With waiting lists for the counselling service in the Student Health Service now extending up to eight weeks, an external counselling group have been brought in to help cope with the increased demand on the service. Continue reading →

UCD Students’ Union (UCDSU) unanimously voted at Union Council to support those graduate nurses affected by the new payment scheme introduced by Minister for Health, Dr James Reilly TD and the Health Service Executive (HSE). The new graduate scheme, which was announced the Department of Health without any consultation or discussion, will see UCD 2012 graduates, while performing the full range of duties of all registered nurses, paid 80% of the minimum staff nurse scale, on contracts of two years duration. Continue reading →

University College Dublin Students’ Union Vice President for Entertainments, Eoin Heffernan has announced that R.A.G (Raise and Give) will once more occur in UCD. This year, however, the fundraiser will run more as a concept rather than a traditional series of events. Continue reading →

The annual Relay for Life took place in the 24 hour period beginning at 2pm on Wednesday April 10th. The event involved volunteers walking or running around a track for 24 hours in teams, with the Relay raising funds for the Irish Cancer Society. Each team must have one participant on the track for the duration of the Relay, with the idea being to remind everyone that “cancer never sleeps”. Continue reading →

UCD have announced plans to reinstate the UCD Fashion Show for 2014. The event, which did not take place this year after reaching its 26th anniversary last year, had become the largest student-run fashion show in Europe, and it is hoped that it will continue that legacy next year. Continue reading →

UCD Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Society, in conjunction with the O2 ‘Think Big Project’, is running Ally Week this week, with the festivities concluding this Thursday, April 18th. The event is a week run by the society to celebrate people who identify as heterosexual (or cisgendered) who support issues that affect members of the LGBT community such as marriage equality and gender recognition. Continue reading →

The UCD Student Legal Service (SLS) has published the first Civic Guide to the Irish Constitution. The Guide was launched in the FitzGerald Chamber on April 8th by Supreme Court judge, Mr Justice Donal O’Donnell. The Guide aims to make the Constitution accessible to all citizens, not just academics or those already engaging with the law. Continue reading →

To celebrate the sixth year of the Please Talk service, Please Talk day will be held this Wednesday, April 17th in an effort to improve students’ mental health and promote suicide prevention. Continue reading →

Tutor allowance axed in TCD

Lecturers at Trinity College will no longer receive a lucrative allowance of up to €3,000 for providing confidential support to students. Trinity Provost Dr Patrick Prendergast last week confirmed that the tutor’s allowance, paid to lecturers who support students struggling with academic, personal and financial issues, will soon be axed.

Over 100 lecturers currently receive an annual allowance of €3,070 a year to act as tutors to groups of up to 100 students. A further 29 lecturers are paid a half-rate of €1,535 for supporting groups of 45-50.

Dr Prendergast expressed hope that the university will continue to provide a tutor support service, though lecturers will no longer be paid to act in a pastoral capacity. He said that: “[they] don’t believe the work tutors do is part and parcel of the normal work of a lecturer. Tutors are involved in pastoral care of students, which is not normally[their] work.”

The tutor’s allowance has been paid to Trinity lecturers since the 1970s. However, since 1997, the college is required to request permission from the Department of Education to fund its continued payment. Following pressure from Education Minister Ruairi Quinn, permission for payment of the allowance has been revoked from September 2013.

NUIG to lead EU Big Data project

Researchers at NUI Galway’s Digital Enterprise Research Institute (DERI) will lead Ireland’s involvement in a €3 million EU project to create a clear strategy for Big Data in Europe.

The Big Data Public Private Forum (BIG) brings together industry partners, research institutes, policy makers, and community initiatives from six EU countries to discuss challenges posed by the emerging Big Data economy and develop action plans for addressing these challenges at European level.

Director of DERI, Professor Stefan Decker, believes that the EU has reached “a critical juncture where industry, government and academia must come together to put in place methods to deal with data and maximize opportunities for Europe”.

Specifically, the project will increase the proliferation of data technology in Europe by identifying key requirements for Big Data across industry sectors, including transport, energy, finance and manufacturing. Roadmaps developed by the BIG project will help business communities understand the potential competitive advantages…[of]…Big Data technologies.

The project will also identify the required technology research and innovation necessary for a European competitive advantage in the Big Data market.

Fundamental movement skills conference to be held in UCC

University College Cork (UCC) will hold an interdisciplinary conference on fundamental movement skill development on April 19th and 20th. Fundamental movement skills such as running, jumping and balancing, are the foundation for the development of further sport skills and increasing ability to engage in quality physical activity in later life.

The conference, organised by Sports Studies and Physical Education students at UCC and Health Action Zone (HSE), will combine expertise from the fields of Education, Health, Disability and Sport.

Over the course of the conference, a first of its kind, participants will engage in active workshops that aim to address the development of fundamental movement skills for different ages, abilities and settings. Dr Susan Crawford of UCC says that “the conference…boasts a huge hands on component, so there will be lots of opportunity for delegates to develop and explore new skills”.

Health Minister James Reilly will address the conference to reinforce the importance of fundamental skill development across the lifespan from a health perspective.

London MET regains license to teach international students

London Metropolitan University has regained a license to sponsor Tier 4 visas for international students. Its license was revoked last August, after the UK border agency claimed that one in four students surveyed by the authority did not have legal permission to remain in the UK. Immigration Officer Mark Harper said that “[they] have worked closely with university staff to ensure that London Met standards were improved”. Continue reading →