HUFS has two different campuses, one in Seoul and the other in Yong-in. The Global Campus located in Yong-in is well-known for its large size compared to that of the campus in Seoul. Due to the campus being quite large, students at the Global Campus use a school shuttle bus, the so-called “Bbang car” when moving among different school buildings. However, despite the fact that it should be more convenient for students, more and more students from the Global Campus are voicing complaints about the school shuttle bus.

The Argus decided to take a deeper look into the problem, listening to what is being mentioned both by students and the university. We met with So Hun, a representative from the General Student Council (GSC) on the Global Campus, and Bae Jun-hyeong, the Dean of General Affairs on March 9 for further discussion.

Shuttle bus punctuality problems

The Argus: Please tell us if you think it is inconvenient to use the school shuttle bus.
So Hun (So): Working on behalf of the students at Global Campus, I have heard a lot of complaints regarding the timetable of the shuttle bus, not only during the semester but also during semester breaks. Last year, for instance, students were not aware of the reason why the school shuttle bus operated based on 20 minute intervals between 12 to 1 p.m. Therefore, they started to complain about the intervals during certain periods of time, but what the students did not realize was that that one hour was a lunch break for the shuttle bus drivers. To resolve such misunderstandings between the students and school, the GSC arranged several meetings with General Affairs during the previous winter vacation, and ended up adjusting the former time-table. Through this new time-table, we are expecting better communication between the students and the university this semester.

Bae Jun-hyeong (Bae): On behalf of the university, we think it is impossible to satisfy every student completely. We are aware of the complaints of students regarding the punctuality of the bus.
However, given the geographical characteristics of the Global Campus, there must be a detour at Mo-hyeon intersection. Just last year, a number of local people filed a civil complaint arguing that it is illegal to make a detour at that particular crossroad. It is almost impossible to run the school shuttle bus without detouring, but currently we are facing objections from the residents. Aside from this, there are also some difficulties that arise in operating too many shuttle buses. We have to be fully cautious about the possibility of any car accidents. Currently, there seems to be no concern for these difficulties the school is having. We really hope that it is not too much to request understanding from the students. Moreover, despite the discouraging situation, our university has shorter intervals in operating the school shuttle bus, when compared to other universities in Korea. This shows that we always put students’ welfare ahead of everything else.

Student safety problem in a crowded shuttle bus

The Argus: Is the university aware of the safety concerns that exist inside the shuttle bus? How does the university view this problem?
Bae: We are aware of the fact that over 3,000 students are using the school shuttle bus during certain periods of time, including the time before first period, lunch time, and right after sixth period. This has always been one of our concerns regarding the safety of the students for a long time. Therefore, to prevent any accidents, we have talked with the relevant company that owns the school shuttle buses, but have not been able to come up with a proper solution. Instead, we have adjusted the shuttle time-table and shortened the intervals of the shuttle bus during those crowded times. But as students are already aware, it is not possible to stop students from getting on the shuttle bus. This certain problem regarding safety of the students standing inside a crowded bus could be completely solved if students helped out a little bit. The more students try to use the shuttle bus apart from the crowded times, the fewer complaints regarding such safety there will be.

The Argus: Has the GSC drawn up any general plan regarding the safety matter?
So: Recently we have been planning a new project to reduce worries about safety. Ever since the Contennial Complex was renovated in the second half year of 2014, an increasing number of students from various language departments have had to move from the new building to other buildings located in the upper part of the campus. Most of these students have their classes scheduled back to back, so they need to use the school shuttle bus to go to the other buildings; an example of traveling from the Main Building to the Contennial Complex. To help these students, the General Students Council came up with an alternative project during the last winter vacation. The project is called “Convenient School Shuttle Bus,” and the main purpose is to help students easily get to classes from one building to another. The plan is simple; we asked the university to arrange more shuttle buses during periods between the third to fourth period, right after the fourth period, and from the sixth to seventh period. The GSC has already conducted a survey of 300 students on the Global Campus regarding this project, which turned out that 80 percent of the students agree with this plan. We asked for permission but got rejected due to financial reasons. There is no budget to realize the “Convenient School Shuttle Bus” project right now.

Bae: Yes, we heard of the project from the GSC last semester. However, as the students all know, even last year’s budget was tight. We cannot afford to arrange more shuttle buses with our current budget.

Student safety problem while entering and exiting the shuttle bus

The Argus: Is there any other problem related to the school shuttle bus?
So: There is one more complaint that students have talked about a lot through social networking services. It seems that it is very dangerous to exit the school shuttle bus in the morning since the bus stops in the middle of a road. There are no signs or streets where students can walk to classes without worrying about car accidents. The General Student Council had a campaign to reduce such risks, but the results were not very satisfying. We hope that the buses can stop somewhere safer.

Bae: The dangerous bus stop that students are talking about is the road between the Language & Literature Building and Humanities & Economics & Business Building. However, the reason why we decided to stop there in the morning is because of the safety of the students. You see, there are so many school buses coming into the Global Campus every morning between 8:45 a.m. to 9:20 a.m. Not only are there school shuttle buses but also the school buses for the educational personnel who are entering the university during that time. It is for the students’ own safety that we park the school shuttle bus at the top of the campus, which students might think of as dangerous. However, considering the number of cars and buses pouring in at that time, it is much safer there, and there is less confusion as well.

Late-night school problem shuttle bus

The Argus: Please tell us if you have any other recommendations for each other.
Bae: It would be better if the students agreed to change the hour of departure for the Late-Night School Shuttle Bus, which runs from the school to Bundang. Last year, the GSC asked us to operate another school shuttle bus that runs even after all the red buses stop. We decided to run this late-night bus only for those students who stay late on campus studying. However, there have been more students who ride it drunk as opposed riding after a late night of studying.

So: The GSC proposed the idea of the late-night bus because there are no more red buses going around our campus after 10:30 p.m. So it would be useless if the time of the night school shuttle bus is advanced from 10:50 p.m. to 10 p.m. Also, we were not aware of such problems such as drunk students using the shuttle bus. I will discuss this issue with the members of the GSC.

Closing the interview

Bae: It has been a very meaningful use of time to go over certain complaints from the students. We will do our best to solve each problem. It would be great if the students could exercise some patience and wait until we come up with better alternatives.

So: Through this interview, we have finally come to understand the school’s perspective. As one of the representatives from the GSC, I am happy that several miscommunications have now been resolved. We as students will also try to do something to reduce such inconveniences.

Through this interview, the GSC and General Affairs had the opportunity to take a deeper look into the problems students at the Global Campus are having. From some concerns each side was not aware of, to matters of miscommunication, it has been a great chance to finally build some common understanding and communicate with both sides. The Argus hope through this article, more students can resolve such misunderstandings and re-think how they approach the problems they are dealing with related to the school shuttle bus, for their own welfare.