Level 5 restrictions, part of the Government’s ‘Living With Covid Plan’ took effect in the Republic of Ireland on Wednesday, October 21st 2020. With many businesses closing and people asked to only travel within 5 kilometres from their homes, only leaving for exercise and the provision of essential goods. Simon Harris, Minister for Higher Education,…

For most students, their lecture timetable will be unaffected by the Government’s recent escalation to Level 5 restrictions as part of their ‘Living with Covid’ plan. This is due to the fact that Universities and other third level institutes have been operating under Level 3⁠—lectures hosted primarily online⁠—since the beginning of term. As previously reported…

Even though campaigns, collaborations and campus activity bear virtually no resemblance this academic year to previous years’, this does not mean they are not occurring, or are anyway weakened by the shift to an online platform. In accordance with the Government’s public health advice, all activity pertaining to third level institutions are occurring in a…

Due to the Government’s implementation of Level-3 regulations for the entire country, it is now evident that universities, including UCC, will remain operating on a virtual level for the foreseeable future. UCC was already acting in accordance with Government directions, stating that lectures were to be ‘delivered online to the maximum extent possible.’ This directive…

Freshers’ Week 2020 was nearly unrecognisable from previous years. The new cohort of students were welcomed to UCC in a virtual manner, in accordance with public health advice. However, as with every aspect of society, there were a minority of students that did not adhere to the current Government regulations relating to Covid-19 and the…

A UCC Lecturer and terrorism expert, Natasha Dromey, has stated that the Government needs to respond “rapidly” to right-wing style violence or else there is a “significant risk” of seeing that type of behaviour becoming “normalised.” Dr Dromey was commenting to the Irish Examiner about a violent disruption outside the Dáil recently when a group…

As calculated grades were released by the Department of Education, offers from the Central Applications Office (CAO) were made on Friday September 11th 2020. There was a mixed reaction to these results and subsequent offers, which was exacerbated by a media frenzy, as it was the first ever year of the ‘calculated grades’ process. In…

Jamie Fraser, Welfare Officer for UCC Students’ Union (UCCSU), released a statement on September 14th 2020 explaining the background to an ongoing dispute between the Students’ Union and Hatch Accommodation services. Mr Fraser explained the situation through that statement, namely that he was seeking a refund for students who had to vacate their residence as…

Covid-19 has posed a range of challenges to each individual person, but it is imperative that we recognise the immense challenge the pandemic has placed on our mental health. In response to this, UCC Students’ Union (UCCSU) have recognised the importance of reaching out in a new highly digitalised world, and thus have launched a…

Minister for Education, Norma Foley, confirmed last week that third-level colleges can charge full fees, even in blended learning scenarios that include severe restrictions when accessing campus. This led to backlash from members of the opposition, as well as students and the general public. It was also noted that Minister for Higher Education, Simon Harris,…