Ninth Level Ireland

“Cocaine has replaced ecstasy as the second-most common drug used by students at third-level, says a new report by University College Cork (UCC). The Drug Use in Higher Education Institutions survey found that while cannabis remains the most common drug at third level, cocaine use has risen in recent years …” (more)

[Tadgh McNally, TheJournal.ie, 20 January]

“Poor mental amongst PhD researchers is increasingly being recognised as an issue within higher education institutions. However, there continues to be unanswered questions relating to the propensity and causality of poor mental health amongst PhD researchers. Reporting on a new comparative survey of PhD researchers and their peers from different professions, Dr Cassie M Hazell and Dr Clio Berry find that PhD researchers are particularly vulnerable to poor mental health compared to their peers …” (more)

[LSE Impact of Social Sciences, 12 January]

“So the exam period is upon us and I’ve spent all day dealing with lots of last-minute issues to do with that. Switching examinations online has led to Departments having to do themselves lots of things that were previously done by the Exams Office …” (more)

[In the Dark, 7 January]

“… The timing of the academic term for staff Maynooth University is doing us some favours. On Friday 7th we start the examination period. Across the University, 95% of the assessments taking place are online. In my Department that is 100%, so neither students nor staff have to travel onto campus …” (more)

[In the Dark, 5 January]

“So I find myself almost at the end of the Christmas break as I did on the same day last year. Tomorrow is officially my first day back at work. I don’t think I’ll be going back to my office on campus in the morning, though, as I think I can probably manage all the things I have to do from home …” (more)

[In the Dark, 3 January]

“Most UCD students are paying €750 a month or more in rent, a survey has found. The survey of nearly 1,000 students going to UCD found 43% were unhappy with their current living arrangements, with UCD Students’ Union saying the amounts their members were paying each month for somewhere to live was unaffordable for many …” (more)

[Alan Caulfield, Independent, 20 December]

“Facebook has removed the page of Dolores Cahill, a former UCD Professor and prominent anti-vaccination activist. The page, which had more that 130,000 followers, was removed by the social media giant as part of its ‘aggressive steps to fight harmful Covid-19 misinformation on our platforms’, said a spokeswoman for Meta, Facebook’s parent company …” (more)

[Conor Gallagher, Irish Times, 13 December]

“Schools and third-level institutions in many parts of the State will be closed on Tuesday because of Storm Barra, which Met Éireann has said could pose ‘a danger to life’ …” (more)

[Colm Keena and Aine Kenny, Irish Times, 7 December]

“Blood has been in the water for Ireland’s most prolific and perhaps only self-identifying neoconservative over the past fortnight, with the targeting of DCU lecturer Dr Mark Humphrys by anti-racist campaigners …” (more)

[Ciaran Brennan, The Burkean, 1 December]

“In recent times I’ve found myself remarking quite frequently on this blog how much the Covid-19 pandemic has played havoc with my perception of the passage of time, and I come to reflect on that again now that today (1st December 2021) marks four years since I started work at Maynooth University …” (more)

[In the Dark, 1 December]

“It has been some time since I last posted an update about Maynooth University Library Cat. It’s been rather chilly recently and he’s probably been keeping out of the cold somewhere snug …” (more)

[In the Dark, 24 November]

“Students are calling for colleges to resume in-person graduation ceremonies again, after ceremonies went virtual due to Covid-19. This comes following a survey of 50,000 students which found that the switch to remote learning has had far-reaching and negative impacts on young people’s college experience …” (more)

[BreakingNews.ie, 3 November]

“The closure of college campuses and the switch to remote teaching amid the Covid-19 pandemic had a far-reaching and negative impact on the experience of tens of thousands of college students, according to a major new survey …” (more)

[Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 3 November]

“Female postgraduate students were more likely to have considered withdrawing from their programme during the pandemic than their male counterparts, and less likely to have submitted a paper for publication. The finding is included in this year’s Irish Survey of Student Engagement, published today, which shows the impact that pandemic restrictions had on students during the 2020-2021 academic year …” (more)

[Jess Casey, Irish Examiner, 3 November]

“A UCC student who was spiked with drugs via needle at the weekend is ‘begging’ others to be vigilant on nights out …” (more)

[Martha Brennan, EchoLive, 31 October]

“University College Dublin Students’ Union has warned students to be vigilant following growing reports of drink spiking and spiking via injection in bars and nightclubs across parts of Ireland and Britain. The union said it has heard reports from students about potential instances of spiking during the first semester …” (more)

[Maeve Lee, Irish Examiner, 27 October]

“NUI Galway have completed the first step of their recovery plan after a recent cyber-attack locked students and staff out of university systems. Wi-Fi access via Eduroam has been reinstated for people on campus, but it is only available for university teaching platforms, such as Blackboard, MS Teams and university emails …” (more)

[Valerie McHugh, SIN, 19 October]

“Over one third of people who identify as being of an ethic minority working in a higher-level institution in the Republic of Ireland say they have been subject to racial and or/ethnic discrimination on campus or online during the course of their work …” (more)

[BreakingNews.ie, 18 October]

“Trinity students today marched on the Dáil to protest what they call major shortfalls in the student experience. Led by members of Students4Change and the Graduates Student Union (GSU), the students marched from the Front Square of the university to outside Leinster House at 4pm this afternoon …” (more)

[Ellen Gough, Hot Press, 16 October]

“At lunchtime today, the main quad at TU Dublin’s new Grangegorman campus was buzzing with students. A welcome sight given the devastation of campus life last year. However, a lecturer who works at the college told me that the college is concerned that not all students are throwing themselves back into college life as they once would have …” (more)

[Emma O Kelly, RTÉ News, 14 October]