Photo Credit: George Mason Korea Student Council
The 2021 Student Council (SC) of George Mason University Korea has a lot on its table. SC President Suk In Claire Jung (Conflict Analysis and Resolution, ‘23) has pledged to make the SC more effective, compassionate, and transparent than ever. Allowing students who are not members of the SC to participate in the regular and irregular SC meetings is one of the first steps towards achieving those goals.
“We want to make it transparent to let the students know that they should be part of the decision-making process,” Jung said. “I wish we could have done this before, but I hope that it [open meeting] becomes a SC culture, like a town hall meeting.”
When a student had a complaint or a demand they wanted to make to the SC in the past, they posted their mind on platforms such as ‘Everytime’. Now, they would be able to take it directly to the SC, which Jung says she would greatly appreciate. As the SC meetings have been forced by COVID-19 to be held virtually through Zoom, Jung felt optimistic that it would be easier for non-SC member students to participate.
“We’re not going to just send out a Zoom link and be like, “Hey guys, come join the SC meeting,’” Jung explained. “Prior to the actual meeting, we’re going to publish the agenda and say, “This is what we’re planning to discuss in the upcoming meeting. If you have any contributions or ideas regarding these topics, feel free to drop by, and we can discuss them together.’ Afterward, we’ll publish the meeting minutes as well.”
The SC is making efforts to make changes from the inside, as well. Despite the fact that the SC Charter of Mason Korea vests the president and her vice president the authority to fill non-elective SC positions such as that of the Secretary, Major Representatives participated in the personnel selection process this time around.
“The process was more democratic and objective than ever,” declared Business Major Representative Minwoo Park (Business, ‘23). “We would have discussions about the interviewees for four to five hours every day for about four days.”
The SC also wishes to enhance the student body’s sense of community at the campus. To do this, the SC is planning on establishing virtual office hours so that students can reach out to SC members for help simply by making appointments.
“I keep emphasizing that students feel disconnected [to other students],” Jung said, especially of the freshman students. “I remember my freshman year: I learned a lot, but I also failed a lot. I always wished I had someone to give me a hand - give me the smallest practical tips that make life so much easier as a college student. I don’t think I had that. We don’t have a seonbae culture here because all the seniors are at Fairfax. That’s why I really sympathize with the freshman students.”
With all these changes implemented, the SC is hopeful they would be able to engage with the student body in a way its predecessors did not.
“I am here because I really care about the students,” Jung said. “I want to consider all the students as my close friends, even though I might not know more than half of the student body. I really wish that students can feel we are here for them.”
Written by Philip Kim | Staff Writer
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