Initiative encourages employee use of Kress fitness/recreation facilities
UW-Green Bay employees will enjoy the fitness facilities at the University’s Kress Center at no charge during low-demand hours as part of a wellness initiative announced today (Monday, Aug. 6) by Chancellor Tom Harden.
The offer begins Monday, Aug. 27, and continues throughout the 2012-13 academic year.
“I am very pleased that we are able to promote use of the facility by our faculty and staff,” Harden said. “The Kress is a terrific resource for the entire campus community. To make it a centerpiece of our enhanced employee wellness program is something we’ve been exploring for some time.”
Faculty and staff members will be allowed to use the Kress at no charge during selected hours when use of the facility by its primary stakeholders, UW-Green Bay students, tends to be lowest.
During the spring and fall semesters, the wellness program will provide access from 6:30 a.m. until 2 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and again after 8 p.m. those days, as well as any time Friday, Saturday or Sunday and during summer and semester breaks.
During the semesters’ peak student-use hours of 2 to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, however, only faculty and staff members purchasing an unrestricted membership ($100 for the year or $60 per semester) will be permitted to use the fitness and recreation facilities.
Jeff Krueger, director of operations for the Kress, doesn’t expect a flood of new users, but he says the wellness initiative — coupled with the University-run facility’s convenient location — could entice a few more faculty and staff members to fit a short workout, or several, into their weekly routines.
Krueger says he expects the pool, fitness center and perhaps the noon-hour group exercise classes to draw the most interest among the center’s many, varied offerings.
UW-Green Bay students are allowed use of the center at no charge — a policy in place since the Kress opened in late 2007 — because their activity fees help underwrite the facility and its programming.
Krueger said he and his staff have a good understanding of the peak facility usage times throughout the year. He’s confident the capacity exists to meet demand from additional users during the identified times.
The agreement to extend complimentary use to employees was endorsed by the Kress Events Center Advisory Committee made up of students, a faculty/staff representative and a community member; presented to and supported by UW-Green Bay’s Student Government Association; and given final approval by Chancellor Harden.
Employees with questions about details of the program are encouraged to visit the Kress Center front desk or contact Krueger at KruegerJ@uwgb.edu.
