Buddy in Sookmyung

On March 13, in the Hansangeun Lounge situated on the 7th floor of Centennial Hall, a ‘Welcome Party’ for foreign students who have come to SMU as exchange students was held. This party was planned by ‘Buddy,’ one of the leadership groups in SMU, attached to the Office of International Affairs. This party was a way to promote friendship among many students who attended. According to Seo Eunmi of ‘Buddy,’ until this year, it had not been a leadership group but was just a club called Sookmyung International Club (SIC), which was founded in 2004. This club was run by members’ own money and any Sookmyungians who wanted to join could join. However, from this year, as SIC became the leadership group ‘Buddy,’ they selected 25 new members and it became possible to receive financial support from school. At the Welcome Party, which had been an annual event for many years under SIC, exchange students from many different countries such as China, France, Finland, Japan, and Germany got to know each other as they introduced themselves and played interesting games. They were also paired with their buddies in the ‘1:1 buddy matching program’ which is ‘Buddy’s’ way of helping foreign students to live well at SMU.

Hwang Hong Yuhwa