The re-election results of the 33rd Undergraduate Student Council (USC) have finally decided the newest department student representatives. Every year, the USC holds an online election to choose the next student representatives for each department. Last year on December 3, however, only four departments participated in the election; the candidates of the remaining departments had been disqualified due to not complying with the election bylaws. These included the School of Electrical Engineering, the Departments of Mechanical Engineering, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, and Chemistry, and the Clubs Union Division of Vocal Music.
The election bylaws state that candidates in public office cannot run for student representative, and because the candidates of the aforementioned departments were delegates of student bodies, their eligibility for election was retracted. Usually, the Central Election Commission (CEC) should take action within eight hours of finding such a case amongst the candidates, so as to prevent ineligible candidates from running. Last semester, they failed to address the issue within the promised time, and subsequently wrote an extensive apology on the Ara noticeboard.
In an interview with Hyeong-heon Cha and Hobin Kim, the two representatives showed strong desire to prevent discrimination against societal minorities. Both representatives also stated that they aim to provide a more comfortable environment for students to study. Specifically, they claimed to “actively converse with professors in committees” to find solutions for discrimination and unjust treatment and to prevent the unauthorized distribution of grades and private information.
As representatives of the largest two departments (Electrical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering, respectively), both Cha and Kim carry a lot of weight and responsibility. Although they differ in their approach to achieving their goals of making a more welcoming community, they both specifically highlighted the importance of inclusivity of the international community through communication and participation.
