The 14th Underwood International College Student Council: Transit Towards Tomorrow

With the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic pervading every aspect of our lives, the role of student government has never been more essential. Since the start of the pandemic, Yonsei’s Student Council (StuCo) has been tasked with the responsibility of adapting offline college culture to an online medium. The election season for the 14th Underwood International College (UIC) StuCo was in full swing in Fall of 2021, with the campaign team Transit Towards Tomorrow, better known as Transit, running for the new position.

During the Joint Hearing Session held on 16 Nov. 2021, presidential candidate Lee Seungyoon and vice-presidential candidate Kim Jungsuh explained that their campaign revolves around three “obligations” to the student body. First, they want to become the center point through which “now-distant” students unite. Awaiting the transition of online courses to offline in the near future, Transit aims to serve as the representatives of students’ voices and complaints. Second, they emphasize breaking away from the past. Transit will accept the changes that have occurred during the pandemic and introduce a student government that has been developed “in line with the changed society.” The last of their platform is to convert the “different” nature of the UIC community into “distinctiveness.” Transit promises to open new exclusive classes and seminars that merit all UIC students to further highlight the unique quality of UIC.

The Joint Hearing Session also allowed observers to ask questions to the candidates regarding their campaigns. I was able to pose two questions during this time.

Q: What were your motivations to run for candidacy? Did you have any previous experiences in student government at Yonsei, or did you notice changes that could have been made to the system from the perspective of a third party?

Vice President Candidate Kim Jungsuh: I was previously part of the 14th Underwood Division Economics major council as well as the 13th UIC Congress, so I had already understood the mechanics behind Yonsei’s student government well. By observing the 13th UIC Congress —Unlock — I was able to identify the changes that could be made to better the college experience for each student. It was quite inspiring to see the previous Council strive to make valuable changes for the students even during the pandemic.

Q: Do you agree that COVID-19 has lowered the rate of student engagement with StuCo? Do you have any plans or specific solutions to increase students’ interests in the activities of StuCo?

Presidential candidate Lee Seungyoon: It is indeed true that students’ interests in StuCo have decreased drastically. To combat student apathy, there needs to be better promotion of StuCo events. We had events in the past in collaboration with Korea University, along with other universities, that performed very well even if they were online. There still existed some physical distance between the students by holding these events online. But “With-Corona” is now approaching, so we hope to conduct many of these events offline. Furthermore, when elected, our team will create a UIC Student Council webpage so that students can have a streamlined way of information and communication with the council. Through the website, we intend to foster a culture of voicing the opinions of the students and demonstrate to the student body that the council is on their side, working diligently to put their demands into action.

Change is necessary for change. Campaign team Transit embodies these words that they have chosen as one of their slogans by adapting to the transformative times of the pandemic. Holding the UIC festival, reimagining spaces on campus, and expanding partnerships with UIC-affiliated businesses are just some of the pledges Transit has made for its time in office. Their campaign maintains traditional promises that UIC’s previous Student Councils have made. The lack of enthusiasm for StuCo’s activities, poor variety of UIC-only courses available, and the overall absence of unified morale in the UIC community are all pressing issues that have proven to be difficult to solve.

On November 26th, the voter turnout for the UIC StuCo election exceeded the 50% necessary for the ballot count (with a turnout of 50.19%). Transit was elected into office, and it is with great hope that the passion they displayed during their campaign will translate into a hopeful future for the UIC community — where the needs and happiness of the student body are prioritized.