“Sinn Féin housing spokesperson Eoin Ó Broin has blasted the government for its handling of student accommodation refunds amid the coronavirus, criticising a ‘very disappointing’ response from Minister for Higher Education Mary Mitchell O’Connor …” (more)
[Danielle Varley, University Times, 6 April]
“The graduation of 190 medical students from NUIG has been fast-tracked to ensure more doctors are available to work during the Covid-19 pandemic. NUI Galway’s 2020 graduation event, which was held online for the first time, took place on Monday morning through a Facebook live event. The students’ final year exams had previously been brought forward to enable them to enter the healthcare workforce without delay …” (more)
[Sorcha Pollak, Irish Times, 6 April]
“Sinn Féin Housing spokesperson Eoin Ó Broin has described the response from the Minister of State for Higher Education on the issue of student accommodation refunds as ‘very disappointing’. Deputy Ó Broin said …” (more)
[Sinn Féin, 6 April]
“Construction collapsed at record speed to its lowest level in 11 years as Covid-19 restrictions halted building across the Republic last month, the latest figures show. Work on big projects – including the National Children’s Hospital, Grangegorman Technological University Campus, new roads such as the Macroom-Ballyvourney route in Co Cork – and house-building stalled across the Republic last week, hitting up to 30,000 jobs …” (more)
[Barry O’Halloran, Irish Times, 6 April]
“The UK higher education sector is ‘looking over the edge into a very significant financial abyss’, said University of Exeter vice chancellor Steve Smith at a UUKi event recently …” (more)
[Debbie McVitty, Wonkhe, 5 April]
“Clare’s Fine Gael TD insists students at the University of Limerick cannot be left out of pocket with accommodation bills due to the coronavirus. UL’s governing body is to consider issuing partial refunds to students, following the example of other colleges including University College Cork, after being shut down due to the virus pandemic …” (more)
[Clare FM, 5 April]
“Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) has been in high demand in Ireland due to the recent coronavirus pandemic. Researchers and engineers from the DCU School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering and I-Form, the Science Foundation of Ireland (SFI) Research Centre for Advanced Manufacturing at DCU have already produced goggles and facemasks for frontline medical staff …” (more)
[Róisín Phelan, The College View, 4 April]
“The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) have called for students to be refunded for any accommodation they can not use during the current pandemic. DCU will not reopen for the remainder of the semester and so a majority of students have been forced to move back to their family homes indefinitely amid the current pandemic …” (more)
[Róisín Phelan, The College View, 4 April]
“Cavan Monaghan Sinn Féin TD, Matt Carthy, has called for government intervention to ensure that students who have left rented accommodation due to the Covid-19 emergency receive refunds from the landlords in respect of time not spent in that accommodation …” (more)
[Sinn Féin, 4 April]
“In January, the Trinity’s Health Promotion Officer visited Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) Council to present a proposal which had been circling: the idea of expanding Trinity’s tobacco-free campus to Trinity Hall. The presentation was informal, and designed as an effort to seek feedback from students on whether they would support or reject the idea …” (more)
[Darragh McDonagh, Trinity News, 3 April]
“There have been claims that student nurses who are on placement are not being paid for their work. Last week Health Minister Simon Harris announced that student nurses would be paid for their efforts at tackling Covid-19. In light of the claims, Aontu leader, Peadar Toibin, has called for the immediate reopening of the written question facility for TDs …” (more)
[EchoLive, 4 April]
“University of Limerick has come under immense pressure from students, parents and politicians alike to refund accommodation fees to its students who vacated the campus due to Covid-19. Students who have returned home have been told they can claim back deposits they paid at the beginning of the year, but will not be refunded rent that covers the rest of the semester …” (more)
[Rebecca Laffan, Limerick Leader, 4 April]
“Trinity’s TSM (Two Subject Moderatorship) office appeared to cast doubt over the possibility of foreign exchange programmes going ahead next year due to the coronavirus pandemic in an email circulated to all TSM Erasmus and Non-EU Exchange candidates in their Senior Fresh year …” (more)
[Madalyn Williams, Trinity News, 3 April]
“Sir, – As nurses, we are writing to express our admiration of and gratitude to the country’s student nurses. It takes courage and dedication to step up and support the country in a time of crisis and student nurses are demonstrating great leadership and bravery in these challenging times …” (more)
[Catherine Clune Mulvaney and Catherine O’Neill, Irish Times, 4 April]
“A COVID-19 Tracing Contact Centre has recently began operating in UCD, this centre is the first of its kind outside of the HSE. The centre was set up by Prof Mary Codd and Dr Patrick Wall of the UCD School of Public Health and operates to provide test results, information and advice to people who have had positive COVID-19 tests …” (more)
[Adam O’Sullivan, College Tribune, 3 April]
“When University of Limerick president Dr Des Fitzgerald said in March that its grounds could be used for a field hospital, many thought he was being alarmist. However, the words of the cardiologist and former Professor of Molecular Medicine at UCD have come to pass …” (more)
[Donal O’Regan, Limerick Leader, 3 April]
“UCC are investigating after some online posts were made targeting a number of female students. A probe has been launched after over 20 women had their pictures posted on an Instagram account which appeared to run a competition where viewers could rate them based on their looks …” (more)
[Gavin O’Callaghan, CorkBeo, 3 April]
“Staff at Galway Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT) have started work as volunteers at a newly-established contact tracing centre at their Galway campus. Over 80 volunteers are supporting the national effort against Covid-19 after getting training from HSE public health workers over the last two weeks …” (more)
[Fórsa, 3 April]
“NUI Galway is to hold two virtual conferring ceremonies for more than 300 medical graduates and their families. The university took the decision to bring the final year medical examinations and graduation forward to ensure that the medical graduates would be available to enter the healthcare workforce …” (more)
[Conall Ó Fátharta, Irish Examiner, 3 April]
“Students that are currently renting properties from Aparto student accommodation in Montrose have been told they are not in a position to receive a refund. Despite many students having to return to family homes both in Ireland and abroad, Aparto maintain their accommodation is ‘still safe’ …” (more)
[Luke Murphy, College Tribune, 3 April]
