“Trinity Students’ Union will secede from the Forum for University Students’ Unions (FUSU). The motion was passed at a meeting of the Students’ Union’s Council on November 17 by a unanimous vote. Under the terms of the motion the President of the Students’ Union is mandated to ‘take the necessary steps to withdraw from the FUSU’ …” (more)

[Simone Hall, University Times, 25 November]

“A working group setup to redraft a section of the draft Terms of Reference for the Capitation Committee is to recommend that the Capitation Committee not have the power to confiscate copies of publications …” (more)

[Carl Doherty, University Times, 25 November]

“Trinity College staff picketed the College on November 24 in the national day of protest for the public service sector. The College was severely disrupted by the one day work stoppage. All lectures and labs were cancelled on the day due to an ‘unacceptably high’ risk to health and safety. The College said that it carried out an assessment of risk to health and safety and the professional advice was that lectures and labs should be cancelled …” (more)

[Carl Doherty, University Times, 25 November]

“Students at Trinity College Dublin have begun a campaign against what they claim is a €650,000 cut in the purchasing budget of the college library – and cuts in opening hours. Yesterday, a TCD spokeswoman acknowledged that cuts had been made in the library budget. But she said the cut was significantly less than €650,000 …” (more)

[Seán Flynn, Irish Times, 27 November]

“Trinity College Dublin (TCD) plans to increase student numbers by 15 per cent and widen access for poorer students, according to its new strategic plan. Trinity says the 2009-14 plan is designed to establish its position as one of the leading universities ‘which shape our world’ …” (more)

[Seán Flynn, Irish Times, 26 November]

“75 per cent of Trinity students secured more than 450 CAO points in their Leaving Cert. No job cuts are planned. Provost Dr John Hegarty says Trinity is a ‘lean’ operation which has ‘balanced its books’ in 2009 …” (more)

[Irish Times, 26 November]

“Trinity College Dublin is being forced to rely on foreign donors to fund lecturing posts because of the deepening financial crisis facing the university sector. As it launched an ambitious strategic plan yesterday, TCD — recently rated 43rd best university in the world by The Times Higher Education global rankings — was bracing itself for another 10% cut in its core funding in 2010, on top of a 7.5% decrease to €88m this year …” (more)

[Niall Murray, Irish Examiner, 26 November]

“Mine’s blocking my mirror at the moment. Latin incomphrensibility of TCD degrees helps with the officialness methinks.” (tweet)

[Claire Hennessy, Twitter, 25 November]

“Got to admit DCU MA looks like it was printed out by an office laser printer. Seem to remember my TCD BA was a lot more … official looking.” (tweet)

[Anna Carey, Twitter, 25 November]

“A visit to the What If… exhibition in the Science Gallery at Trinity College has been sparking the imagination of TY students. What if you mixed a pig with a cow, clouds rained ice cream, and machines could read our emotions? …” (more)

[Peter McGuire, Irish Times, 25 November]

“lots of people were at work in TCD today.” (tweet)

[John Whelan, Twitter, 24 November]

“Passed by TCD today and saw really dense picket lines I wouldn’t have wanted to be someone trying to enter!” (tweet)

[vonprond, Twitter, 24 November]

“About 20 IPUT members picketing at the Nassau St entrance to TCD” (tweet)

[iprotest, Twitter, 24 November]

“Is there a collective noun for a roomful of professors? A great many of the most senior figures of Irish academia turned up in Trinity College Dublin on Saturday night to hear the annual statutory lecture of the School of Theoretical Physics of the Dublin Institute of Advanced Studies …” (more)

[Cormac O’Raifeartaigh, Antimatter, 22 November]

“Third-level colleges will stay open next Tuesday but severe disruption of lectures is expected. University College Cork will close but that is because of flooding. University College Dublin said some students had assessments and/or assignment submissions scheduled for Tuesday …” (more)

[John Walshe, Independent, 21 November]

Blogmeister’s note: So if all I’m hearing and reading is correct (a big assumption) that means that TCD, UCD, NUIM and NUIG will be open but will have pickets; UL and DCU will be open and without pickets; and UCC will just be sweeping up the mess, with no pickets, but no teaching either, for the whole of the week. Do I have it right, or can someone with local knowledge give us a better picture? And what’s  happening in the ITs?

“There has been a certain amount of media coverage of the claim by Trinity College Dublin Students Union that at least some of the student registration charge, which is intended to pay for student services, is being used by TCD to pay for other things through the general budget …” (more)

[Ferdinand von Prondzynski, University Blog, 22 November]

“All TCD lectures for next Tuesday cancelled.” (tweet)

[Conor Houghton, Twitter, 20 November]

“A new row over third-level funding has been sparked by student union claims that colleges are using most of their €1,500-a-head registration charges to plug gaps in state funding. The claim by student representatives in the country’s two largest universities, TCD and UCD, will be investigated by the Higher Education Authority (HEA) …” (more)

[Katherine Donnelly, Independent, 20 November]

“Much of the registration fee paid by students of Trinity College Dublin (TCD) was not used for student services, the Oireachtas education committee heard yesterday. The president of Trinity’s Students’ Union, Cónán Ó Broin, sent a copy of accounts to the committee which revealed that much of the registration fee was used in lieu of cuts in the Higher Education Authority (HEA) grant, committee chairman and Green TD Paul Gogarty said …” (more)

[Genevieve Carbery, Irish Times, 20 November]

“Just a third of the registration fee paid by students of Trinity College Dublin is used on student services, an Oireachtas committee heard today. A copy of accounts sent to the Oireachtas Education committee by TCD student’s union reveal that much of the registration fee was used in lieu of cuts in the Government grant for the college, committee chairman and Green education spokesman Paul Gogarty said …” (more)

[Irish Times, 19 November]

“Twenty-four students with an intellectual disability last night celebrated graduating from an innovative certificate programme at Trinity College Dublin. The second graduate class in the Certificate in Contemporary Living programme toasted their success last night on the famous campus …” (more)

[Noel Baker, Irish Examiner, 18 November]

“Trinity College’s School of Business was ranked 21st in the world among the top 100 Global Business Schools by Eduniversal when it released its report on the world’s top 1,000 business schools recently. The renowned ranking also places TCD’s School of Business as 1st in Ireland and 15th in Europe …” (more)

[Trinity College Communications Office, 17 November]

“Jack Shanahan is a renaissance man. An artist, football fan and French speaker, last night he added another string to his bow by graduating as one of 24 students who completed a university course for people with intellectual disability …” (more)

[Noel Baker, Irish Examiner, 18 November]