Núcleo de Desporto Cultura e Bem-estar da Universidade de Lisboa
Sports, Culture and Wellbeing Centre of the University of Lisbon  

Newsletter – Newsletter – We begin by requesting your comment on whether «mens sana in corpore sano» is an expression that combines well with the Sports, Culture and Wellbeing Centre of the University of Lisbon. 

Luís Fernandes – It is a Spartan quote that has a reason for existing, despite the distance in time.

In fact, the better we are in physical terms, the more confident we become, in a better mood, and this makes us carry out our tasks and face challenges more effectively.

Previous and more recent studies continue to highlight the virtues of being in “good physical shape” for a good cognitive ability. Doctors know it only too well. And with all the unexpectedness that everyday life brings, it is best to be prepared!

Newsletter – Going as far back as possible, please take us on a tour right from the moment when it started until the present, with regard to sports, culture and wellbeing at the University of Lisbon, and explain what are the major landmarks in the development of the Sports, Culture and Wellbeing Centre of the University of Lisbon (NDCBE).

Luís Fernandes – This is not a difficult question, because, as we understand it today, sports at the University of Lisbon are recent. We will only celebrate our one hundredth anniversary 90 years from now (laughter).

In 2000, The University of Lisbon invited a physical education teacher who had been involved in the management of academic sports for over 5 years (Duarte Lopes). A former sports management trainee was equally invited to continue her work (Sara Silva).

We started preparing our actions appropriately. We assessed the expectations of our students, sports practices and preferences, and we studied the University Campus and possibilities for establishing protocols and partnerships. We explained our ideas and plans for the future to association leaders, among many other actions.

As we did not have proper facilities, we began to organize and promote outdoor activities, which nowadays is still one of our more dynamic characteristics and projects.

Slowly, our AAEEs (Student Associations) started to become aware of the vitality of the project and started asking us to become more involved in institutional representation, initially with individual sports.

In 2004 (29 April), we inaugurated a sports area (Fitness Room), taking advantage of constructions works that necessarily had to be carried out in the workshops of the Welfare Services (near Refectory I).

It did not take long to realize the need for such infrastructure. Accordingly, we started expanding in this area. In the same year, we hosted one of the largest international academic non-sporting events: the FISU (The International University Sports Federation) Forum. It was a major success!

The number of internal tournaments (between degrees, faculties and residences) increased rapidly and the in-house project began to grow in shape and strength!

We also increased the number of human resources involved. Sónia Miranda, Edgar Pais, Pedro Gonçalves, Vera Pereira, Rui Baptista and, more recently, Liliana Serra, complete the list of excellent and enthusiastic professionals.

In 2006 we organized the European Universities Badminton Championship (EUSA) and started to expand what is now the ULness Academy. This facility is currently equipped with sports equipments and offers the most advanced technology, safety and comfort. It has 2 rooms, 2 studios, 2 massage, evaluation, and clinical appointment support offices, and large and comfortable locker rooms. It is a fantastic, fun and relaxing atmosphere!

Meanwhile, we have been bringing together and supporting more University teams, and we reached second place, quite comfortably, in the National University Ranking, among over 50 participating institutions.

The Ulness Academy was completed in 2010!

In 2011 we gave an interview to the FMUL Newsletter that would change everything, but now we must wait to tell the story (laughter).

Culture and Wellbeing became part of the project when the University statutes were rewritten, so the data is less “worthy”. However, we can mention the aesthetic services associated with the Academy, and the training workshops on massages, wines, and self-make-up, in addition to the support given to art exhibitions of University staff, partnerships with galleries and exhibition venues…

Newsletter – Building on the “time machine” again, and focusing above all, in competition terms, on the number of people practicing sports, the modalities covered and on other indicators that may be adequate to include, how do you characterize and evaluate the development of university sport, namely within the University of Lisbon?  

Luís Fernandes – The institutional representation project is ready to leap forward (not a civic jump ?), and we could well be talking of a revolution in terms of sport and of the actual image of the University.

We have a set of regulatory mechanisms that, together with current laws (which have never worked), are a major support to attract new students with a special tendency for high performance sport; student-athlete statute of the University of Lisbon, training and psychological support, sports merit scholarships for students who have excellent results and do well in their studies, etc.

The University of Lisbon has not taken much advantage of the fact that it is loved by many high-performance athletes. Its proximity to the Lisbon University Stadium (EUL), the support mechanisms described above and its location in the capital of our country, together with the excellence of the degrees it offers, constitute more than sufficient factors to enable it to take that leap forward.

Last March we had the visit of the Japanese Olympic Committee, which wanted to better understand our system to support the compatibility between studies and sports performance. They came not just because we are friendly!

Here is some data:

We belong to the two major European networks connected to University Sports: EAS-Network (The European Student Athlete) and ENAS (European Network of Academic Sport Services). With regard to our involvement with the former, we organized the annual conference in September 2009; as for the latter, we hold the vice-presidency and we want to organize the 2012 conference!

We involved 219 students in the competition project, participated in 23 University National Championships, got 67 medals, won 26 gold medals, and we have 18 teams representing the University of Lisbon. All this involves investment of around € 64,000.00 and this data is from 2010 alone.

Newsletter – Whether we consider, or not, concepts such as life satisfaction (or the sense of living a meaningful life), happiness and positive affectivity, we can see that the concept of wellbeing goes beyond competitive physical and mental activity, and, in particular, the usual notion that exercise is one of the pillars for a healthy body.
What is the NDCBE concept of wellbeing offered to the community of the University of Lisbon like? 

