On March 2019, the SoongDuck Economics and Business Building replaced the Economics and Business Building (SoongDuck Building below for better readability). ST talks to Soongsilians who have classes in the SoongDuck Building, and listens to their stories. What happens in the building? Ed
At the start of 2019, many Soongsilians attended a series of lectures at the SoongDuck Building, but the building seemed far from completion. Students and professors expressed their discontent. ST went to investigate the issue. The interview below was informed with anonymity upon request.
ST: Hello, professor. Please introduce yourself first. Professor A: I’m a professor at the College of Business Administration. I give lectures at SoongDuck Building, and also at my lab located in the building.
ST: Are there any advantages or disadvantages in using the SoongDuck Building? Professor A: I think it has more disadvantages than advantages. Typically, incomplete construction and ignorance of users’ feedback are the biggest problems. Also, some labs showed signs of water leaks, and the ceiling in its parking lot looked like it was going to collapse.
ST: Is there anything you want to improve on the SoongDuck Building? Professor A: I think the director behind the construction of the SoongDuck Building must take responsibility. And I think we need an institution to prevent from this kind of thing happening again.
ST: Please introduce yourself. Student A: I’m a student of the College of Business Administration, attending classes at SoongDuck Building four times a week.
ST: Please tell us about the advantages and disadvantages of using the building. Student A: Its advantage is its newness. Its disadvantage is its long width, which makes students feel it’s heavy. Also, the clear classroom doors can affect students’ concentration if someone outside the room glances or walks around. And it’s too bad that there’s no convenient aisle toward the Student Union.
ST: Hello, please introduce yourself first. Student B: Hello, I’m a student from the College of Administration, and I am taking classes at SoongDuck Building every day except Friday.
ST: Is there any merit or weakness of the building that you can think of? Student B: One advantage is that it is cleaner than the existing one. The downside is that there are facilities in the building, such as the seminar rooms for students of the College of Administration, but there is no accurate information on how to use the said facilities. Thus, many students are not using the building properly. I think we need an accurate reminder on how to use the facility.
ST: Please introduce yourself briefly, and tell us if you think the SoongDuck Building is better than the existing Economics and Business Building? Professor B: I’m a professor at the University of Economics and Trade. First of all, SoongDuck Building integrates the space used by professors, students, and the faculty. We don’t have enough space, but we have room for students, like study rooms and rest areas. The study room will be remodeled by each college, and will be transformed from the current desk to a complex space. The canteen is currently under construction, and there will be a coffee shop on the second floor.
ST: Tell me about the direction of the SoongDuck Building. Professor B: The building is not just a rectangular building in appearance, but also an architecturally beautiful building. I hope that SoongDuck Building will have a convenient facility for students as soon as possible.
ST: Hello, please introduce yourself first. Student C: Hello, I’m a student at the College of Administration, and I’m taking classes at SoongDuck Building five days a week.
ST: Can you tell us the advantages or disadvantages of SoongDuck Building from your point of view? Student C: I think the beauty of the Building lies in its more facility-like features than the previous Economics and Business Building. However, SoongDuck Building doesn’t have Wi-Fi or mobile data services. Even in the restrooms, sometimes there’s no cell phone signal at all. There are many problems in the SoongDuck Building right now. but the school doesn’t feel like it’s trying to solve them. And if we’re working on a solution, we need to share information.
The SoongDuck Building was first used in 2019, beginning with a series of lectures. Though the student community was updated about the construction of the SoongDuck Building, it failed in meeting expectations, such as poor data services and broken windows. Even professors find inconveniences with the building.
The construction of the building is not yet completed. There was still internal work going on when students started to use the building. Also, the construction of internal convenience facilities was still in progress. However, most of the students do not know the plans of the university, and do not know how to use the facilities. The university must provide students with adequate information through the student council. Since it is a building that both students and professors use, it must reflect their interests.
Kim Ki-bum (ST Reporter) rlqja25@soongsil.ac.kr
Yang Yoon-seon (ST Reporter) jane6654@soongsil.ac.kr
