We Still Lodge a Complaint of School Facilities!
University is a place where learning is taking place and is also a place that takes responsibility for part of our daily lives, and therefore, the comfort of students should be basically and undoubtedly guaranteed. Some might argue that the lectures of professors are more important, but we need to be reminded that the places where the lectures take place are also one of the parts of the university. Clean, modern, and pleasant air give aid for the improvements in lectures, even though we do not recognize it vividly. In this sense, Chung-Ang University planned the reconstruction and renovation of certain buildings and places in order to improve the school facilities. However, in spite of these efforts, students still show various complaints of school systems in the portal sites and in the online student communities. Why do students feel such discomfort through their school lives? What must be reformed in order to satisfy most students? What is the facility problem that prevents CAU from leaping forward? CAH looked into the problems of facilities by conducting a survey.
Short Introduction of the Survey Done by CAH
In order to look through the inconvenient facilities at the university, CAH made an internet survey and collected students’ opinions. Since it wasn’t completed by all majors, the questions are focused on four buildings where students generally feel discomfort, and this generalization is on the basis of the writings on online school communities that CAH had closely examined throughout the recent year. In order not to look at a narrow view point, the questions also contained descriptive sections where students can freely write about the whole inconveniences they feel.
Building 203
Building 203 is the most inconvenient building according to the survey by taking part in almost 69% of the total data, especially from the College of Humanities and Education. The complaints about Building 203 are explained in terms of ventilation, lockers, toilets, resting spaces, and the integral desks and chairs.
Ventilation: The biggest problem of Building 203 is the ventilation and also the heating apparatus. For instance, if you go into the classrooms where the lectures have just ended, you might feel that the air is very stuffy. The problem is that in winter, it is so cold that students cannot open the door even though they feel uncomfortable. Moreover, the corridor inside the building is colder than outside in winter. Some of the students wrote in a survey that they feel fear before they get into the building since it’s too cold to stay long.
Lockers: Did you know that there was a robbery in March in Building 203? Some of the books were burglarized from the locker since there weren’t any CCTVs near there, and the lockers did not work well. Not only because of the robbery, students have also felt discomfort since some of the lockers are so old that they are hard to close and also sound loudly when opening and closing.
Toilets: Especially at about 12:00 pm and 3:00 pm, you can see a long line in front of the women’s bathroom. Only one restroom exists on every floor, but not for both genders, so students need to line up, especially right before the class starts or ends. Moreover, the toilets aren’t as clean as in the new buildings, so some of them are displeased after they use them.
Classrooms: Not only are the ventilations and heaters relevant to the classroom problems, but also the chairs and desks are relevant. Most of the chairs and desks are integrated together, and it’s somewhat uncomfortable because the interval between the desks is very narrow. Moreover not all classes, but some of them, are in lack of markers and aren’t insulated against the noises.
More: There are also more opinions about the in-exterior as the walls are a bit cracked and don’t look that nice compared to other new buildings. Students hope the school will pay more attention more to the trivial, but important points related to Building 203.
Building 310
Building 310 is the newest building at CAU that shows grand and fancy images to us with escalators and big columns, but it also contains some problems as we look into the results of the survey.
Resting places: Even though the building is huge, there aren’t many resting spaces, so students need to wait in the corridors before classes start. Furthermore, unlike Building 303, there aren’t any rooms for independent study, so students must take an escalator and move to the library. Moreover, we cannot see any vending machines or ATMs, too. Students need to go out and walk through to Building 203 or Building 101, or go outside the university. The nonexistence of vending machine also forces students to visit a convenience store on the first basement floor. Surprisingly, the convenience store on the basement floor is the only one we can find in Building 310. Therefore, it is always crowded before and after lectures.
However, most of the students answered that the building is clean overall, and are satisfied with using a toilets. Only the big doors, ventilation of huge lecture rooms, and utilization of big spaces are the core points of providing better services.
Library
The library is a symbolic building at CAU and looks unordinary. Many of the students answered that they were pleased with the library and its services, but some were not.
Studying Rooms: The worst problem of the library that students chose is the ventilation system in a reading rooms. They are places where many people breathe together. Even though the library operates the ventilation machine for a full hour, it is still arising as a problem. Some students answered that they feel headaches because of the stuffy air when they sit for about two hours. Also, there aren’t many seats in the studying rooms, especially during examination terms, so the expansion of the studying rooms must be done. What’s more, the desk lamps are all equipped on the first floor, but some of them often make small beeping sounds, while the reading room on the fourth has no reading lamps.
More: Tutoring rooms and rooms for meeting together for group assignments are lacking in space for students, too. Students want more spaces for rest, group assignments, and study. One of them also claimed the need for more books too.
Transformation of CAU
2017: What’s New?
According the Office of Facility Management, artificial grass will be laid on the school yard which is located between Building 308 and Building 310. It is exciting news for students who love playing sports. Moreover, about 17 zelkova trees and flowers will be planted around the sports ground for arranging the green space, so it seems that the school is concentrating its effort to expand the green areas inside of school. What’s more, a new, huge LED board is going to be installed on the front wall of Building 102. Since R&D buildings are located near the front gate and attract attention, the LED Information board might be somewhat useful informing the campus of school notices and promoting high-technology in accordance with the digital era.
2023 Master Plan
1. Overview and Design
Have you ever heard about the 2023 master plan through the school homepage or school SNS? It is a plan which includes five steps, and has been revised since 2012. The key goals of this plan are the establishment of convenient traffic-moving lines and efficient connections between the buildings by utilizing the space effectively and beautifully. Of course, it contains the plans for upgrading buildings, which have fallen behind, while completion of Building 310 last semester is the first example of this big plan. Also, many students are cherishing the hope of reconstructing the physical science, engineering, and humanities buildings, in addition to reforming the steep slope and stairs.
2. Is it Realizable? What must be Considered?
When we see the projected view, it’s so perfect and impressive that we pose doubts whether the plan might be done successfully or not, especially the improvement of Buildings 203, 207, and 104. CAH thinks there are four things that might be considered first before others during the planning process. First, while the school demolishes and reconstructs each building, certain buildings might become chaotic as they need to be shared. The school needs to prepare alternative buildings by expanding transfer ports (for instance, the elevators) and by improving the scheduling time tables of each major. Second, students’ welfare needs to be fully considered even before the reconstruction. Many students might graduate before the plan is finished. Therefore, the school need to take care of them and reflect their ideas, even though they are planning the renovation for 2023. Third, green space still seems insufficient according to the outlines. About 37% of students from the survey pointed to the lack of green space since there aren’t many places for students to rest, think, and interact with green plants. For relieving mental stress, for breathing pleasant air, and for feeling peaceful, the expansion of green spaces is necessary for CAU. Finally, the plan for facilities outside the university should also be prepared afterward. It doesn’t seems that it’s the school’s area with which they might need to be concerned, but uncomfortable roads and transportation systems might lower the competitiveness of the school, and also decreases the desire to go to school. Students also want to move through safer places, too.
Jeong Sae-young
jsy9709@cau.ac.kr