Since early September, a story of sexual harassment against staff and students at University College Dublin, characterised by the alleged lack of action taken by the university to address complaints, has been unraveling across social and mainstream media. Dr Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháin, a lecturer in STEM at UCD and considered one of Ireland’s best known…

As third level colleges prepare to resume despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the experience of incoming students is one of learning to live with the virus rather than waiting for life without it. After months of uncertainty surrounding the cancellation of the Leaving Certificate, and it’s replacement with a calculated grading system which delivered the highest…

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…

In the attempt to flatten a growing curve of new coronavirus cases, the government has requested that all higher education institutions will operate under Level 3 of the phased health plan for at least 2 weeks. UCC was set to reopen through a model of blended learning and strict adherence to health guidelines on Monday…

The Irish government requested on September 25th that all university lectures should be delivered online for the next 2-3 weeks moving third-level institutions to Level 3 of the Covid-19 alert framework, commencing at midnight. The Irish Universities Association released a statement detailing measures that universities across the country will put into place in light of…

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,…

Decisions to be made around accommodation are compounding the stress and uncertainty of the upcoming term for students across the country. A blended learning model means that the number of times a student is on campus for lectures, as opposed to online, may only be a couple per month, decreasing the need to find housing…