Hualien University Struggles To Draw Students After Earthquake and Fire

TaiwanPlus News

National Dong Hwa University in Hualien County suffered major damage and a chemical fire after April's 7.2-magnitude earthquake. Six months later, as the school year begins, the school has struggled to fill its enrolment goals.

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00:00Physics professor Guo Yonggang hasn't been able to work out of his research lab in National

00:10Donghua University for the last six months.

00:13It was damaged in a massive earthquake that struck this part of eastern Taiwan, and his

00:18new lab has yet to be built.

00:20Heartbroken.

00:21What can I say?

00:26I spent more than 26 years in this lab and all the equipment, and I just built out this

00:35lab.

00:42One of the top academic and research institutions in Taiwan, Donghua University was near the

00:47epicenter of the 7.2 quake that rocked the eastern part of the country in April, the

00:52strongest in 25 years.

00:54It killed at least 18 people, and caused widespread damage across the region, including

01:00to Donghua's chemistry building, now marked for demolition after a fire broke out, leaving

01:04it unusable.

01:06With the school year just starting, officials here are confident the remaining buildings

01:10are structurally sound, but they have other concerns.

01:14One of the biggest draws for students to this university is its open spaces and natural

01:18beauty.

01:19Now the school says that its university is safe, but that meeting its enrollment goals

01:24for new students after the earthquake has been a challenge.

01:27The central government is chipping in for the school's repairs, including earthquake-resistant

01:32upgrades, theoretically making the school even safer than before.

01:36Not a single person on campus was sent to the hospital because of the earthquake in

01:40April, but since then, the school is 97 students short of a full freshman class this year.

01:47This year we got 97, 97 is really very painful, okay, it's pain now.

01:55You got a kind of feeling that you get hurt.

01:59Actually we are talking about education, we are not supposed to talk about money, right?

02:04We need to debt the future students, no debt, don't worry about it, just come to this university.

02:12Current students seem convinced of the school's physical safety, but that may not be the only

02:16issue.

02:41In spite of the uncertainties, few of the students and faculty here have any plans to

02:45leave.

02:46The repairs underway are expected to take another three to five years to complete.

02:51Like the rest of Hualien County, the university is on a path to recovery, and hoping for fewer

02:57bumps ahead.

02:58Joseph Wu, Alec McDonald, and Chris Gorin for Taiwan Plus.

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