<Introduction>
Dear readers, to everyone’s great joy, Soongsil Times celebrated its 30th birthday in early December. The following are the characteristics of each of the past three decades of ST’s existence: 1980s, contending for freedom: 1990s, rapid changes with the birth of the Internet: and 2000s, day-to-day globalization. Despite the changes in our slogans over the past three decades, Soongsil Times has always been on your side. Our student reporters’ efforts to inform you of the changes taking place in our society are the source of ST’s pride on its 30th birthday. The cover story in this 153rd issue is our own story which we have not had a chance to tell you. Please pay attention to our story.
<Soongsil Times: Introduction and History>
① Soongsil Times Publication Do you know that “Soongsil Times” was not the magazine’s original title when it was born? Soongsil Times was published in December 1982 with the title “Soongjun Times.” At that time, SSU was unified with Daejeon University (presently Hannam University), and its name was “Soongjun.”The name “Soongsil Times” was used from March 1987. According to Kim Taesun, ST’s earliest Editor-in-Chief, among the four-year universities in Seoul at that time, only SSU and Seoul National University had no English school paper. Accordingly, students of like minds gathered voluntarily and persuaded the school to set up an English paper.
② Translation of poetry stone Soongsil Times translated the English poetry carvings on a stone into English. It was the first achievement of the school’s English paper and was thus very meaningful.
③ From a newspaper to a magazine Soongsil Times is now printed in magazine form, but its first printed form was that of a general newspaper. The primary
reason is its various contents. Writing on diverse subjects and the use of various reporting styles, such as objective reporting, fiction writing, and the use of imagery, are more appropriate for the magazine form. Also, many English newspapers in other universities had already adopted the magazine form, and ST wanted to keep abreast with the trend.
④ Present
As a school institute, ST publishes an English magazine four times a year: in March, June, September, and December. ST seeks to boost the school’s founding
spirit and to inform the students not only of student-related news but also of external news like those pertaining to social and cultural issues, from many
different viewpoints. Besides, ST aims to improve the Soongsilians’ English skills. Cam STAA (seniors in ST who have yet to complete their studies) and
STAA (The Soongsil Times Alumni Association) are briskly exchanging information and insights with ST.
<Publication process>
ST always follows the standard procedure. It is important to go through the systematic steps of magazine publication four times a year. ST takes this opportunity to show you the publication process that it employs.
ⓐ Planning meeting
This is the first step in the process and is basic for publication. In the planning meeting, the ST reporters decide the next issue’s framework. They brainstorm on potential topics and choose the ones.
ⓑ Article planning
This is the step where the article frames are built. The ST reporters map out the articles that will form the next issue’s introduction, body, and conclusion.
ⓒ Preparation and cover
As soon as the Editor-in-Chief issues the article plan permit, the ST reporters prepare to write their respective articles in earnest. The ST reporters conduct the interview and also take the photos that are necessary for their articles by themselves, and collect the data that they will need.
ⓓ News writing
The reporters begin writing their respective articles, but they do not yet write in English at this stage. All the articles in ST are first written in Korean. The Korean articles are cross-checked by the other ST reporters. Then they translate their articles into English.
ⓔ Proofreading
ST proofreads each English more than three times. First, ST reporters cross-check all English articles, then Professor Yi Seung-bok (Associate Director) makes corrections on the draft. ST sends the corrected draft to a commercial proofreading company for further correction. Finally, Prof. Yi reads the revised draft one more time.
ⓕ Design
While the articles are being corrected, ST devises a layout and a background design for the articles. In this step, ST decides how large the headline would be, which font would be the best considering the text, etc., and makes preliminary sketches. Then Hobak & Company (Hobak), a design company, receives the sketches from ST, and computerizes them.
ⓖ Final editing
Just before the publication, ST modifies the articles’ contents and the designs sent by Hobak, and then chooses the best design for each article. Then comes the final checking stage of the Soongsil Times issue based on the dummy sent by Hobak.
ⓗ Publication
ST receives the finished magazines from Hobak and reports to the publisher (Kim Dae-keun, Soongsil University President) about the issue’s publication and the plans for its distribution. Once the publisher approves the report, all the ST reporters place them in the designated cabinets in every building in SSU.
ⓘ Appraisal
ST’s reporters exchange their opinions about the articles, including their own, and suggest points for improvement to one another. Just like ironing one’s dress, this step is important for ST’s continued development.
<Magazine layout, kicker/introduction>
WHISTLE : This is assigned to the Editor-in-Chief. It can be about anything but is usually about the story of an undergraduate.
TWEEZERS : A four-frame English comic with episodes arousing the students’ sympathy.
CAMPUS BRIEF & CAMPUS NEWS : These are literally “articles about Soongsil University.” They differ in terms of length and the writer.
PHOTO : Photographs taken by the ST reporters.
PEEPHOLE : ST criticizes something through a photograph.
COVER STORY: A major article in the magazine.
STUDENT ESSAY : An article written and submitted by a student.
EDITORIAL : A column written by a Soongsil University professor
FIND ERRORS : This page contains the readers’ opinions and notifications of typographical errors or omitted words.
CROSSWORD PUZZLE : A crossword puzzle consisting of words appearing in the magazine text.
<For ST’s better future>
ST has realized that it should address its weaknesses so as to improve its articles and maintain its tradition of excellence. ST thus conducted a survey to determine its weaknesses, by interviewing 66 SSU students, from freshmen to seniors.
According to the results of the survey, what ST needs most is a publicity campaign. This result came as a shock because ST had assumed that almost all the undergraduate students are quite familiar with Soongsil Times. ST should make every possible effort to make itself better known by the Soongsilians,
through Facebook or by launching an online homepage, along with the distribution of the magazine. ST will also organize events to allow for interaction with the students.
In this featured article - the cover story, which is on Soongsil Times’ 30th anniversary - ST relates Soongsil Times’ history and explains the paper’s publication process to satisfy its readers’ curiosity. In the book “Butterfly” written by Jeon Gyung-rin, there is a passage that goes, “A butterfly should keep its body temperature higher than 30° to be able to fly, and the heat comes from its love target.” For Soongsil Times, the 30° temperature that it needs to maintain to be able to fly comes from the Soongsilians’ interest in ST. Thirty years of existence seems a long time, but it is a short time compared to ST’s anticipated long future. ST wants to share its present and future with the Soongsilians.
