UCD Named Sunday Times University of the Year 2020
University College Dublin, UCD, was announced on November 3rd as the Sunday Times University of the Year for 2020. This was the third time that the University had received this accolade since 2002, it previously won in 2006 and 2012….
Hong Kong Protests Spiral Out of Control
These past seventeen weeks, Hong Kong has been rocked by almost uninterrupted protests. Starting as a popular outcry against a government-proposed extradition bill, the movement evolved to encompass frustrations regarding the lack of democracy in the region and interferences of…
Reaching Across the Aisle: Interviewing the Editors of the University Observer
(Note: Elements of this interview are satirical) In a dimly lit College Tribune office on a wet Friday afternoon, history was made. Members of UCD’s two illustrious newspapers sat down together as Observer editors Gavin Tracey and Aoife Mawn spoke…
“Sea Levels are Rising. So are We” Extinction Rebellion Holds Week of Protest
Dubin city ground to a halt on Tuesday the 8th of October as members of environmental activist group, Extinction Rebellion, marched from the Gardens of Remembrance to Kildare street. The ‘Just Transition’ protest aimed to bring attention to one of…
Students’ Union Holds Mental Health Day
UCD Students’ Union joined the globe to participate in World Mental Health Day on Oct. 10 in hopes of boosting mental health awareness. In addition to providing free de-stressing programming, UCDSU invited various local mental health organizations to share their…
Irish Universities Present Stark Picture of Budget Cuts to Budgetary Oversight Committee
On Tuesday the 17th of September the IUA presented the Budgetary Oversight Committee with their views in context of budget cuts to university funding. The Director General of the IUA has told Oireachtas Committee for Budgetary Oversight that the funding…
University Presidents Call for Urgent Changes to State Research Funding Following Poor Outcome from EU Programme
The presidents of seven Irish universities who are represented by the Irish Universities Association have recently openly asked the government and national research funding agencies to inquire and address the mechanism in which funding is allocated to Irish researching. This…
Apathy Amongst Electorate in Recent Class Rep Elections
Out of 32,000 students who study in UCD only 303 chose to stand for election in the recent Class Rep elections held on the 7th and 8th of October. 303 candidates make up less than 1% of the student body….
Society Spotlight: UCD Northern Society
UCD’s Northern Society is a new Society aimed at promoting and spreading the positives of Northern Ireland and its culture. I sat down with NorthSoc Auditor Shannon Bas to find out what’s on offer for their members this year. ‘[NorthSoc’s]…
UCDSU Launches Campaign to Promote Rent A Room Scheme
UCD Students’ Union has launched a campaign to promote ‘Rent A Room Scheme.’ This campaign aims to improve the uptake of UCD students into homes in the surrounding areas. Due to high rent costs and an ongoing housing crisis, UCD…
Tackling Climate Change: Where Ireland Stands
On a global scale, Ireland’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions may seem so low as to be irrelevant. It is much more telling, however, to look at our per capita emissions. The average person in Ireland emits 32% more GHGs than…
Comment: Party Unity Under Climate Change Protest
“System Change-Not Climate Change” was the chant that captured the demands of tens of thousands of Climate Strikers on the streets of Dublin last Friday. The Amazon is burning, the sea levels are rising and a biodiversity crisis rages on…