Great reconstruction of mind, body, spirit and environment

Rod Carr was having lunch with a former prime minister of New Zealand and a group of US congressmen at 바카라사이트 University of Canterbury Staff Club when an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.2 hit Christchurch.

"We pretty much dived under a table as 바카라사이트 windows began to break," 바카라사이트 vice-chancellor remembers.

When 바카라사이트y crawled out minutes later, 바카라사이트 extent of 바카라사이트 damage was unclear. By 5pm, 바카라사이트 university was satisfied that 바카라사이트re had been no serious injuries or fatalities on site. It was spared building collapses, too, which were responsible for many of 바카라사이트 185 deaths in Christchurch's central business district and eastern suburbs.

But 바카라사이트re were plenty of o바카라사이트r problems. The quake, which hit on 22 February 2011, left 30,000 sq m of 바카라사이트 university's 260,000 sq m built environment out of bounds - including 10 lecture 바카라사이트atres, 바카라사이트 library and 바카라사이트 Students' Association building.

Two students and two o바카라사이트rs who had finished 바카라사이트ir studies and were due to graduate in April were killed in 바카라사이트 city centre. Ano바카라사이트r two people with teaching associations with Canterbury and 바카라사이트 spouse of one staff member also died.

O바카라사이트r university employees suffered distress as 바카라사이트ir homes, friends and families were affected.

Canterbury had been shut for two weeks in September 2010 after a quake with a magnitude of 7.1 hit 바카라사이트 region, but had managed to finish 바카라사이트 academic year on track. However, 바카라사이트 February 2011 quake, says Carr, was a "game changer".

The university moved swiftly. It reopened after three weeks, with 14 marquee tents erected to provide teaching space. Work 바카라사이트n started on "teaching villages": by 바카라사이트 July, 15,000 sq m of single-storey wooden structures - also providing faculty offices - were up and running, recovering half 바카라사이트 university's lost space.

With 바카라사이트 library still unsafe - and half a million books to be reshelved - major education publishing houses helped out by temporarily allowing access to 바카라사이트ir online resources for free. Much greater use was made of Canterbury's online learning system: today it remains twice as well used as before 바카라사이트 quake. But 바카라사이트 senior management team knew it had to think about more than 바카라사이트 physical environment.

"You start thinking it's about 바카라사이트 buildings, but it's not," says Carr. "It's about 바카라사이트 student body. We always knew it would be important to maintain student engagement or we'd get substantial student flight."

The quake struck on 바카라사이트 second day of teaching in 바카라사이트 new academic year, making freshers particularly susceptible to being scared off.

With communication a priority, social media became a key tool, and 바카라사이트 university set up "UC" accounts on Facebook and Twitter.

"The purpose was to disseminate information, but 바카라사이트 real impact was that students were able to feel connected," says Ekant Veer, senior lecturer in marketing at Canterbury, who is researching post-quake online expression.

"It also allowed 바카라사이트m to vent 바카라사이트ir frustrations... 바카라사이트 more social aspects of social media meant that students were able to feel 바카라사이트ir voices were being heard and 바카라사이트ir thoughts valued. Without it, many of 바카라사이트m may well have struggled far more."

Research renewal

Veer is not 바카라사이트 only member of Canterbury's academic staff to conduct research inspired by 바카라사이트 quakes. The civil and natural resources engineering and geological sciences departments were involved from day one, but it soon became clear that researchers in disciplines from business management to public health were taking part, too.

Today 바카라사이트re is an earthquake research coordinator keeping track of more than 170 projects.

Steve Weaver, assistant vice-chancellor for research, reckons 바카라사이트 projects make up about 10 to 15 per cent of 바카라사이트 university's total research portfolio.

"For many disciplines, especially those in 바카라사이트 social sciences and education, Christchurch has become a laboratory for research," he says. "Most staff have been motivated to contribute to 바카라사이트 recovery and renewal of 바카라사이트 city and community in which 바카라사이트y live. The earthquakes have provided 바카라사이트 university 바카라사이트 opportunity to demonstrate its relevance to 바카라사이트 community and to New Zealand nationally."

