Official Bitch about daily life in NUIG!

Fionn MacCool · 10-12-2010 3:28pm

reap-a-rat wrote: »

Can you read?

Yes I can. Now let's see how your reading holds up.

My post began "As long as they're not disturbing you or taking a computer you need to use...". This suggests that if a situation happens to be to the opposite, i.e. someone is disturbing you, or the are taking a computer you need, then it certainly is your business.

This part of your post
"I was trying to study and they were talking loudly"
Coupled with the fact I had not quoted anything you said, suggests that your example falls into one of the latter categories, therefore making it your business.

Ergo we can conclude that my post didn't apply to your experience, but rather, to other situations.

With me?

reap-a-rat · 10-12-2010 3:35pm

Fionn MacCool wrote: »

As long as they're not disturbing you or taking a computer you need to use (and I presume they were on laptops), is it really any of your business how they spend their study time? It's not your degree. If anyone had the cheek to commet on what I was doing they'd be getting a swift F*ck Off (with Honours).

Now, I know you didn't quote my post, but the fact you said "and I presume they were on laptops" indicates to me that your post was in fact aimed at me.

Fionn MacCool wrote: »

Yes I can. Now let's see how your reading holds up.

My post began "As long as they're not disturbing you or taking a computer you need to use...". This suggests that if a situation happens to be to the opposite, i.e. someone is disturbing you, or the are taking a computer you need, then it certainly is your business.

This part of your post
"I was trying to study and they were talking loudly"
Coupled with the fact I had not quoted anything you said, suggests that your example falls into one of the latter categories, therefore making it your business.

Ergo we can conclude that my post didn't apply to your experience, but rather, to other situations.

With me?

You're just contradicting your own post now to make it seem like you're right.

I'd appreciate if you could cut out the condescending attitude too.

Fionn MacCool · 10-12-2010 3:40pm

reap-a-rat wrote: »

Now, I know you didn't quote my post, but the fact you said "and I presume they were on laptops" indicates to me that your post was in fact aimed at me.

Depends if you situation met the first clause of my post, which according to you, it didn't. I don't see why you insist in taking it personally.

reap-a-rat wrote: »

I'd appreciate if you could cut out the condescending attitude too.

"Can you read?" :rolleyes:

brianthebard · 10-12-2010 3:56pm

*facepalm* stop it you children. Mod.

Fionn MacCool · 10-12-2010 3:59pm

Pray tell, which part of your precious charter have we violated that you feel the need to once again announce you're a mod?

brianthebard · 10-12-2010 4:06pm

Fionn banned for two days for questioning mod decisions in thread. bitching is to be confined to nuig, not between posters, from now on.

reap-a-rat · 10-12-2010 4:23pm

How come there is no cross-faculty agreement to put up timetables on a certain date? My boyfriend got his Sem 2 timetable on wednesday, and if its anything like last year for me, I won't get mine til days before I get back. I know its not important, but its nice to know these things early I think!

PS Sorry Brian but he irks me... I'll keep it on topic from now on!

HotDogger · 10-12-2010 4:27pm

RDM_83 again wrote: »

...searching for links to post that included one about grade inflation in irish universities, its now 3am and just reread one of my essays and I'm hoping to fcuk there is...

I know for sure that some of my grades have been "inflated." For example, how the hell did I get 100% on an assignment where I left out a few questions?

I don't think the problem is that Irish students are so shyte that their grades need to be disguised (although it could be), but rather it's intelligent but incompetent lecturers going "oops" when they see the crap results of their crap teaching skills.

I think the three big problems with lecturers at Galway are:

1) "Prestige" lecturers - People who are accomplished in their field and make the university look good, but can't teach a course worth sh*t.

2) Incompetent keeners - Young pups with Ph.Ds who like to spend every lecture ranting about their favourite topic, and then giving you completely unrelated exams.

