How Was 2014 Cherry Blossom Festival?
The Cherry Blossom Festival for enjoying the beautiful spring came again this year. On April 9 and 10, the Bom:Na-rae (the 2014 Cherry Blossom Festival, organized by the Student Union Ajou Nal-gae) was held at Ajou University’s campus. During the two-day festival, various events—food marketplaces, an outdoor café, and the lending of bicycles and mats-were held. On the first night of the festival, a concert by the Suwon Philharmonic Orchestra was organized. About 800 spectators, including students, faculty, and citizens made up the audience. The second day, about 3,000 spectators enjoyed performances by the central club Beat, Soul, Spiders and Moss, and guest singer J Rabbit. Many students promised to attend again next year and regretted that the festival had to come to an end.
During the festival, the Ajou Globe listened to visitors’ opinions about their overall impression of the festival. Student Jung Yea-lin (Psychology 12) expressed satisfaction. “It is a really great time to spread a mat in the yard and watch the scenery with my friends,” she said. On the whole, most students felt happy about the festival because they could relax their minds and bodies that were tired from studying.
Despite this, there were also disgruntled voices about the operation of the festival. Student Kim Joon-young (French Language and Literature 13) said, “I think that the organization of commercial events is not suitable for the student festival. I hope that the next festival has more student-run programs.” Student Kim Dong-hyun (Computer Engineering 14) also expressed a sense of frustration about the infrastructure. “It is uncomfortable to use only one trampoline,” he said. Other complaint came from students who were inconvenienced by the festival’s noise. They said they could not focus on their studying even in the library. Also, the balloons shared during the festival were thrown out everywhere, which got on some students’ nerves. Another complaint was a comment about the insufficient cleanup after the festival. A bulletin board message was posted on the school community site criticizing the Student Union. The writer said that ad posters were not removed after the festival, so sanitation workers had to clean them up instead. The writer thought this was unfair because the responsibility was the Student Union’s and not of the workers. The Student Union apologized for the shortcomings and said it was trying to make improvements. They also expressed their gratitude to the people who attended the festival.
Crackdown on Non-smoking Area
-Will It Improve the Non-smoking Environment?
A policy that charges a fine on smokers near the central library wall-tea room (Byuck Da-bang) has been imposed. Since the National Health Promotion Law was enforced on July 1, 2013, people who smoke in Byuck Da-bang face a fine of up to 100,000 won. The Yeongtong-gu Office Health Center said that Byuck Da-bang was a no-smoking area as indicated by no-smoking signs, and the Health Center will start to check the area because complaints from Ajou University students were being received consistently.
Over the policy, there are different opinions between smokers and nonsmokers. A nonsmoking student said, “It was unpleasant whenever I smelled cigarette smoke all around the campus regardless of my will. I anticipate more pleasant air and a cleaner view of our campus because of this policy.” On the other hand, a smoking student said, “It looks like the policy is open to dispute. The school does not ask students’ opinions when it designates a no-smoking area and gives no notice beforehand to the students about the policy. It is also a big problem that there is no proper smoking area.” There were also many skeptical responses claiming that the no-smoking policy has not improved the environment in Byuck Da-bang so far. As the Ajou Globe (AG) coverage noted, some smokers were still seen after the announcement was provided and the no-smoking sign was set up.
It is not a desirable campus culture where people smoke in no-smoking areas even though they realize that it deceives their own conscience and also harms the health of many students. If voluntary cooperation from students is difficult, the school will have to improve the problem by gathering the opinions of students, cracking down on the no-smoking area strictly, constructing an indoor smoking zone, and providing animated publicity announcements about smoking and no-smoking areas. AG really hopes the policy results in a desirable culture among Ajou University students.
[News in Brief] Woncheon-Daedong Festival Postponed until Autumn
The 33rd Central Steering Committee announced through its Facebook account that it would postpone the Woncheon-Daedong Festival (Daedong-jae: a summer festival scheduled every May) and hold it during the autumn semester. In light of the continuing national agony of the Sewol Ferry disaster, the committee decided after two weeks of discussion to hold off the joy of the festival and feel pain together as a nation. The Ajou Globe asked the director of the bureau of policy about its specific plan. He said, “We had an idea for the festival, such as booths operated by foreign students, a talk concert, a talent contest, and an invitational performance of singers in various genres to make students into a melting pot together. Although the specific date and programs are not decided yet, we are going to put our best into preparing the festival.” In autumn, Ajou University students will “Live Harmony Together from a Whole,” in accordance with the original intent of the Daedong-jae.
iams3@ajou.ac.kr