Ninth Level Ireland

“The Government has been warned that developing links between Irish and Chinese universities must be scrutinised because of concerns about human rights violations in China. Independent Senator Rónán Mullen said the State’s education system may be ‘contaminated’ as a result of developing these links amid such violations …” (more)

[Marie O’Halloran, Irish Times, 22 February]

“University College Cork (UCC) has come under fire after fitting up security guards with bodycams that allow them to record students living in campus accommodation. And startlingly, it has emerged that a number of other Irish universities already allow their security to use the body-worn cameras on campus …” (more)

[Donal MacNamee, Irish Mirror, 19 February]

“A Cork academic has said the level of online racist and Islamophobic abuse he is experiencing is ‘getting worse’. Amanullah De Sondy suffered the latest attack after he spoke online at an integration conference on Monday – where a right-wing activist uploaded a video of part of his address and told him to ‘go home to his shanty town in India’ and that Ireland was a ‘white Christian nation’ …” (more)

[Cormac O’Keeffe, Irish Examiner, 18 February]

“The first week of the new semester was this year ushered in with the university’s inaugural Bystander Intervention Week: an effort to celebrate active bystanders in the UCC community and increase their number. The campaign adapted to Covid-19 restrictions and went virtual, hosting events, workshops and conversations to empower students and achieve a zero tolerance culture of sexual violence and harrassment at UCC …” (more)

[Maeve McTaggart, UCC Express, 16 February]

“The demolition of the former Kino cinema on Cork’s Washington Street is set to go ahead after An Bord Pleanála approved plans for a large student accommodation scheme on the site. However, the proposed €4m five-storey development will also include an art house on the ground floor consisting of a cinema and performing arts space as well as a café/bar …” (more)

[Sean McCarthaigh, Irish Examiner, 12 February]

“Tyndall National Institute will create 50 new research jobs by 2025 with the opening of its first research facility outside of Cork. The new laboratory in Dublin, which has been set up remotely due to Covid-19 restrictions, will host a wireless communications team who will focus on future deep technologies including Future RF, Future Access, Future Protocols, Future AI, and Future Quantum …” (more)

[Nicole Glennon, Irish Examiner, 3 February]

“Over 40,000 higher education students across the country are being asked for their opinions about drugs. A new study by the Student Health Service at University College Cork is underway with the aim of contributing to harm-reduction policies …” (more)

[Red FM, 25 January]

“A whole new cohort of musicians are to benefit from a €2m gift donated to University College Cork’s music department – the largest donation in 113 years. The huge sum was donated by the late Sydney V Regan, a British master builder who came to Cork in the 1960s with his wife Hilda …” (more)

[Pádraig Hoare, Irish Examiner, 18 January]

“University College Cork (UCC) has reintroduced the No Academic Disadvantage measures for their upcoming examinations this January. All students received an email from the Interim Registrar Stephen Byrne on Wednesday stating that ‘in recognition of these exceptional circumstances’ the University has ‘reinstated the additional No Academic Disadvantage” policy and these measures “will apply for the full academic year 2020/2021’ …” (more)

[Fiona Keeley, University Express, 6 January]

“Sinn Féin TD for Cork North Central Thomas Gould has today written to UCC and CIT seeking a meeting to discuss the possibility of the expansion of their campuses into the northside of the city. Deputy Gould said he has previously engaged with CIT on this issue and got a ‘very positive response’ …” (more)

[EchoLive, 28 December]

“University College Cork’s 255 bedroom Crow’s Nest student accommodation is nearing the final stages of construction. The last roof slab on UCC’s Crow’s Nest student accommodation has been completed as the traditional ‘topping out’ ceremony was carried out this week …” (more)

[EchoLive, 19 December]

“A challenge has been mounted against a decision of An Bord Pleanala to grant planning permission for a 216-bed student accommodation development in Cork City. The action has been brought by an association that represents local residents, who are opposed to the demolition of an existing structure and the construction of the student housing development consisting of 30 apartments located at Orchard Road in Cork City …” (more)

[Ann O’Loughlin, BreakingNews.ie, 17 December]

“University College Cork has been ranked as one of the most sustainable universities in the world, making it into the top ten ‘greenest universities’ in an international ranking. The UI GreenMetric World University Ranking examines sustainability practices in universities across the world …” (more)

[Maeve Lee, EchoLive, 8 December]

“UCC has announced plans to operate its second semester in a similar manner to the first, where a significant proportion of teaching has been delivered online. For their first semester, the university remained open with restrictions in place. A large percentage of lectures were delivered online, while research, laboratory, and practical work was carried out on campus where possible …” (more)

[John Bohane, EchoLive, 2 December]

“Academics in University College Cork (UCC) have expressed concern about plans to deepen links with a controversial university in China. Fifty academics from the university have signed a letter seeking a detailed report on whether Minzu University in China is linked to human rights abuses against the Uighur people in Xinjiang, and other minority groups …” (more)

[Colm Keena, Irish Times, 25 November]

“The sudden onset of Covid-19 in early March required a rapid re-think of how normal assessment processes would work from home. Temporary measures were put in place to address the added pressure of the pandemic to the summer exam season, but UCC has made the decision to rescind such measures for this academic year …” (more)

[Maeve McTaggart, University Express, 24 November]

“We are living in a world with a growing housing crisis around the student population; something that is troubling to young people, parents, and guardians as a problem once someone reaches third-level education …” (more)

[Conor Capplis and others, College Tribune, 23 November]

“The ESB has urged the Supreme Court to find University College Cork is liable, along with the ESB, for extensive flood damage to buildings on its campus in 2009. Neil Steen SC, for ESB, disputed arguments made on Monday by Paul Sreenan SC, for UCC, that the college should be found to have no liability in relation to the flood damage …” (more)

[Mary Carolan, Irish Times, 23 November]

“Plans by University College Cork (UCC) to substantially boost its student accommodation offering in time for the 2021/2022 academic year have been derailed by Covid-19 restrictions. The delay means the university has missed the target date originally set to complete the 255-bed-space accommodation units at the site of the former Crow’s Nest public house and restaurant in Victoria Cross …” (more)

[Irish Examiner, 20 November]

“A major Irish education centre – fully owned by University College Cork (UCC) – has been forced into a spectacular climbdown amid a fight over unpopular restructuring plans responsible for more than a dozen redundancies. The Irish Management Institute (IMI) – bought by UCC in 2016 – finally backed down this week on a refusal to talk to staff with their trade union, promising to enter discussions at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) …” (more)

[Donal MacNamee, Irish Mirror, 18 November]