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Back Issues: Concourse the pulse of uni life at Massey

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Description: Local historians weekly "Back Issues" article in the Manawatū Standard. The history and significance of the concourse, the central pedestrian thoroughfare at Massey University Palmerston North campus.

This article was inadvertently not published completely in hard copy print. Additional text concluding the article was published online on the Stuff news website and is reprinted here:

(The university community has though) "faced its fair share of challenges, including grappling with the impact of the Voluntary Student membership (VSM) bill passed in 2011.
Additionally, the Covid-19 pandemic has significantly affected student life on campus. The concourse, once bustling with activity, experienced periods of emptiness as lockdowns and restrictions disrupted the usual flow of university life.
The post-pandemic slump in student enrolments has led to the concourse and campus appearing much emptier than before.
The university's students and staff have adapted with resilience, finding creative ways to maintain a sense of community and connection despite the challenges.
With hope, as student numbers start to increase, the campus that was initially conceived to cater for around 10,000 students, and its concourse, will start humming with life again.
Louis Changuion is the archivist at Massey University"