The Shiao-Mo Memorial Stadium will be completed in May, just in time for the graduation ceremony. This is tremendous good news for all faculty, staff and students who have been waiting for the inauguration of this building which can finally shelter them from the bad weather, that is, sadly to say, rather common in Tamsui. However, some people are still not entirely happy with it when they heard that there would not be any indoor tennis facilities available. President Flora Chang said that the university would set up some outdoor ones instead.

This stadium will allow more courses, at least 15 more, to be offered by the Physical Education Section. Furthermore, many courses can be moved to indoors when the weather is bad—a possibility that will not only improve students’ motivation, but also teaching quality. It will also be easier for courses to stick to their schedule as interruption will be reduced to a minimum.

The construction of the 9 storey stadium started in November, 2004, that covers 23716 square meters. The entrance is on the 4th floor, whereas the ground floor can function as an emergency shelter. There are martial arts studios for various judo, tae kwon do and tai-chi activities. Studios for aerobic and folk dances are also available. Student club offices and Student Council conference rooms are on the first and second floors. Space for practice and specific training for university sport teams has been reserved, too.

Furthermore, there are a sport injury prevention room and a water therapy room on the third floor. Administrative offices, professorial research rooms and a weight room are also on this floor. Volley ball and badminton courts can be found on the fourth floor. Shower rooms and VIP lounge are on the fifth, whereas additional classrooms and showers rooms are on the sixth. There are three basketball courts on the seventh floor, which can be easily turned into other functions that require a big space. For these functions, these courts are equipped with at least 3000 extendable chairs.

For these state-of-the-art equipment and facilities, security will be a big issue. Therefore, the university will need to work out a good policy to safeguard its valuable property. Another concern is the electricity bill, which can be spectacularly high if not careful. ( ~Ying-hsueh Hu )