College year set to begin amid COVID-19 pandemic

Over six months after the university first closed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, UCC is set to welcome students back on campus on September 28th. The format of the new academic term is unfamiliar to both students and staff and still, for many incoming and returning students, their plans for the semester remain uncertain.The semester begins almost a month later than usual, meaning Autumn examinations will now begin and end in January rather than in December. Incoming first year students, making the transition from secondary school, received their CAO offers on September 11th following a teacher-calculated grading system which substituted this years’ Leaving Certificate.The return to UCC in late September is set to look different for every student depending on their course, county and current COVID-19 restrictions and guidelines. Accommodation needs have changed as many students may no longer need to live in Cork for the duration of the term, choosing instead to commute and avoid the associated risks of a second lockdown while renting. Instead, studying at UCC during COVID-19 will be through “blended learning”: an amalgamation of face-to-face and online lectures, labs, seminars and tutorials.Professor John O’Halloran, the Deputy President and Registrar at UCC, told University Express that “we are working closely with your Students’ Union to ensure that the quality of education and life experience provided at UCC won’t change - even if its delivery has.”“We all share a collective responsibility to our community in the face of this pandemic,” he continued. “While students will be learning online more than ever this year, campus remains the beating heart of our university experience.”Professor O’Halloran reminded students of the wellbeing supports available, stating that “This is an anxious, uncertain time for us all, and no more so than for students facing into an academic year like no other. However I am confident that if a mutual spirit of cooperation, patience, and unity prevails we will make this year a success."Simultaneous to navigating the new learning format during COVID-19, the college must survey the financial damage done by the effects of the pandemic. Annual expenditure at UCC is to be cut by almost 5% for the upcoming year while overall, Irish colleges and universities are facing a €500 million shortfall in funding as a result of lost income relating to international students, student accommodation and commercial revenue, a HEA report revealed in May.To rectify this, a package in excess of €160 million to support universities and colleges during COVID-19 has been granted by the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science.Within the fund, €15 million for the allocation and accessing of ICT devices such as laptops has been made available to bridge the digital divide which exists between many students. The USI Students and COVID-19 Report found that almost 40% of students felt they performed significantly worse as a result of last semesters’ alternative assessments. One fifth of students listed WiFi access issues as the cause.UCC is set to receive €590,432 of the funding package for IT supports.In addition, the Student Assistance Fund will be doubled from €8 million to over €16 million as applications for SUSI grants are expected to reach a record high during COVID-19. As of mid-August, SUSI had received 88,500 applications, an increase of 4,000 on last year.The college experience will be invariably different this year, with the threat of the pandemic no less prevalent than it was when the university closed over 6 months ago. By consequence, COVID-19 remains at the forefront of how UCC must operate.Discussing the work of the UCCSU during the current crisis, its focus being preparing for a new semester despite the pandemic, Students’ Union President Naoise Crowley told University Express of the importance of increased financial support of the Student Assistance Fund and the work to found a UCC COVID-19 Hardship Fund to help students.“We are happy to see that two face masks will be provided to all students free of charge upon arrival in UCC in September,” he stated, but expressed his disappointment at the “small number of departments who have delayed [the provision of timetables] until the last minute.”The UCCSU President outlined the undue criticism students have received throughout the COVID-19 crisis, stating that it “has not taken into account the vitally important contribution of students to the local economy and community, with UCC students spending €187 million each year alone, not to mention the hundreds of healthcare and social care students who work on the frontline for the HSE, without pay.”All support services and information on COVID-19 as staff and students return to UCC are available at ucc.ie/en/emt/covid19.