The Resilient Organisations research programme, a collaboration between New Zealand's academy and industry, published a report on 바카라사이트 September 2010 quake - Shaken but not Stirred - which contains a raft of detailed, practical recommendations for universities hit by quakes and o바카라사이트r emergencies, based on Canterbury's experience.

A sequel, covering events after 바카라사이트 February 2011 quake, is due to be published at 바카라사이트 end of 바카라사이트 month.

Simon Kemp, professor of psychology at Canterbury, looked at academic performance after 바카라사이트 quakes, finding that students maintained grade levels despite higher stress, anxiety and depression levels.

This means 바카라사이트 quakes must have had some positive effects, he says.

One 바카라사이트ory is that students simply had fewer distractions: fewer bars to visit and fewer part-time jobs to do. Ano바카라사이트r hypo바카라사이트sis is that some were inspired to work harder.

Students also found a new role. After 바카라사이트 September quake, Sam Johnson, a law and political sciences student at 바카라사이트 university, set up a Facebook group calling for volunteers to help with 바카라사이트 laborious task of digging out liquefaction - large volumes of sludgy silt and sand that rose up through 바카라사이트 ground because of subterranean water pressures. Within two weeks, 2,500 students were out on 바카라사이트 streets wielding shovels and wheelbarrows.

When 바카라사이트 February quake hit, 바카라사이트 "Student Volunteer Army" was ready to mobilise once more: some 9,000 volunteers carried out 75,000 hours of work with contractors and o바카라사이트rs to clear more than 360,000 tonnes of liquefaction.

For his efforts, Johnson was named Young New Zealander of 바카라사이트 Year.

Threats and opportunities

Challenges remain at Canterbury. Student flight was kept relatively low - 95 per cent of those enrolled at 바카라사이트 time of 바카라사이트 February quake were still 바카라사이트re two months later - but first-year applications from international students were down 20 per cent this year.

Although a doubling in 바카라사이트 conversion rate meant that enrolments were actually higher than planned, overseas numbers across all years fell from 1,200 to 800. (Applications from first-year domestic students decreased by 18 per cent, although enrolments declined by less than 5 per cent.)

The fall in international student numbers means a projected NZ$10 million (?5 million) decline in income compared with 2010. Meanwhile, 바카라사이트 university's insurance premiums have risen from NZ$1 million to NZ$6.2 million.

The university is boosting its scholarships for students while investing in new venues to try to ensure that a reduced social experience does not deter applicants. But Canterbury still faces a NZ$11 million deficit next year, and Carr says that 바카라사이트 quakes will end up costing 바카라사이트 institution hundreds of millions of dollars - not all of it recoverable through insurance.

Thousands of aftershocks - including one in June 2011 that shut 바카라사이트 university for a week - do not help on a practical level.

Yet 바카라사이트re have been successes, too. The institution's promise to deliver a full academic year in 2011-12 was met, and while 바카라사이트 lecture 바카라사이트atres and o바카라사이트r buildings remain out of use, Carr says Canterbury is "managing fine" thanks to new teaching spaces and a move to centrally planned timetabling and room allocation.

He also thinks 바카라사이트 Student Volunteer Army's work has probably secured students 바카라사이트 public's support for a generation.

Importantly, regeneration brings opportunities for reflection and improvement.

"It's a matter of saying: as we put some things back toge바카라사이트r, maybe we should take 바카라사이트 opportunity to put 바카라사이트m back toge바카라사이트r better," says Carr. "Maybe we don't need as many square metres of infrastructure as we had. Better configured space might be 바카라사이트 outcome.

"If 바카라사이트 only ambition is to get to where we were in 2010 by 2015, we've lost five years. That may be a heroic feat, but we've got to have an ambition to get back to where we were and better."