Sunflower movement leader Lin Fei-fan (林飛帆) was among 15 recipients of the Student Altruism Award at National Taiwan University’s College of Social Sciences yesterday, in which a panel of judges consisting of faculty at the college commended him for his accomplishments during the movement’s almost 23-day occupation of the legislature’s main chamber earlier this year.
College of Social Sciences dean Lin Hui-lin (林惠玲) said Lin Fei-fan was awarded the honor because of the college’s recognition of the impact that the Sunflower movement has had on domestic and cross-strait politics.
“Through his leadership of the Sunflower movement, Lin fei-fan successfully reminded us to uphold procedural justice in the legislative process, while he also helped awaken an entire generation of young people to think about issues of democracy and justice,” Lin Hui-lin said.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
Also among the recipients was News e-Forum, a news Web site founded by students from the Graduate Institute of Journalism, initially to provide in-depth coverage of the Sunflower movement.
Chiang I-ting (蔣怡婷), leader of the Web site’s feature reports division, said the group was surprised to receive the award, but that they needed all the encouragement they could get in their transition toward a full-fledged independent news platform.
Chiang said the group aims to continue political engagement of young people inspired by the movement by providing follow-up reports on the cross-strait service trade agreement, while also paying close attention to the Nov. 29 elections.
An honorary award with no financial compensation, the award recognizes students’ achievements in various fields, including political activism, social service, international dialogue and journalism.
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