The outside picture of the George Mason University Korea building, and patriots hope that the school building can be open even after midnight just like during the daytime.
Photo Credit: https://masonkorea.gmu.edu
George Mason University Korea (GMUK) building closes at midnight on weekdays and earlier on weekends at 8 pm. Compared to other universities in the IGC campus, such as SUNY and UTAH, that are open 24/7, GMUK has regulated students from accessing the school building after midnight, and this regulation has existed even before the outbreak of the pandemic. The school claims that some students caused trouble by showing inappropriate behavior and creating chaos in the building before this restriction. However, students have experienced inconvenience due to this restriction, and have advocated for a change in this policy.
The Voice conducted interviews for both students and the Chief Business Officer and gathered their opinions about the building closure to examine this issue further. It seems that the GMUK building has been closing at midnight due to the COVID-19 level four restrictions and other security issues. However, students have been experiencing inconvenience due to the closure as they do not have a place to freely work on school assignments or have meetings for their team projects.
Jooyeon Oh (GMUK, Global affairs,' 23) noted, "When the building closes at midnight, the most difficult thing is that I[she] must stop what I was doing in the middle and need to leave school." She also mentioned the school's overall atmosphere helps her carry out her tasks more efficiently. More importantly, the school is a great place to hold meetings for team projects and other extracurricular activities. However, since the school closes at midnight, there is not an appropriate place to go as an alternative. She said that "I think the school should provide students with space to spend time or do an assignment. It would be a good idea to designate and provide several classrooms rather than providing all classrooms."
In addition, another student, Jinhee Park (GMUK, Global Affairs, '23), replied that "IGC Library is not available at 9 pm on Thursday, 6 pm on Friday, and on weekends. All cafes close at 10 pm at the latest. So I[she] need to stay after midnight at school because I have to do a lot of assignments for a long time at school. The most important thing is that school is the safest place for students than anywhere else and that students can be protected late at night" Moreover, she mentioned, "I think it would be good to make some rules for maintenance of order at the school building."
Regarding this issue, The Voice sent an inquiry to Dean Matz and interviewed Patrick Quinn, the Chief Business Officer of Mason Korea. Dean Matz kindly explained the reasons behind the building closure issue by noting "Mason Korea under existing protocols needs to monitor access to the building. Continuing this access for over 24 hours is cost-prohibitive." From this, we can understand that there could be a serious budget issue if the school is open for longer hours. Mr. Quinn also added, "there will be additional costs and budget issues to strengthen the security." This claim was then supported by Dean Matz that, "the cost of having a guard overnight would be too high." Seeing this, it seems that it will be quite challenging to open the building for 24 hours in the current situation.
However, we can hope for how the Mason Korea building operated before the pandemic era. According to Dean Matz, before the COVID-19 pandemic, it is true that the building was open around the clock, but not all spaces in the building were accessible. It is expected that if the pandemic situation is mitigated and when we get back to in-person classes next semester, the school building could allow access to students even after midnight.
Mr. Quinn emphasized that the purpose of the faculty is to help all students succeed. "We[faculty] may not be able to fulfill every student's request, but we will work to have the tools they need for their success. If the students must access the building for academic purposes, the school can evaluate this and provide what is best for the students. After all the information about this issue is taken in, there will be an analyzing process of the needs and wants of our students."
The building closure of George Mason University Korea is a double-sided arrow. According to the Office of Facilities Management and Development and Dean Matz, they have decided to close the building due to COVID-19 protocols and budget issues of hiring guards overnight. However, the fact that some students need to work on their assignments and projects at school and need sufficient space to interact with peers is a matter that the school should consider. It might be difficult to find the perfect solution that satisfies both sides; however, it would be possible to reach a reasonable status that reflects the concerns and demands if the school and students listen to each other's stance and attempt to compromise.
Written by Soram Hong | Staff Writer
Revised by Yu Bin Kwon | Managing Editor
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