As I walk around the Woosong campus as of late, I have found that the litter on the street is disgusting, unpleasant to look at and, what’s more, smells terrible. The situation on campus is a little better (given the endeavors of the Sol Police), but not by much. On the other hand, all kinds of dirty things like cigarettes, spit, and even vomit litter the streets surrounding campus. In particular, student residential areas are being blighted by trash and stink. On the threshold of summer, I am seriously concerned about the horrendous smell of hot trash that can only become worse than it is now.
The area around Jayang-dong is, strictly speaking, not a part of the Woosong campus. To consider Jayang-dong a community separate from Woosong is difficult, however, because college facilities, dorms, and apartments where students reside dominate the neighborhood. It would, in fact, be ridiculous to consider Jayang-dong as anything other than a part of the Woosong community.
Knowing that, how will the image of Woosong University not suffer if the surrounding areas are unkempt and dirty? There is a man, for instance, who cleans up around my apartment every day. He always says the same thing while performing his duties; “What on Earth do students learn from the University…and [sic] what is the use of studying in a University if you don’t have a conscience”? He has a point. It is shameful for college students, who are supposed to be educated people, to conduct themselves in such a disrespectful and thoughtless manner.
For the image of students and Woosong University, as well as for the residents of Jayang-dong, community pollution is a real and serious issue. When I first arrived in Jayang-dong, I asked one of my friends whom already lived alone here about the procedure for dealing with food waste. Her answer was ridiculous. “Just put it in a plastic bag and throw it out of window.” The idea that somebody would dispose of trash in that fashion is, in my opinion, irresponsible and inconsiderate. We need to take care of our campus, living space, and community.
Dirty streets can also be dangerous, especially for kids. Every alley in Jayang-dong is a playground for little children. There are too many dangerous things littering the streets like sharp pieces of glass, broken bottles, cigarette butts, and human waste. What do you think local children learn from watching college students throwing garbage everywhere and spitting on the street?
Every year, Woosong University makes a considerable effort to ameliorate its reputation as an institute of higher learning in both local and international realms of consideration. For Woosong to become noted as a quality university, the academic performance of its students and condition of its facilities need to be stellar. Therefore, it is the students’ responsibility to be diligent not only in their studies but also, and perhaps more importantly, in their public conduct. Such an advanced consciousness is based on cherishing and respecting the reputation and image of our university.
Woosong’s campus and the area surrounding it are the face of Woosong University. As students, it is our duty to keep it clean and try to improve it whenever and wherever we can. In so doing, we will not only fulfill our civic responsibility as members of the community, but also (and more importantly) contribute to the success, accreditation, and image of the school from which we will graduate.
Staff writer Lee Kyung Min is currently a Woosong University student majoring in English.