Luís Fernandes – Our “wellbeing” concept is quite broad and encompasses all areas, both in terms of their uniqueness and as social beings. We can further deepen the concept, as we believe it extends to physical, emotional and social wellbeing. Or, when applying it to our community, anything that facilitates access to a more positive and fulfilling life for our students, lecturers, non-teaching staff, and researchers.

Please note that our motto at the welfare services is: “We add + to your Academic Life”. In other words, we want to complement the experience of the degree by offering support mechanisms and enabling positive experiences.

To make this happen, we offer activities such as Mini-UL, which makes life easier for those who do not have the same holiday period as most schools with the first 3 cycles of basic education. These people can leave their children or grandchildren safely with us. We will do everything to ensure they have fun at our University!

Another example is the massage training sessions we offer throughout the year. We are sure that participants not only relax while practicing and learning the basics of each technique, but will also be able to convey these feelings to their dear ones!

Another interesting example is the massage sessions and the nutritional appointments. Both services are offered at affordable prices and with assured quality.

Learning to take pleasure in and appreciate a good wine is to improve our ability to enjoy simple and beautiful life pleasures. We always picture our wine course participants sitting in good company, by the fireplace or in the moonlight, sharing a good wine (Portuguese, of course) and impressing someone with a sensory description of the nectar of Bacchus!

Newsletter – How is culture part of the mission and objectives of the service the NDCBE provides to the University of Lisbon? 

Luís Fernandes – Culture is part of our objectives inasmuch as we see it as a form of supporting talents in our university. The idea behind it is to complement existing cultural programmes and activities, both at faculty and Rector’s office level.
We feel that there is a shortcoming with regard to the members of our university who have a special talent and few occasions to share it.
Although the project has not yet been laid down and developed, we believe it is necessary and interesting.
On the other hand, Culture has always been associated with Sports. Our Dance Group is a paradigmatic example. Is it Culture or Sports?

Newsletter – Through the Internet we can see that there is a remarkable offer of occasional sports events, workshops and an impressive number of regular activities, particularly at the ULness Academy.
However, many potential users that make up the community of the University of Lisbon could be led to thinking that these activities are meant for a very particular universe of recipients, that is, students only.
What message could we pass on to FMUL lecturers, researchers, alumni, and administrative staff so that they are aware that sport, culture and wellbeing are at their disposal so close to them? 

Luís Fernandes – Unfortunately, internal communication is a structural problem of our University that needs to be addressed urgently. We are all aware of it and are trying to deal with the matter.

Meanwhile, the NDCBE has created its own individual image that makes it easier to be identified, without resorting to new logos or banners.

In addition to the website, we communicate by means of a weekly newsletter sent to all who wish to receive information from NDCBE. We have created an institutional page on Facebook (the previous one exhausted the number of permitted friends – 5,000 – and we had to cancel it) and another page on Twitter. The placement of signs is always another communication strategy, but with the extra “noise” in this area we feel it is not efficient.

Despite our efforts to diversify the media used (apart from sports activities), we feel we are still well short of what can be done.

In the past, we have made a partnership with FMUL with exceptional prices for a limited experimental period. We have also arranged special activities for the employees of the faculty. These are good examples that we would like to extend to other faculties, but which do not depend solely on us.

We know we offer an exceptional service and that the majority of users come to us because someone recommended us, and we want to pursue this objective. However, it is essential that the various departments responsible for internal communication in each Organizational Unit continue to support us attaining this major goal. We know we can make a difference in the day-to-day lives of our employees, whether they are lecturers, non-academic staff, researchers, or even alumni!

Newsletter – What activities are available to the public at large, such as relatives or friends of users who, from an institutional stance, are the expected recipients of the services offered by the NDCBE of the University of Lisbon?  

Luís Fernandes – All events, i.e. non-regular or sporadic activities, are open to all. This includes walks, workshops, courses … there are over 50 possibilities throughout the year!

We decided to make the Academy programme available only to members of the University of Lisbon, our alumni and to members of other Higher Education Institutions (albeit with less attractive prices) so as not to cramp it for our community and not be considered “unfair competition” to other rooms or gyms.

Immediate relatives of our users (subscribers) may also benefit from exceptional conditions offered by the ULness Academy. This policy decision was taken to complement the wellbeing of our community.

 
Newsletter – How would you describe the performance of FMUL athletes when representing the University of Lisbon in competitions, and what is the level of support from this particular Faculty to the proposals offered by the NDCBE of the University of Lisbon?  

Luís Fernandes- It is probably not coincidental that in terms of percentage of faculty student enrolments, the Faculty of Medicine is the one with the highest number of students who are NDCBE users. They are probably the ones who best understand the Spartan idea mentioned earlier, or who manage time best, or feel the need to understand their own body better, or have more reasons to relax in an active and positive manner. We do not know, but it is a fact!

At competition level, medical students are also good examples. We have not only several students with student-athlete status, but they also represent the University of Lisbon at the highest level, earning medals and titles, and greatly contributing to the positive image of our University.

Another issue that may be related to all previous ones is that the Faculty and AEFML are active partners in promoting NDCBE and organizing several joint initiatives, in the fields of both culture and sport.

Newsletter – We leave with a final question with regard to the future. What are the plans, the planned activities and expectations, in terms of sport, of the NDCBE of the University of Lisbon that you may wish to disclose to our readers? 

Luís Fernandes – We want to continue to be the youngest, funniest and most efficient structure of the University of Lisbon. We remind ourselves of it every day and would like to have competitors to bring this idea to a higher level (laughter).

We also believe that sport can become a hallmark of the University of Lisbon, recruiting more high-performance athletes who may represent the University, and that the results can make the sporting image of the University more unique and cohesive, both internally and externally.