“The university said the decision was made now to give staff and students time to adjust to the change. University College Cork has announced it will use online assessments for its 2019/2020 end of semester examinations in light of the recent Covid-19 outbreak …” (more)
[Alan Loughnane, Joe.ie, 18 March]
“DCU’s Chief Operations Officer (COO) has confirmed that DCU will not reopen and all teaching will continue to be done online. In a statement, COO Declan Raftery said: ‘Following the statement by An Taoiseach on St Patrick’s night, it is clear that we will not be in a position to resume “normal” on-campus activities this semester’ …” (more)
[Tadgh McNally, The College View, 18 March]
“One of Ireland’s largest student landlord firms has refused rent refunds to students who have chosen to go home during the Covid-19 crisis. Student leaders at University College Cork (UCC) urged Uninest, which operates two large student residences in Cork, as well as complexes in Dublin and around Europe, to show compassion during the unprecedented global public health crisis …” (more)
[Eoin English, BreakingNews.ie, 18 March]
“University College Cork (UCC) has confirmed its second case of Covid-19. Students were informed via email that a student has contracted the virus and contact tracing is underway. They did not specify the department the student was in. They said anyone deemed to have had close contact with the student is being contacted directly by HSE Public Health and people do not need to make contact with them …” (more)
[BreakingNews.ie, 18 March]
“Objectors to a student development in Cork city have said they would be like ‘goldfish in a bowl’ for the occupiers of multiples of apartments should it get the go-ahead. One third-party appeal has been lodged with An Bord Pleanala against the proposed 154-bed development on the former Kelleher’s Tyres Service Centre on Victoria Cross Road …” (more)
[Sarah O’Dwyer, EchoLive, 18 March]
“Students at DCU accommodation blocks will not be asked to leave during the coronavirus outbreak. They are distributing a questionnaire to everyone staying there for health and safety reasons …” (more)
[BreakingNews.ie, 18 March]
“From today, buildings in UCD will operate using ‘out-of-hours’ protocols, in a move that is set to severely restrict movement on campus. The protocol requires staff and students to request permission from their school, in order to enter a building. The new protocols are expected to dramatically reduce staff and student access on campus, in an effort to contain the spread of the COVID-19 virus …” (more)
[Conor Capplis, College Tribune, 18 March]
“There are calls for the Leaving Cert and college exams to be deferred until the autumn because of the coronavirus. Schools and colleges are shut until the end of the month for now to contain the spread of the infection. Peter Finnegan from the Teaching Council of Ireland thinks the Leaving Cert and other exams should be postponed until September …” (more)
[BreakingNews.ie, 18 March]
“The DCUSU elect have strongly criticised the recent decision taken by the DCU management to increase the cost of on-campus accommodation calling the decision disgraceful and unfair for the students they will represent. DCU aim to increase rents for its on-campus student accommodation by 4% next year, the maximum increase permitted under rent cap laws …” (more)
[Conor Breslin, The College View, 18 March]
“I’m indebted to colleagues from Maynooth University Special Collections & Archives for sending out the following bit of history. It is now over 100 years ago the 1918 “Spanish ‘flu’ influenza pandemic came to Maynooth College …” (more)
[In the Dark, 18 March]
“Studenrs who’ve been told to vacate their student accommodation at Trinity College Dublin will be refunded for the period they don’t actually stay there. That is according to university Provost Patrick Prendergast who yesterday responded to a set of queries by Sinn Féin’s Housing Spokesperson Eoin Ó Broin …” (more)
[Sean Murray, TheJournal.ie, 18 March]
“Universities in their modern, globalised, massified, form have emerged amid the general belief that the world is a safe place. Being predictable and safe meant that the only thing to worry about was gaining certificates, skills, jobs and a place to live. Coronavirus has quickly changed this reality …” (more)
[Mark Johnson, Wonkhe, 18 March]
“DCU campus accommodation may be made available to the HSE on an emergency basis if the COVID-19 pandemic worsens. Residents living across the three DCU campuses received an email this evening informing them that emergency response procedures have been put in place that may include making some accommodation blocks available to the HSE at short notice …” (more)
[Áine O’Boyle, The College View, 17 March]
“Agent Knight Frank is guiding a price of €1.3 million for a well-located infill redevelopment opportunity in Dublin 7. The subject site at 168-169 Phibsborough Road extends to 0.21 acres, and comprises two two-storey, mixed-use terraced buildings. There is a warehouse building and yard to the rear of the site with access provided via a gated laneway under part of No 168 Phibsborough Road …” (more)
[Ronald Quinlan, Irish Times, 18 March]
“Controversy erupted in Trinity last night, when the College told all students living in its accommodation that they had 24 or 48 hours (depending on if you’re Irish or international) to clear out of their accommodation …” (more)
[Donal MacNamee, Emer Moreau and Cormac Watson, University Times, 17 March]
“Irish universities and colleges are now being recruited by the Government to help in the desperate battle against Covid-19. Experienced medical staff and laboratory technicians are crucial as Ireland’s healthcare system battles to contain the spread of the virus …” (more)
[Ralph Riegel, Herald, 18 March]
“Councillors have accused UCC of using students as ‘cash cows’ and described plans to seek rent hikes in five of their campus-owned student accommodation block as ‘disgraceful and appalling.’ North Cork-based Cllr William O’Leary (FF), who raised a motion at a meeting of the local authority this week, called on the governing body of UCC to implement a fixed term rent freeze on the campus owned student accommodation …” (more)
[Kieran O’Mahony, The Southern Star, 17 March]
“Interim Vice-Chancellor Professor Paul Bartholomew informed staff and students across Ulster University, that it continues ‘at pace’ in its work to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. The health and wellbeing of staff and students remains the university’s primary focus and with that in mind, a number of decisions have been taken …” (more)
[Derry Now, 17 March]
“Queen’s University Belfast has enacted a partial shut down of its campus in response to the coronavirus pandemic, in a decision taken by the university’s Major Incident Team. The closure of the university comes ahead of any official advice from the UK government for schools and colleges to close, although the UK government has said that it is likely to take that measure at some point in the near future …” (more)
[Finn Purdy, Trinity News, 17 March]
“Residents of Trinity accommodation on clinical placement will be permitted to stay in their accommodation, following College’s instruction that all students living in college accommodation must leave this week except those in exceptional circumstances …” (more)
[Aisling Grace, Trinity News, 17 March]
