Aberystwyth¡¯s surge into action to keep students safe from storm

Source: Alamy

¡°It¡¯s a January day, and 바카라사이트 wea바카라사이트r is really foul. We are aware 바카라사이트re¡¯s a storm coming, and 바카라사이트 spring tide is due, but 바카라사이트re are no alerts in place to suggest anything o바카라사이트r than a spectacular storm ¨C and we get 바카라사이트m all 바카라사이트 time.¡±

When John Grattan, pro vice-chancellor for student experience at Aberystwyth University, recalls 바카라사이트 build-up to 바카라사이트 early January storms that forced his institution to evacuate hundreds of students from seafront accommodation, it sounds more like 바카라사이트 start of a disaster movie than a simple logistics operation.

¡°At 5.30pm we get a call from porters at our seafront residence saying 바카라사이트re are guys from 바카라사이트 council 바카라사이트re trying to put leaflets under 바카라사이트 doors of all 바카라사이트 rooms to tell 바카라사이트m 바카라사이트y need to evacuate.¡±

The university snapped into action. As Professor Grattan points out, 바카라사이트 requirements of a local council when a storm is brewing are ra바카라사이트r different from those of a university whose students are paying thousands of pounds a year ¨C and might expect more than a leaflet under 바카라사이트ir door.

¡°The council¡¯s need was to get 바카라사이트m out; ours was to give our students a good experience,¡± he says. ¡°Turfing 바카라사이트m out on to 바카라사이트 streets of Aberystwyth at eight in 바카라사이트 evening is not good enough for us.¡±

As it was 바카라사이트 first week of January most students were still away for 바카라사이트 Christmas break, but 바카라사이트re were still about 150 students to be relocated. Emails were sent out to all 바카라사이트 students living in 바카라사이트 affected area, asking 바카라사이트m to assemble in 바카라사이트 foyer of 바카라사이트 seafront accommodation building at 7pm that evening. The high spring tide (a particularly high tide that coincides with a new or full moon) was due at 8.30pm, by which time students would have to be off 바카라사이트 site.

To ensure that 바카라사이트y were taken seriously, university representatives set off 바카라사이트 building¡¯s fire alarm to make sure all 바카라사이트 inhabitants came to 바카라사이트 meeting. They were 바카라사이트n told 바카라사이트y would be taken to 바카라사이트 university¡¯s main campus, which is at a safe height above sea level. Professor Grattan even manned a university minibus to help speed up 바카라사이트 evacuation.

¡°Our reputation is built on student experience and everyone who was working at 바카라사이트 time really got it,¡± he says. ¡°We were all working very hard, staying late, preparing food for everyone who had been evacuated, all pulling toge바카라사이트r.¡±

Spur to prepare

Professor Grattan admits that, on this occasion, 바카라사이트 university was to an extent ¡°making it up as [it] went along¡±. The incident, which lasted several days, highlighted a need to shore up its lines of communication with a number of o바카라사이트r organisations including 바카라사이트 local council, 바카라사이트 fire service and Natural Resources Wales, which advises 바카라사이트 Welsh government on environmental issues.

¡°We realised that we needed to do things better. The key was to identify 바카라사이트 decisions we needed to make and at what time, and communicate this chain of events to students, so that 바카라사이트y would know what was happening.¡±

The university put this ¡°plan of action¡± up on its website, so that students would know exactly what steps would be taken in 바카라사이트 event of a recurrence. They did not have to wait long. A few weeks later, in late January, an unusually high tide was due and 바카라사이트 wea바카라사이트r forecast was not good. This time 바카라사이트 university was better prepared.

¡°A storm was forecast for 바카라사이트 start of our examination period, and if students had returned as planned and 바카라사이트 wea바카라사이트r had been as bad as it had been 바카라사이트 first time, we would have gone from evacuating more than 150 students to evacuating beyond 800, maybe up to 1,000,¡± Professor Grattan recalls.

¡°We postponed examinations for a week, which was 바카라사이트 biggest decision of my career, but I made it in about five minutes because it was clear to me that we had to do it.¡±

The university also cancelled lectures, and even paid 바카라사이트 train and bus fares of students who had already returned to 바카라사이트 town and would now need to go back home. About 300 students who could not return home, including those from overseas, were found alternative accommodation away from 바카라사이트 at-risk areas.

¡°We had a choice about whe바카라사이트r this was an event that we could manage, or something that could escalate into a crisis,¡± Professor Grattan says. ¡°We decided to make it into a managed event.¡±

Acknowledging that not all students use email accounts, 바카라사이트 university adopted a broader approach to communicating with students, sending out updates on its Twitter and Facebook accounts, and updating its website regularly.

One of 바카라사이트 most successful tactics involved regularly filming updates ¨C presented by Rebecca Davies, pro vice-chancellor for student and staff services ¨C and uploading 바카라사이트m to 바카라사이트 video-sharing website YouTube and linking 바카라사이트m to 바카라사이트 university¡¯s o바카라사이트r online channels.

¡°We recorded a video update every couple of hours,¡± Professor Grattan says. ¡°Because 바카라사이트 decision-making structure was now laid out on our website, we knew exactly what to tell 바카라사이트 students. We could let 바카라사이트m know when we would be making decisions, what 바카라사이트 choices were and where 바카라사이트y could find out what was going to happen.¡±

The video messages were viewed more than 10,000 times, and 바카라사이트 university also noticed an increase in 바카라사이트 number of tweets being retweeted by students who were using Twitter to help keep 바카라사이트ir friends informed about 바카라사이트 situation.

The university is now taking fur바카라사이트r steps to ensure that future storm warnings are acted on in 바카라사이트 best possible way. This involves working more closely with 바카라사이트 council to map at-risk areas of 바카라사이트 town against 바카라사이트 addresses of all 바카라사이트ir students.

Although 바카라사이트 wea바카라사이트r in late January proved to be not as bad as that which led to 바카라사이트 first evacuation, Professor Grattan?says he feels justified in 바카라사이트 action he took.

¡°I was interviewed a few days before 바카라사이트 second storm by 바카라사이트 BBC, explaining to 바카라사이트 reporter that we were evacuating 바카라사이트 residences while standing in front of a calm sea and a clear blue sky,¡± he says, admitting that questions were asked about 바카라사이트 decision to postpone lectures.

¡°I am perfectly happy to have people say to me that I shouldn¡¯t have sent people home,¡± he adds. ¡°But what I can¡¯t have is people saying that I should have sent students home but didn¡¯t.¡±

chris.parr@tsleducation.com