Ninth Level Ireland

“Stormont deputy first minister Michelle O’Neill has said schools, universities and colleges in Northern Ireland should close in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. She claimed the public were concerned and fearful and the difference with the Republic of Ireland’s approach was causing confusion …” (more)

[Michael McHugh, Belfast Telegraph, 13 March]

“The Northern Ireland Executive has decided against following the lead of the Irish Government and is not ordering the closure of schools and universities in an attempt to limit the impact of the coronavirus. The North’s First Minister, Arlene Foster, also complained on Thursday evening that the Northern Executive was not informed in advance of Taoiseach Leo Varadkar’s decision in Washington to announce a number of actions to address the Covid-19 emergency …” (more)

[Gerry Moriarty, Irish Times, 12 March]

“Grian Ni Dhaimhin, a student from Strabane, is the incoming president of the Students’ Union at Queen’s University. She was elected to that position by her fellow students and will take up office later this year. Most Students’ Union presidents get elected and serve their term in office without generating major controversy, but Grian is different …” (more)

[Nelson McCausland, Belfast Telegraph, 11 March]

“My esteemed colleague and friend Ruth Dudley Edwards has called for signatures for a petition that speaks of ‘the continual alienation of Protestant and unionist students at Queen’s University Belfast and all other universities’. Once again I find myself on the other side of the fence from Ruth on issues as diverse as Brexit, Europe and the Orange Order …” (more)

[Professor Liam Kennedy, Belfast Telegraph, 10 March]

“Sinn Féin’s Climate Action Spokesperson, Caoimhe Archibald MLA, has written to the senior management of Queen’s University Belfast and Ulster University seeking a commitment from both institutions to divest from fossil fuels. The East Derry MLA said …” (more)

[Sinn Féin, 10 March]

“The vice-chancellor of Queen’s University Belfast has called for assistance from politicians to change the perception of the university as a ‘cold house for unionism’. Addressing the Economy Committee at Stormont on Wednesday, Professor Ian Greer said there were concerns over the way the university is viewed by some sections of society and that he did not wish for Queen’s to be seen as an unwelcome place for any group …” (more)

[Mark Bain, Belfast Telegraph, 4 March]

“The RCSI is to bring forward final examinations for medical students amid concerns over the spread of the Coronavirus, Covid-19. The examinations which were to be held towards the end of April will take place this weekend. The Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland said on Thursday that it had taken the move to avoid any delays in the graduation of the final year class this year as a result of any restrictions that could be put in place to prevent the spread of Covid-19 …” (more)

[Sorcha Pollak, Martin Wall and Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 5 March]

“A Queen’s University student is one of two new cases of coronavirus diagnosed in Northern Ireland. Both patients are adults and the two cases are not connected. One individual recently travelled from northern Italy. The other had recent contact with a person elsewhere in the UK who has subsequently tested positive for the virus …” (more)

[Gareth Cross and Andrew Madden, Belfast Telegraph, 4 March]

“Thousands of Queen’s University students have applied to for a hardship support fund in recent years, new figures show. Figures released to the student newspaper The Scoop show that more than 12,360 applied to the Student Hardship and Student Support funds, which typically award up to £700 in the form of a non-repayable loan for those in financial difficulty …” (more)

[Eimear McGovern, Belfast Telegraph, 4 March]

“A Presbyterian-run college in Belfast plans to link up with one of the UK’s oldest Catholic universities. Union Theological College (UTC) is seeking to partner with St Mary’s University Twickenham to award undergraduate degrees …” (more)

[Robbie Meredith, BBC News, 26 February]

“Students joined forces with university staff in Belfast yesterday as staff started 14 days of strike action. Members of the University and College Union (UCU) from Queen’s University, Belfast, Ulster University and the Open University were among those calling for action yesterday on pay and pensions …” (more)

[Allan Preston, Belfast Telegraph, 21 February]

“Some lecturers at universities in Northern Ireland are beginning 14 days of strike action on Thursday. The action by University and College Union (UCU) members is due to a long-running dispute about pay and pensions …” (more)

[Robbie Meredith, BBC News, 20 February]

“Ulster University said it has robust disciplinary procedures in place to deal with any student who is the subject of any off-campus complaint. ‘Off-campus complaints can relate to low level anti-social behaviour such as noise and social activity, and on occasions reports of disorderly behaviour’, a spokesman added …” (more)

[Belfast Telegraph, 12 February]

“Behaviour in the Holyland area of south Belfast has become so bad that one woman reported seeing a student defecate against a tree. She said the problem of antisocial behaviour is ‘constant’ in the area …” (more)

[Gillian Halliday, Belfast Telegraph, 12 February]

“Nearly 3,600 complaints about student behaviour were made to our two universities in a four-year period. People raised concerns over a range of off-campus incidents including antisocial behaviour, excessive noise and disorder – much of it fuelled by alcohol …” (more)

[Gillian Halliday, Belfast Telegraph, 11 February]

“Queen’s University and Ulster University face further strike action from many lecturers and support staff. University and College Union (UCU) members at both universities previously walked out for eight days in November and December 2019. The union has now said its members will strike for a further 14 days from Thursday, 20 February …” (more)

[Robbie Meredith, BBC News, 4 February]

“Queen’s University (QUB) has banned students and staff from travelling to China due to the outbreak of the Coronavirus. The BBC has reported that the Belfast university has frozen travel to China for business or study while they monitor the situation …” (more)

[Belfast Telegraph, 1 February]

“Well-known faces have been recalling their fond memories of Queen’s University’s Students’ Union building after demolition work began this week. The old union building closed in July 2018 for major redevelopment at its University Road site with a new temporary building opened on the Lisburn Road …” (more)

[Lauren Harte, Belfast Telegraph, 17 January]

“TUV leader Jim Allister has warned there is a perception within the unionist community that Queen’s University Belfast is a ‘cold house’ for them.​ Mr Allister was speaking following a meeting with the university’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Ian Greer to discuss the issue and how it can be addressed. The North Antrim MLA said he made it clear to Professor Greer that while he respects academic freedom, he believes it was unwise to not have stricter guidelines around the use of the Queen’s logo …” (more)

[Lauren Harte, Belfast Telegraph, 9 January]

“Hillary Clinton has been described as an ‘inspirational role model’ for students after being appointed as the new chancellor of Queen’s University. The former US Secretary of State and First Lady will take up the largely ceremonial role immediately and serve for five years …” (more)

[Lauren Harte, Belfast Telegraph, 3 January]