem arises, no doubt the new leadership coalition will be there to respond to the crisis.
Written by Matthew Mandell | Managing Editor
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