3) The international mix - Foreign lecturers are fine if they understand the Irish education system (where a large part of preparing for exams involves memorising answers to past exams). I find that too many of them expect you to actually know what you have learned - which would be fine except there isn't enough time to actually study enough for their classes and the exams are only 2 hours.

Seriously, what's with the clock? With some of these papers it's like trying answer math questions while people are throwing bowling balls at you. I think if a lecturer doesn't have an Irish last name, you should automatically be allowed three hours.

reap-a-rat · 10-12-2010 4:32pm

HotDogger wrote: »

2) Incompetent keeners - Young pups with Ph.Ds who like to spend every lecture ranting about their favourite topic, and then giving you completely unrelated exams.

Sorta linked to this, a friend of mine in third Science said one day early in the Semester they had a guy "teaching" them who spent the lecture telling them how much he hated lecturing and he was only doing it becuse of the sponsorship for research :eek:!

KittyeeTrix · 10-12-2010 5:50pm

reap-a-rat wrote: »

Sorta linked to this, a friend of mine in third Science said one day early in the Semester they had a guy "teaching" them who spent the lecture telling them how much he hated lecturing and he was only doing it becuse of the sponsorship for research :eek:!

3rd science here and I know excactly who you are talking about.;)
We had him in 2nd yr as well when he told us the same line which was basically that he doesn't get excited about teaching 2nd years but that it was his research which got him out of bed in the morning.

We only had him for 3 lectures this year and he spend about 2 of them banging on about his big research labs he runs.......:o
we were all kinda embarrassed for him by the end of it!!!

HotDogger · 10-12-2010 7:22pm

brianthebard wrote: »

bitching is to be confined to nuig, not between posters, from now on.

Ficheall should probably be exempt from this. He displays a very refined finesse in his cynicism.

randylonghorn · 10-12-2010 8:41pm

HotDogger wrote: »

I think the three big problems with lecturers at Galway are:

1) "Prestige" lecturers - People who are accomplished in their field and make the university look good, but can't teach a course worth sh*t.

I'm afraid that's a perennial and age-old problem in every university, and a very difficult one to balance.

Academic staff have two roles (at least) ... as researchers and as teachers. Unfortunately, the best researchers are not always the good teachers or vice versa.

And the standard of research and researchers in departments / the university IS important to you, though it may not appear so at first glance.

It is on that standard to a great extent that the the standard of the university, the department and therefore your degree is judged by the outside world.

Most universities in the last decade have made a concerted effort to improve the standard of actual teaching by providing professional development courses in teaching for existing and incoming lecturers. It's a slow process, though, not helped by the fact that 90% of lecturers seem to believe that they're naturally wonderful teachers, even when they aren't! :rolleyes:

HotDogger wrote: »

2) Incompetent keeners - Young pups with Ph.Ds who like to spend every lecture ranting about their favourite topic, and then giving you completely unrelated exams.

I know the type, and you have my sympathy. The only advice I can give is to look carefully at the module outline and reading list from Day 1 ... it will probably give you a better indication of what will come up in the exam. Remember that you are adult, and are expected to be able to study independently at university level. That said, you should be at least getting an overview from your lecturer, and I do sympathise with those confronted with the extreme cases such as you mention.

HotDogger wrote: »

3) The international mix - Foreign lecturers are fine if they understand the Irish education system (where a large part of preparing for exams involves memorising answers to past exams).

And here we come to my personal ulcer! No, just no ... unfortunately the Leaving Cert in the last 20 years has become more and more about memorisation, and therefore the current generation believe as you do that "a large part of preparing for exams involves memorising answers to past exams". That's not what education, and especially what education at University, is supposed to be about.

HotDogger wrote: »

I find that too many of them expect you to actually know what you have learned ...

Which is a perfectly reasonable attitude!

HotDogger wrote: »

... which would be fine except there isn't enough time to actually study enough for their classes

Is this really true though?

