Many Soongsilians expect to enjoy the SSU festival. This year, the festival was held in another location. How was your festival?-------- Ed
The SSU festival was held from September 25 to 27. It was decorated with the “SSUTOPIA” concept, which made us feel like characters in fairy tales. The festival featured many booths where one could experience putting on tattoo or makeup, surprise events, delicious food, and other fun activities from various clubs. Many celebrities and talented Soongsilians brightened up the main stage with wonderful performances. After the SSU Park was completed, the main stage was located in the SSU Park in front of the Soong-duk Economics & Business Building. There were three official locations where one could enjoy the main stage. First was the SSU Park, where anyone could stay for free. Second was a barrier-free zone where the safety of the students who had difficulty moving due to physical disability was ensured. Last was the Soongsil zone for SSU students, which was right in front of the main stage. What do Soongsilians think about the location of the new Festival Main Stage?
A total of 61.9% of Soongsilians said they were satisfied, while 38.1 percent said they were dissatisfied. More than half of the respondents said they were satisfied. Interestingly, however, the reasons for satisfaction and dissatisfaction were quite similar. Satisfied Soongsilians replied that they had a good view of the singers as well as they were able to enjoy the festivities because of the venue’s increased capacity. On the contrary, unsatisfied Soongsilians answered that they experienced low space efficiency. They also assessed that the crowd control at the new location was insufficient.
How did the staff evaluate the festival? ST interviewed festival staff Kim Min-jun and Kim Seul-bin.
From the perspective of an SSU student, it was nice to have a beautiful stage. From the perspective of the staff, there was plenty of room to move around. However, during the performance, there were members of the audience who were not following the instructions, damaging trees. They were hard to control. Also, the audience could sit at both ends of the stone stairs, making it hard to control their behavior. Kim Min-jun (School of Convergence Specialization, 19)
Before the interview, I want to tell you that I have no information about the last festival held at the front gate because I was a first-year student. It was so easy to control the audience, and it was convenient to prevent accidents. However, at the Soongsil zone, there was always a risk of accidents, such as people falling down. Still, since the stone stairs were divided into layers, it was so nice to see someone from afar. Moreover, when sitting at the Soongsil zone with a flashlight on hand, the view was spectacular. On the other hand, I think the route was complicated. There was space on the top and on the middle of the stone stairs. When celebrities came, people came in all directions at once, and I felt embarrassed. Furthermore, the stone steps were limited, so I had to explain why I was controlling them as people walked past me while I was talking. Kim Seul-bin (School of Convergence Specialization, 19)
Next is an interview of Cho Su-min of Torn, who performed at the festival when it was held at the front gate in 2018 and at the SSU Park in 2019.
The stage in front of the stairs was satisfactory. In particular, I think it has become much easier to get to the main entrance. However, I think last year's front gate stage was better in size and atmosphere. Cho Su-min (Dept. of Lifelong Education student, 18)
Do Soongsilians want that the festival will continue to be held at SSU Park every year? A total of 92.9 percent voted “yes.”
The SSU Festival was successful with the participation of talented Soongsilians and the hardworking staff behind the stage. Also, many Soongsilians abided by the rules and enjoyed the festival. We are looking forward to the next festival.
Jeon Seo-yeon (ST Cub-Reporter)
