wfn.org | TCN: Flooded Aletheia University in Matou struggling to resume classes

["Taiwan Church News" <enews@pctpress.org>]

>      Taiwan Church News

>3001 Edition

>August 31~September 6, 2009

Flooded Aletheia University in Matou struggling to resume classes

>Reported by Chen Yi-ying

>Written by Lydia Ma

Aletheia University in Matou Campus, Tainan, was flooded by  Typhoon Morakot

on the weekend of August 8th. The university is an affiliated  organization of the

>Presbyterian Church in Taiwan.

Though most of the clean up in flooded areas of the campus have  come to an

end, equipment inside the university’s gymnasium and medical  labs, priced

collections in the library, sound equipments in several buildings,  and equipment

used for cooking classes, and more have been submerged in water.  School

authorities estimate that damages will exceed NT$23 million.

The first day of classes in the fall will be on September 21st.  Though most of the

campus has been cleaned up, the bill for subsequent replacements  and

purchases of various equipments have greatly exceeded the  university’s

expectations. Furthermore, because of new restrictions imposed by  the Ministry

of Education to eliminate the bottom 5% of applicants, the number  of new

students entering the school this year has shrunk to merely 210  students. This

restriction and unexpected damages brought by the typhoon have  increased

challenges faced by university administrators to balance the  university’s budget.

In view of these challenges before them, university leaders  visited Presbyterian

Church in Taiwan General Secretary Andrew Chang to give him a  report on the

university’s clean-up progress and financial situation.  University leaders are also

urging local churches to pray, reach out, and financially support  Aletheia

>University in Matou.

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