Ninth Level Ireland

“New planned accommodation at Dublin City University has been postponed indefinitely due to the financial impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the university. A spokesperson for DCU said, ‘We are working towards delivering new on-campus accommodation but there is no specific date for the construction to begin’ …” (more)

[Tadgh McNally, TheJournal.ie, 27 July]

“A €500 reduction must be made to the Student Contribution Charge immediately to ease some of the financial pressure caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Union of Students in Ireland. Government must also support students who will be expected to work remotely for much of the new academic year by creating and investing in a new scheme that provides access to devices and better WiFi …” (more)

[USI, 21 July]

“Union of Students in Ireland (USI) President Lorna Fitzpatrick and Trinity College Dublin’s Students’ Union (TCDSU) President Eoin Hand have condemned Dublin City Council plans to operate student accommodation as co-living following the Covid-19 pandemic …” (more)

[Shannon Connolly, Trinity News, 17 July]

“Leaving Certificate students have been ‘pushed from pillar to post’, the Union of the Students of Ireland (USI) has said. Lorna Fitzpatrick, president of the USI, said the decision to delay the release of results until September, is ‘disappointing’ …” (more)

[Sarah Burns, Irish Times, 17 July]

“There are fears of a knock-on effect for student grants as the Leaving Cert results and CAO offers have been delayed until September. The Department of Education last night confirmed calculated grades for 60,000 students will not now be issued until September 7, three weeks later than usual …” (more)

[Katherine Donnelly and Aoife Walsh, Independent, 17 July]

“The Union of Students in Ireland has today published two documents outlining the union’s priorities for the new Government and what students need for the new academic year in light of the COVID-19 pandemic …” (more)

[USI, 8 July]

“This afternoon, Union of Students’ in Ireland (USI) President Lorna Fitzpatrick and Vice President for Academic Affairs Kevin McStravock had a ‘constructive’ meeting with the new Minister for Higher Education, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris …” (more)

[Shannon Connolly, Trinity News, 2 July]

“This evening, both the Irish Universities Association (IUA) and the Union of Students’ in Ireland (USI) have welcomed the appointment of Simon Harris to the new position of Minister for Higher Education, Research and Innovation. In a statement, IUA expressed their ‘warm welcome’ to Simon Harris as Minister for Higher Education, Innovation and Research …” (more)

[Shannon Connolly, Trinity News, 27 June]

“Third-level students need clarity by the end of June on what to expect when colleges reopen in the autumn in order to make informed decisions about their next steps, the president of the Union of Students in Ireland has said …” (more)

[Éanna Ó Caollaí, Irish Times, 17 June]

“The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) has called for clarity from the government on the details of a new funding model for third-level education, as well as criticising plans to keep Ireland’s highest-in-the-EU student fees at their current level …” (more)

[Donal MacNamee, University Times, 15 June]

“Lorna Fitzpatrick has been re-elected president of the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) for the coming year, having run unopposed for the position. Fitzpatrick, who served as USI’s vice-president for the southern region before being elected president last year, received 193 votes …” (more)

[Emer Moreau and Cormac Watson, University Times, 27 May]

“Students are being warned not to hand over deposits for college accommodation until they know if they need it. There is still no clarity on what the college year will be like, and how often students will need to attend campus …” (more)

[Irish Examiner, 27 May]

“The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) say students’ mental health is being affected by pre-paid rents not being refunded. The USI and local Students’ Unions called on individual colleges at the start of the pandemic to refund students who had moved out of university-operated student accommodation. Most colleges and universities agreed to provide refunds …” (more)

[BreakingNews.ie, 2 May]

“The USI (Union of Students in Ireland) have called for cooperation between universities and students’ unions to ensure no students are negatively impacted by the covid-19 pandemic. Due to the pandemic, many students are working from home. According to the USI, this has left students in difficult situations, with students not being able to access the internet or devices like laptops to do coursework …” (more)

[Tadgh McNally, The College View, 15 April]

“Students in higher and further education are being assured that they will not be penalised if they cannot take part in an alternative assessment that is replacing a traditional exam this year. New guidelines make clear that such students can progress, as expected, and will have opportunities to complete assessments at a later point …” (more)

[Katherine Donnelly, Independent, 7 April]

“The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) has called for ‘urgent clarity’ on the situation for student nurses and midwives on placement in hospitals, arguing they need clarification on whether they’ll have to repay hours they miss as a result of the coronavirus pandemic …” (more)

[Emer Moreau and Jordan Nann, University Times, 24 March]

“The president of the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) has criticised Trinity’s decision to instruct students to leave College accommodation this week, calling the move ‘extremely concerning’ …” (more)

[Donal MacNamee, University Times, 16 March]

“The governing body of the National University of Ireland, Galway (NUIG) has said it will contact the college’s accommodation group requesting that the decision to increase on-campus rent be reversed, NUIG’s student union has said. It is understood Údarás na hOllscoile, NUIG’s governing authority, has agreed to contact Atalia Student Residences requesting they revoke their decision to increase campus accommodation rents by 4% …” (more)

[Sarah Burns, Irish Times, 28 February]

“Students at another university in Ireland have joined the protests demanding the reversal of rent increases in on-campus accommodation. NUI Galway saw students begin their sleep-out on its campus …” (more)

[Irish Examiner, 27 February]

“Students are ramping up their protests against rent increases for on-campus accommodation. There has been a furious reaction to the decision by the majority of universities to hike rents in September, by 3-4%. Under recent legislation, 4% is the maximum allowable …” (more)

[Katherine Donnelly, Independent, 27 February]