Ask yourself (I really don't want to know the answer, 'tis none of my business) have you been putting in 20-25 hours per week of solid study every week since the beginning of term (not 20-25 hours of sitting in the Library, or with books open on your desk, now, but that amount of time actually *studying*). If you can honestly say "yes", then you may have some modules which are genuinely content-heavy.

Remember that you are no longer in secondary school, no-one is going to baby-sit you or check your homework, it is up to you as an adult responsible for your own actions to knuckle down and study the material.

HotDogger wrote: »

... and the exams are only 2 hours.

Seriously, what's with the clock? With some of these papers it's like trying answer math questions while people are throwing bowling balls at you.

A perennial argument, and there's much to be said on both sides.

Exams generally used to be 3 hours, but there was little or no continuous assessment involved in modules. When CA became more prevalent, the time for exams were generally reduced accordingly, rather than CA simply becoming an extra layer of assessment on top of the existing exams.

But when they were 3 hours, people still complained they did not have time for the (longer) papers, and weren't able to demonstrate all that they knew. Which was one of the main reasons CA was introduced in the first place ...

My advice would be exactly what I would say to someone in LC ... hone your exam skills, practise writing answers to past questions in the time allotted, etc. etc.

(By the way, if you just wanted to let off steam, and didn't really want an answer, my apologies!

)

steel_spine · 10-12-2010 8:42pm

HotDogger wrote: »

I think the three big problems with lecturers at Galway are:

1) "Prestige" lecturers - People who are accomplished in their field and make the university look good, but can't teach a course worth sh*t.

2) Incompetent keeners - Young pups with Ph.Ds who like to spend every lecture ranting about their favourite topic, and then giving you completely unrelated exams.

God this, there's some lecturers that are lovely, and I'm positive excellent in their research field, but they CANNOT BL**DY TEACH, or they have too high a workload to properly prepare. Some of them don't seem to know what the hell their lectures are about, being constantly surprised by the next slide, and when you get their lecture notes, it's too incomprehensible to get enough down to write an essay on. As far as I'm concerned the entire 2nd year Oceanography course was a write-off this year, Rachel Cave was on sabbatical, and I got the distinct impression they turned us and our labs over to the phd students, poked them in the back and said 'teach this'. They seemed uncertain and adrift and probably could have done with much better support (on the flipside we had a phd lecturer for zoology and he was brilliant), and this has negatively impacted our learning.
The most annoying bloody habit was waffling away, constantly correcting yourself or stop-starting in the middle of explanations to the point where nobody could understand the material, then blasting through the slides too fast to take notes as they realise they forgot to change them while they were waffling.
The actual lecturers we had for this course were no better than the phd students, there was one whose lectures were so bad I stopped going - and I'm a great attendee usually - because I was gaining literally nothing from them.
Zoology were mad on attendance this year because the fail rate was about 70% last year and they're convinced it's non-attendance. And they made the bloody exam harder to pass, if they get a massive fail rate this year they may have to look at their teaching methods, though there was only one guy there I think was truly dire, ****ing awful botched handouts and no uploaded notes.

While I'm bitching about my subjects: Zoology labs are a f*cking joke, and I was really looking forward to the actual subject matter. 2 hours for a lab, they let you in ten minutes late, then the lecturer talks for up to 45mins only you literally can't hear a damn word over all the f*ckwits chatting, and the lecturer won't wear a mike, nor do they or the demonstraters try to enforce quiet, then a 15min MCQ at the end. So you're left with about an hour to do a full lab, sometimes with up to 10 fully labelled diagrams to do, so you have no choice but to do them crap and rush them to get them all, and then you're marked down for quality. The last part especially miffs me because my diagrams are usually beautiful, but when I have ten minutes to accurately draw and label every bl**dy part of a bl**dy cockroach...

HotDogger · 10-12-2010 10:14pm

randylonghorn wrote: »

I'm afraid that's a perennial and age-old problem in every university, and a very difficult one to balance.

