News - Around the Universities (Issue 11)

Trinity College DublinA series of rallies and demonstrations have taken place in Trinity to protest against the proposed implementation of a €450 flat supplemental examination fee. The ‘Take Back Trinity’ campaign team, an estimated 50 students, occupied Trinity College Dining Hall for 3 days last week, with further demonstrations planned around campus in the coming days. Provost Patrick Prendergast has since tweeted he would “seriously consider alternative proposals on supplemental exam fees, modular billing & PG/Non-EU fees at the next Board meeting.” University College DublinUCD has repurposed over 170 pre-existing bathrooms on their campus as gender neutral. The university also plans to institute transgender changing facilities in its sports arena. The proposals are part of UCD’s new Gender Identity and Expression Policy, which hopes to welcome and support transgender and genderfluid students and employees of the university. Students will also be able to amend their names on official UCD records, even if they do not possess deed polls. University of LimerickThe American attorney from hit Netflix documentary ‘Making a Murderer’, Dean Strang, will commence a position this month as guest Lecturer of Law at UL for six weeks. Strang acted as legal representative for Steven Avery, who was convicted of murder, and subsequently had that conviction overturned. Spokespersons for UL School of Law hope their students will benefit from Strang’s perspective and insights on the US legal system. Maynooth UniversityMU has become the first ever Irish university to introduce sleeping pods onto its campus. The ‘Energy Pods’, located in the campus library, originated as the result of the winning entry in the inaugural MU Innovation Competition. Representatives of the university have described new additions as “ideal for commuting students or just someone who simply needs a nap or a time alone to recharge.”