NCAD Students Protest over College Overcrowding

Several hundred students at the National College of Art and Design (NCAD) demonstrated against cuts and overcrowding at the college on Friday, March 20^th.As part of the demonstrations, the students gathered in the office of Declan McGonagle, NCAD Director, to deliver signed letters which criticised recent decisions made by the college. The letter stated, “It has become evident that the administrations primary concern at present is the management of revenue rather than the education and welfare of students.“This shift in the college’s ideology has left current students abandoned and alumni disillusioned about the value of their degrees and the future of contemporary art in Ireland.”Despite public funding for NCAD falling by 23% and staff levels being reduced by 10%, student numbers at the college have increased by approximately 23%. The protesters called for the reversal of several “irresponsible decisions” made by the NCAD Board of Management, and demanded that extra resources be provided to match the increase in numbers of first year students, for evidence that fees had been used to contribute to studio and material costs to be produced and for the fee increases in one MA offered to be reversed.Following the initial protest, McGonagle had arranged to meet with members of the Students’ Union last Tuesday to discuss the demands made by the protesters, who go under the name ‘NCAD See the Future’. However, shortly before the meeting was due to take place, the College Director pulled out, claiming that the discussions were being organised by another group and not the elected student reps.Whilst McGonagle did meet with members of the SU prior to the cancelled meeting, members of the NCAD See the Future group criticised the director’s decision to withdraw stating that in doing so he had shown an “outrageous disrespect for students.”