“A recent survey conducted by NUI Galway found that over a third of students have experienced some form of depression and anxiety over the past year. Feelings of disconnection and isolation were widespread among the 5,000 surveyed …” (more)
[RTÉ News, 7 May]
“With both the academic year and the harshest level of government restrictions drawing to a close, the past year for many third-level students’ is morphing into a beautiful, sepia-toned montage of their time in higher education. From losing your perception of time as you stare blankly at a computer screen, meandering the journey from library-booked seat to library-booked seat, to the simple joy of sipping a flat pint in sub-zero temperatures, this academic year will be one us students may struggle to forget …” (more)
[Faye Curran, University Times, 6 May]
“On Monday May 3rd, students woke up to yet another slanderous headline. A national newspaper insinuated that students are exposing a ‘loophole’ in the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) scheme …” (more)
[Luke Murphy, College Tribune, 5 May]
“University student Aoife Corcoran feels the pandemic stopped her from saying ‘goodbye’ to school and starting college life, despite being almost a year into university …” (more)
[Laura Lynott, Independent, 4 May]
“I teach sociology at Maynooth University which means I used to spend most of my waking hours surrounded by 18- to 22-year-olds, not to mention a good number of mature students. During the pandemic, I have heard people saying that third-level students, like mine, are impatient, demanding, materialistic, selfish and above all they are the ‘snowflake’ generation – fragile and lacking in resilience. They have no backbone or strength. To this I ask: Have you met my students? …” (more)
[Rebecca Chiyoko King-O’Riain, Independent, 30 April]
“Difficult though it is to accept that it was 20 years ago, I can still remember my first day of college very vividly, particularly the feeling that this was the beginning of a new and very exciting chapter in my life. I met people that day who would become close friends, bonding over the experiences we shared over four years. The nights (and afternoons) out, the disastrous attempts to complete projects at the last minute, the trips away and the bizarre scrapes in which we found ourselves …” (more)
[Conor Wilson, RTÉ News, 27 April]
“The mystery surrounding Michael Byrne, affectionately known as Old Man Belfield, is no nearer to being solved after a man who contacted gardaí to say he might be his son received a negative result in a DNA test …” (more)
[Niamh Horan, Independent, 18 April]
“After a few days off last week following the Easter Bank Holiday weekend it’s time to get back into the swing of things for the four weeks of teaching term that remain. It’s back to school today for all school students in Ireland too, so good luck to them on their first day in the classroom since Christmas! …” (more)
[In the Dark, 12 April]
“UCD Academic Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháin has claimed that there were times during the two year period between 2015-2017 where she was advised by colleagues to take extra security measures to remain safe from her harasser. Speaking to Róisin Ingle as part of The Irish Times Women’s Podcast’s Big Night In, Ní Shúilleabháin recounted her experience of navigating the issue whilst upholding her duties as an academic in the university …” (more)
[Doireann O Sullivan, College Tribune, 10 April]
“Sir, – Statistics this year show that just over half of students completed their courses in computer science and engineering (Carl O’Brien, ‘Is our obsession with degrees failing students?’, Analysis, Education, March 29th). Reasons for dropping out from college include financial, health, family or changing course. Away from the firm structure of secondary education, new independent learning can become problematic for some students at third level …” (more)
[Kevin McLoughlin, Irish Times, 31 March]
“A recurring theme of the current UCD SU election is the ‘legitimacy crisis’ facing the Union. No doubt this is a problem, but the issue goes somewhat deeper, and is not solely an SU challenge. Student Life at the University has, for some years now, been facing a silent but accelerating engagement crisis, which is eroding the sense of Community in UCD …” (more)
[Joseph Aherne, College Tribune, 28 March]
“Since the beginning of the Coronavirus pandemic in 2020, there has been a marked increase in incidents of anti-Asian racism, in Ireland and around the world. Speaking to The University Observer, Asian students across UCD have relayed their experiences of and reaction to racism they have encountered since the outbreak of Covid-19 …” (more)
[Andrea Andres, University Observer, 23 March]
“UCD academic Prof Dolores Cahill has resigned as chair of the Irish Freedom Party. The ard chomhairle of the party met on Sunday morning to consider her position and said it had agreed to accept her resignation. Clare architect Michael Leahy will replace her …” (more)
[Ronan McGreevy, Irish Times, 22 March]
“As a final-year student, I’ve seen a lot of changes throughout my time in college. The good, the bad, the perpetually ridiculous: I’ve kept fairly on top of the changes College has made and have consistently had the hot takes to go alongside them. It is with this level of expertise and context that I feel confident in the following statement: the deck chairs are single handedly the best thing College has ever done in its 429 year history …” (more)
[Aoife Kearins, University Times, 19 March]
“Sir, – I agree completely with Dee Delany (Letters, March 12th) that the young need a little hope. We hear daily of creches, primary, secondary and Leaving Cert students, and how important their education is …” (more)
[Jackie Martin, Irish Times, 20 March]
“Yesterday I was summoned to a meeting on Campus so on the way there I took the opportunity to check up on Maynooth University Library Cat who I haven’t seen for over a month …” (more)
[In the Dark, 19 March]
“Students are persisting with college courses despite the challenges posed by remote learning and Covid-19. The pandemic has not triggered a rise in drop-out rates, new figures show. Students have generally stuck with their courses and, in some cases, retention figures are well up on previous years …” (more)
[Katherine Donnelly, Independent, 19 March]
“Rent rose in the fourth quarter of 2020 in all counties, bar Dublin – which saw a 3% decline. One may speculate as to why – loss of students, people moving to countryside home offices or a plethora of other reasons. But what happens when these factors kickback? How, most importantly for readers, will student rents be affected? …” (more)
[Conor Bergin, College Tribune, 13 March]
“Today is 12th March 2021, which means it is exactly one year since Maynooth University campus closed because of Covid-19. Last year 12th March was on a Thursday and I remember doing my Computational Physics lecture in the morning and a computer lab in the afternoon and then heard we couldn’t go back to teaching the following day …” (more)
[In the Dark, 12 March]
“More than 90% of students say they are struggling with loneliness, stress and feeling disconnected, a Sinn Fein survey has found. The Student Wellbeing Survey found that four out of five students say their college experience is negatively impacting their mental health in the pandemic …” (more)
[Cate McCurry, Independent, 4 March]
