There are several little-known and useful facilities on offer at CBNU. Today, this CBT reporter would like to focus on the CBNU Sports Center, which opened in November last year. This is truly a beneficial sports facility designed to promote sports activities for school members and local residents. This building is located behind the Gaesin Cultural Center in E2 building, and it consists of 5 floors in total. The basement floor has an underground parking lot, a sports science center, and a wrestling ring. The first floor boasts a golf practice range, a swimming pool, squash courts, a coffee shop, and a sports supply store. The third and fourth floors of the main building consist of gymnasiums and stands, and the fitness centers are located on the corresponding floors in the annex. In addition, the CBNU sports center provides a safe and pleasant place for daily sports for faculty, students, and local residents, offering various programs to promote users’ health and relieve stress through the placement of excellent lecturers in each field of exercise.
  The CBT reporters interviewed Professor Kim Hyun-joo, Department of Physical Education in CBNU, who is currently the director of the CBNU Sports Center and the Sports Promotion Agency. In the interview, she told about the operation of the sports center, current programs, and future operation plans.

Q1. The CBNU Sports Center opened last year. What is the purpose of its establishment?
  It is difficult to talk about the detailed history of the sports center as the people in charge have changed several times from the planning, design, and completion stages. However, as shown on the website, the center’s official purpose is to educate systematic experts in the field of sports, establish a living sports program for school members, and share sports, welfare, and cultural spaces for the healthy lives of residents to develop local communities and improve the school image.
  Also, the current sports center’s position has been the place where the original gym was located since the 1990s. At that time, there were not only sports facilities in the gym, but also academic facilities and office spaces such as physical education research institutes and professors’ laboratories. When proposing the establishment of a new sports center to the Ministry of Education, the support was allocated on condition that it would be a space for students to contribute to the local community. However, the most regrettable thing about this center is that there is no space for academic facilities. Even office space for administrative teachers has been minimized in the center.

Q2. How is the CBNU Sports Center is operated?
  The CBNU sports center is funded and run by an independent organization similar to the lifelong education center, dormitories, and veterinary hospital. In other words, it is not owned and managed by the CBNU, but by a separate company, and according to the agreement, it will pay 30% of its income to the school to cover utility bills and other expenses. Although profits are less than expected due to the COVID-19 situation, the center should observe the law that requires to arrange essential lectures according to the size of the facility. Also, the human resources managers in the center are trying to recruit lecturers who are as capable as those in private campaign organizations.

Q3. How did the programs be selected? What is the most popular programs at present?
  In 2014, an operating association of the center was created at the planning stage, and a survey was conducted for operation programs. At present, swimming and fitness are the most popular options, and they are used at a ratio of 6:2:2 for students, faculty, and residents.

Q4. Is it used for other purposes except for exercise class?
  Until now, it is only used by regular and liberal arts classes other than exercise classes. On the 3rd floor of the sports center, physical education students’ major classes are conducted here at the gym. As such, regular classes and appointment practical technique programs are conducted at the sports center during the day on weekdays, and sports-related club activities are scheduled from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Q5. Is there any difference from the exercise facilities operated in the suburbs?
  The big difference is the membership fee. Before determining the membership fee, the management committee conducted market research, and based on the opinion of the general public, there was a belief that it should be cheaper than the other facilities on offer in the local community. Furthermore, the faculty and students tried to use the facility at a discounted price. However, it is inevitably more expensive than Cheongju Gymnasium because this sports center is fully responsible for its own costs, while the gymnasiums are subsidized by 50% from the city.

Q6. Is there any special program the director wants to promote through the Chungbuk Times?
  The CBNU sports center plans to offer a health program run by state and provincial funds in collaboration with CBNU Hospital. The Chungbuk Cancer Survivor Integrated Support Center is in the CBNU Hospital. This center is in charge of follow-up care to prevent cancer from recurring again for patients who are in remission. Currently, the center are providing psychological support, such as flower arrangement classes and psychological counseling, and in the future, the center decided to sign an MOU with the Chungbuk Cancer Survivor Integrated Support Center in March, to provide physical support to improve their physical strength. The center is planning programs such as Yoga for two months, Pilates for two months, and an intensive GX 1:1 program, etc. when the situation improves. The center is planning to charge about 20,000 won per month for this course in order to ensure that the center can continue to provide the class within the constraints of the center’s budget, and to minimize the social dependance of the participants.

By Kang Min-ji
mj41@cbnu.ac.kr
By Song Chae-i
kelly1526@cbnu.ac.kr