Volume XIX Issue 8 FREE
25th January 2011
A Newly Discovered Bacterium Is Causing Us To Re-Examine Life As We Know It. Page 6.
‘127 Hours’ And Why The Acting Trumped The Directing. Page 19.
CAR SINKS INTO SCHUMANN FOUNTAIN Written by Finn McDuffie, Editor
A MOTORIST drove into the Schumann Building Fountain on 7 January, in what has been described as “a freak accident.” The motorist was an elderly man, thought to be from the Ballysimon area. The incident happened at around 5:45pm in dim light and icy conditions as the campus experienced a light snowfall. Visibility was poor and the fountain was covered in layers of ice and snow. It is thought the driver, in his late seventies, mistook the fountain’s surface for a concrete area, mounting the curb, and driving on to the ice. UL Head of Security, John McDonnell, said there was no indication of any skid marks and the visiting driver believed the fountain was in fact a turning circle. The driver was rescued by the Limerick Fire Service by means of an inflatable raft. Gardaí and an ambulance were also present. Onlookers captured video footage of the rescue, which has been posted on YouTube. The elderly man was shaken but uninjured and was taken home by his daughter shortly after the accident. The vehicle ended up in the centre of the smaller part of the Schumann Fountain and was later towed. The road on which the incident happened was closed temporarily and traffic redirected through the Plaza by UL Security. SU President, Ruán Dillon McLoughlin, said “I found the situation very bemusing and couldn’t understand how it was possible.” “I was glad no-one was hurt. It was great to see how quickly the emergency services removed the car restored things to normal.”
Photo: Cillian Keogh
HUNT REPORT RECOMMENDS GRADUATE TAX Written by Colm Fitzgerald, News Editor THE long awaited Hunt Report on higher education in Ireland has recommended a graduate tax system, whereby students pay no fees until they have graduated and have found jobs. The report, chaired by Dr Colin Hunt, former advisor to Brian Cowen, suggests that higher education institutions in Ireland will be unable to cope with demand with current levels of funding. The Central Applications
Office (CAO) has recorded a 14% increase in applications for students intending to start third level courses in September 2011. Minister for Education and Skills, Tánaiste Mary Coughlan said “It is not my intention that students should be left with an unmanageable debt burden upon graduation, rather, students should make an equitable contribution to the overall cost of the significant economic advantage they
gain from higher education” Last year saw the Government attempt to raise the Student Services Charge to €3000 in the 2011 budget. This increase was reduced because of political pressure from the Opposition and a student protest of record proportions in November. A €500 increase has been introduced for the 2011/12 academic year, while the second and subsequent child in a family
will pay the old charge of €1500. ULSU Welfare Officer Derek Daly has urged students to “take the recommendations seriously”. “The implementation of fees is something that the student movement must engage with or we will end up with a fees system that students have had no input in and which may act as a barrier,” Mr Daly said. “Everyone who needs a third level education for their chosen life path should have it available
regardless of means. These loans should not be considered ordinary debt under any circumstances and should not be linked to credit histories,” he added. Opposition parties have already criticised the report, with Labour claiming its “conclusions on financing are vague, poorly described, not quantified in any manner and would receive a D mark if submitted as an answer to a commerce degree exam.”