Galway Advertiser 1990/1990_10_25/GA_25101990_E1_009.pdf 

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BURSTING AT THE SEAMS!
Severe overcrowding at U.C.G. is putting undue strain on students and threatening education standards.
A n I r i s h F e d e r a t i o n of University Teachers' r e p o r t c l a i m s inadequate G o v e r n m e n t f u n d i n g is putting Ireland's third level institutes at risk, in cluding Galway's university. T h e p r o b l e m is p a r t i c u l a r l y g r a v e at U.C.G's l i b r a r y a n d canteen. IFUT's Galway branch chairman, Dr Thomas F a n n i n g , says students a r e being f o r c e d to eat t h e i r meals a t l u c h t i m e stan d i n g or s i t t i n g on floors. T h e r e is an acute shortage of space a n d staff i n the l i b r a r y also. ' T h e facilities at U.C.G. j u s t do not m a t c h the i n creasing numbers of students, " he says. This y e a r U.C.G. took on 325 m o r e students, but he says, this is only the f i r s t phase of a t h r e e y e a r increase. " W e h a v e opened o u r doors i n good f a i t h , but w e a r e not being g r a n t e d ade quate m o n e y to c o p e . "

Farcical
D r F a n n i n g , w h o is a m e m b e r of the l i b r a r y c o m m i t t e e , says the posi tion of l i b r a r i a n has not been f i l l e d for four y e a r s . " T h e l i b r a r y is the f o c a l point of a n y u n i v e r s i t y the one f a c i l i t y on w h i c h everyone depends, but i t is the poor r e l a t i o n to other faculties." Student president D a i t h i Mac Carthaigh says U.C.G.'s library is "farcical". " O u r l i b r a r y is a total j o k e f o r a 20th century u n i v e r s i t y , " he says. There is only one seat for e v e r y ten students, com p a r e d to the r e c o m m e n d ed r a t i o of one f o r ever> four. M r M a c C a r t h a i g h says students a r e being f o r c e d to t r a v e l to D u b l i n to use the l i b r a r y f a c i l i t i e s of other colleges because of the book shortage. " I t can take three weeks

to get a book on interl i b r a r y l o a n , so m o r e a n d m o r e students h a v e to go to D u b l i n i n s t e a d . " " O b v i o u s l y this discom f o r t is u n a c c e p t a b l e a n d education standards must drop."

Tied hands
U.C.G.'s Governing Body met yesterday, w h e r e the L i b r a r y C o m m i t t e e w a s seeking u r g e n t action. D r F a n n i n g says the col lege a u t h o r i t i e s h a v e done their best with the resources available. U.C.G. h a d f a r e d b e t t e r than other unversities w i t h e x t r a t e a c h i n g staff. The A r t s , Commerce and Science faculties have borne the main brunt of the student increase, a n d new b u i l d i n g s have been ac q u i r e d to t r y to cope w i t h the e x t r a p r e s s u r e . However, D r Fanning says, these efforts m u s t b e fully supported by the necessary Government funding. " T o a l a r g e degree the G o v e r n i n g B o d y ' s hands are tied because the money bags l i e elsewhere, but i t is now a m a t t e r of u r g e n c y to be r e s o l v e d . " Linley MacKenzie

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