uo The University Observer
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Gráinne o’Loughran p7
Kate Conboy Fischer P12
michael dwyer P19
September 16th 2014 Volume XXI issue i universityobserver.ie
above Eleanor duignan presents kate creegan with a birthday cake on their graduation day photo James Brady
STUDENTS MOVE into montrose AS ACCOMMODATION CRISIS CONTINUES Cian Carton Ziggurat Student Living has announced that 29 students affected by the delay in the opening of the Montrose Student Accommodation are set to move into the building following the completion of renovations on its second floor. They had previously been staying in the Ballsbridge Hotel, at the expense of Ziggurat, while the construction work continued. Last month, the company made students aware that the building project would not be completed in time for the beginning of the academic year, informing UCD Students’ Union (UCDSU) that 58 out of 166 rooms, which were due to be fully finished for the start of term, would not in fact be ready. The delay was attributed to the age and poor state of the building, which resulted in unforeseen work for the builders. Georgina Wade, property manager for the Montrose Accommodation, said that in “another two weeks the remaining students will all be able to move into the 3rd floor” and that “all the other rooms that were not affected by the delays are now all occupied.”
The announcement of the delay was unprecedented, given the fact it was just before students were set to move in. At the time of the announcement by Ziggurat, Wade explained that despite the company’s best intentions, work on the complex had been delayed. “Despite our best efforts, the opening of two floors of the Montrose Student Residence will be delayed, due to an unanticipated level of work required to bring a very old building up to the high standards we demand,” Wade explained at the end of August. At present, work has carried on steadily with students being able to move into more of the complex. Yet work will be continuing with “final decoration and signage” being carried out, which Wade hopes will be “completed over the coming weeks.” Feargal Hynes, UCDSU President, was pleased at how Ziggurat Student Living handled the situation. He said that “Georgina and the management company were very open” in addressing any issues raised by students and found that
their attitude of concern towards those affected was “refreshing.” Hynes attributed the very few cases of students contacting the SU over the crisis as a testament to Ziggurat Student Living’s control of the situation. He said that the SU had been in constant communication with the company over the summer and would continue to do so throughout the year. As the residence is not officially part of UCD, it does not fall under the SU’s direct responsibilities. Speaking to the University Observer, Aidan Murray, a student affected by the delay, said she would be staying in the Ballsbridge Hotel between the 12th of September, the day that she had originally planned to move into the Montrose, until the 27th of September. Originally concerned after hearing the news, Murray stated that she was “satisfied with the compensation package offered”
and described it as “incredibly generous.” She feels that the “living stipend is enough to cover travel and food expenses for two weeks.” The Montrose Hotel, which opened in 1964, shut down in January 2010. It lay vacant for three years, until Ziggurat purchased it in 2013 and then began its major redevelopment at the beginning of 2014. The accommodation, created for students, comes on the back of the wide spread struggle for students to find places to live for the year. Ruairí Quinn, then Minsiter for Education and Skills, spoke of the need for “high quality student accommodation,” while visiting the Montrose in April. The current housing shortage in Dublin has exacerbated the situation this year. UCDSU had earlier called on the National Asset Management Agency (NAMA) to make houses and apartments available in university areas, along with the re-introduction of the Section 50 tax relief scheme,
which would allowed investors and universities to claim up to 90% tax relief from the rent they received. NAMA criticised the UCDSU’s proposal in a statement to the University Observer, claiming that it is a misunderstanding of NAMA’s relation to the properties in question. “It is a common misconception that NAMA owns individual properties such as houses or apartments. Like any bank, NAMA owns loans which are secured, in turn, by individual properties but is not the owner of those properties” explained a NAMA spokesperson. The statement says that for this reason “it is not in NAMA’s powers to ‘release’ properties to accommodate students.” Ziggurat Student Living was founded in 2009 by Jim Pike and Matthew McAdden. It is a provider of student accommodation in the U.K. The Montrose is its first Irish project, with an estimated cost of €22.5 million.
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UCDSU RAISE CONCERNS REGARDING SUSI GRANT PAYMENTS DELAY Síofra Ní Shluaghadháin
student fashion
check out the geek chic look for the start of term Controversy has emerged concerning the Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) grant system for the second year running. In a repeat of the events of last September, processing rates for student grant applications have meant that students have, as of this week, not received word as to whether their applications have been successful or not. It is reported that many of these students will remain in the dark beyond the 1st of October deadline for withdrawing from third level courses. After this date, if a student finds themselves unable to continue with their chosen course, they remain liable for half of the student contribution charge, which stands at €2750 for the incoming academic year 2014/15. Should they choose to return to third level education in successive years, they will also
be liable for the full cost of fees. This delay, which has been estimated at between 4-6 weeks, has put many students in a precarious position. Students who applied for a grant in late August remain in a state of limbo as to whether their grant has been accepted, or if they face the possibility of having to drop out of their course altogether for financial reasons. Graham Doyle, SUSI’s Head of Communications, has said that “processing priority has been given to those students who returned their requested documentation to SUSI at the earliest dates. This is where all our processing resources are now placed and we are moving through this process quickly.” He added that SUSI “have issued award letters to thousands of students already and will continue to do so throughout the coming weeks.” Students who submitted documentation before the 1st of
August, the deadline for “priority processing”, will receive notice of their application status by the 1st of October, according to Doyle. SUSI had received 92,000 applications by 1st of August and have received 7,000 additional applications since. It is estimated that between 220 and 250 further applications are being received each week. Doyle encourages all students to make sure that they have submitted the correct documentation, particularly the confirmation of registration that should be provided by each university. UCD Students’ Union (UCDSU) has issued a statement calling on SUSI to act in expediting the acceptance process in order to allow students the chance to assess their individual situations. Various officers in UCDSU have spoken out about the state of affairs that currently faces students. Feargal Hynes, President of UCDSU, stated; “This is yet
another problem that is making life unnecessarily harsh for students. SUSI are obliged to let students know whether they are eligible for the grant or not before the withdrawal date.” He continued, “The harsh reality is that there are students out there that are not able to afford college if they do not receive the grant from SUSI and must make a call before the 1st of October if they are to continue for the year or not.” Doyle says that “in his understanding”, this date is unique to UCD and is much later for other universities. The University Observer is not able to confirm this at the time of going to print. Amy Fox, UCDSU Undergraduate Education Officer, spoke of being visited by “students who are in tears”. She also described students as being in a “Catch-22” situation. Many students are unwilling to pay the Student Contribution Charge until they can guarantee their continuation in university.
However, until the payment of the charge has been received, it is the general policy of the university to deny access to facilities such as the library, which can be detrimental to the studies of students. In a subsequent interview with the University Observer, Hynes referred to the delay as a “major issue” for both UCDSU and the university. Hynes also claimed that UCDSU have made repeated attempts to build relations with SUSI, which have been hampered by the inability to develop a single point of contact in the organisation due to workers “often changing jobs and phone numbers”. He further stated that UCDSU and the university are working together to formulate a plan for assisting students who are affected by these delays, though details of this plan have not been disclosed.
fashion section Otwo P22
this campus life/ parallax
the best of student photojournalism broadsheet p11 Otwo P28 september 16th 2014