Yup. People like to go on about how Galway is worse than Trinity, but better than Maynooth (Sez so in the Irish Times rankings!!!). Funny thing is, Maynooth is actually a better university because their degrees are less respected. Is that a paradox?

Most universities in the last decade have made a concerted effort to improve the standard of actual teaching by providing professional development courses in...

The maths department is enlisting luddites as junior lecturers. Think about it.

Remember that you are adult, and are expected to be able to study independently at university level.

I try to study as independently as possible, but they drag you back in. People like to debate this, but I prefer textbooks to lecturers. (Cue some retard quoting the university charter regarding attendance).

Two problems here.

Some lecturers like to recommend 10+ textbooks, and then go on to add "any textbook on the subject will do." They then use exotic notation that differs wildly from the recommended textbooks (and the textbooks themselves have wildly differing notation). This is a bit of a problem once you get past basic calculus. Why not choose one textbook, and build the course around it?

Second problem is much worse: if it occurs to a randomly selected crap lecturer that any student can do well without their help, they will invariably boycott Blackboard. As in, "there is only one way through this course, and it goes through me." We're coming up on 2011, and educators at this institution are choosing to not use the internet.

And here we come to my personal ulcer! No, just no ... unfortunately the Leaving Cert in the last 20 years has become more and more about memorisation, and therefore the current generation believe as you do that "a large part of preparing for exams involves memorising answers to past exams". That's not what education, and especially what education at University, is supposed to be about.

Which is a perfectly reasonable attitude!

That's exactly my point, and that's why foreign lecturers get confused. Personally I'd rather be learning the material, but you'd be a fool to not spend your time studying previous exams. At the end of it all, success at university is judged by what kind of honours you get.

I know that, ideally, university is supposed to be about education, but in reality it's about finding ways to get funding and students are regarded as "money batteries." Have a look at the constantly expanding arts degree options. Do you not find it odd that career guidance counsellors are currently advising the kiddos to get arts degrees?

Pure maths at this university is learned by rote. Think about it. You write down proofs (to theorems that you don't even understand) on the exams, and you're awarded with an A. Course looks good on paper, grades are fine... everything's fine.

I tutored some leaving cert kid over the summer and he had to use his calculator to calculate 10 squared. If this is your ulcer, I feel sorry for you.

Exams generally used to be 3 hours, but there was little or no continuous assessment involved in modules. When CA became more prevalent...

It's really not that big of a problem. They actually have efficient grading systems at other universities on this planet so there's no need for NUIG to invent their own. And, honestly, they shouldn't be trying to do anything on their own because their previous attempts at everything set the international standard for Epic Fail.

randylonghorn · 10-12-2010 11:21pm

HotDogger wrote: »

Yup. People like to go on about how Galway is worse than Trinity, but better than Maynooth (Sez so in the Irish Times rankings!!!). Funny thing is, Maynooth is actually a better university because their degrees are less respected. Is that a paradox?

I'm not going to endanger myself (:pac:) by tackling this one except to say that I pay very little attention to the various rankings ... they're based on so many factors (and some which I would argue) that I tend to ignore them. Let's just say that there are ways to manipulate them that have nothing to do with the core functions of the university, and a lot to do with having a bigger budget and being prepared to prioritise publicity and pander to the rankings.

HotDogger wrote: »

I try to study as independently as possible, but they drag you back in. People like to debate this, but I prefer textbooks to lecturers. (Cue some retard quoting the university charter regarding attendance).

A good mix / balance is actually ideal ... assuming ofc that your lecturers are good.

HotDogger wrote: »

Some lecturers like to recommend 10+ textbooks, and then go on to add "any textbook on the subject will do." They then use exotic notation that differs wildly from the recommended textbooks (and the textbooks themselves have wildly differing notation). This is a bit of a problem once you get past basic calculus. Why not choose one textbook, and build the course around it?

