In order to raise awareness of the value of diversity and expand diversity culture at SNU, the Diversity Council conducted the first SNU Diversity Pioneers Challenge over a roughly monthlong period in March. All members of the SNU community were encouraged to submit project ideas in the categories of either “Research Project” or “Issue Improvement Project”, and in addition to several monetary prizes, the contest offered winners the chance to conduct their proposed research project as part of the Faculty of Liberal Education course “Exploring and Practicing Values”.

Forty-one teams (52 people) made up of people with diverse backgrounds in terms of job and student statuses, genders, nationalities, etc., proposed ideas for promoting diversity on campus. After two rounds of judging, 12 teams/individuals were chosen to receive prizes, and these were awarded at a ceremony and prizewinning projects presentation held in the Asia Center’s Youngwon Hall on May 11, 2017. 

After Eun Su Seo (master’s degree student, Dept. of Public Health) presented her Grand Prize winning issue improvement project, “The Need for Student Parent Programs & Services in SNU”, other outstanding ideas such as the introductions of gender-neutral toilets and halal food on campus were presented. Finally, Sunmi Park (undergraduate student, Dept. of Psychology) was encouraged to turn her Excellence Prize winning entry, titled “Expressing Identity through Student Publications: With a Focus on QIS and TurnToAble Magazines”, into a project for the “Exploring and Practicing Values” course.