Maths is not my area, so I can't answer that. Certainly, for any area I might teach, the problem is that there is usually no one textbook (or even two or three) that cover all the material in sufficient detail. Plus most of the areas would be strongly contested between different schools of thought, and most textbooks approach a subject from one theoretical perspective ... immediate problem!

I would have thought it would be easier to do so for maths or the sciences, but as I say, they're not my field.

HotDogger wrote: »

Second problem is much worse: if it occurs to a randomly selected crap lecturer that any student can do well without their help, they will invariably boycott Blackboard. As in, "there is only one way through this course, and it goes through me." We're coming up on 2011, and educators at this institution are choosing to not use the internet.

There are widely differing (usually strong!) views on this one, and I can understand and sympathise with most of them.

Personally, I think Blackboard / Moodle, Powerpoint, etc. are great teaching support tools. They're not necessarily great teachers though (ofc, your point is, neither are some lecturers, and I take that point).

Some lecturers love them, and upload everything. The problem then though can be that students say "oh, sure everything will be online, I don't need to go to the lectures!". Now I have no real problem with that, personally, IF people take responsibility for themselves and do the work independently ... I'm aware that my face is no delight, and I actually don't feel the need to impose it on students' nightmares!

The problem, though, is that the majority won't / don't ... they do SFA for most of the semester, relying on the fact that they "have all the notes", then cram / panic / cram / memorise / cram / regurgitate over the last couple of weeks.

We seem to be in agreement that that is not education. The reality is that they won't even remember it, despite having memorised it, two weeks later, let alone having understood it, and as for critical analysis / reflection ... pffft! :rolleyes:

Hell, it's not even good for their health!

HotDogger wrote: »

That's exactly my point, and that's why foreign lecturers get confused. Personally I'd rather be learning the material, but you'd be a fool to not spend your time studying previous exams. At the end of it all, success at university is judged by what kind of honours you get.

... which *should* be based not only on what you know / have memorised, but far more importantly your ability to think critically / analyse / make relevant connections between material.

HotDogger wrote: »

I know that, ideally, university is supposed to be about education, but in reality it's about finding ways to get funding and students are regarded as "money batteries." Have a look at the constantly expanding arts degree options.

Funnily enough, the emphasis on critical thinking probably survives better in arts degrees (and it should ... that's what they are all about!!) though even there it is under severe threat from the effects of massification. When you have 500 students lined up in front of you in a lecture hall, it's very hard to do anything but lecture at them, and hope to encourage them in other ways to think for themselves outside that milieu. Tutorials can help, but gone forever are the old days where, for example, in universities like Oxford and Cambridge every student had an hour's one-to-one tutorial with a member of faculty (not a post-grad!) where the week's lectures and the student's supplementary reading would be discussed in detail and analysed. On top of that, each student prepared a weekly essay for his tutor, which would be discussed and feedback given. Unfortunately, those kind of systems will never be seen again; they simply aren't viable with the numbers to-day.

HotDogger wrote: »

Pure maths at this university is learned by rote. Think about it. You write down proofs (to theorems that you don't even understand) on the exams, and you're awarded with an A. Course looks good on paper, grades are fine... everything's fine.

Again, not a Maths buff, so can't really comment. However, if you're regurgitating stuff you don't understand or can't apply, yes, there is a problem.

HotDogger wrote: »

I tutored some leaving cert kid over the summer and he had to use his calculator to calculate 10 squared. If this is your ulcer, I feel sorry for you.

It's an example of it, yes.

HotDogger wrote: »

It's really not that big of a problem. They actually have efficient grading systems at other universities on this planet so there's no need for NUIG to invent their own. And, honestly, they shouldn't be trying to do anything on their own because their previous attempts at everything set the international standard for Epic Fail.

You've lost me a bit here as to your exact point. What type of systems exactly are you arguing for? All continuous assessment? ... leads to problems with reliability / plagiarism unless you have some way of cross-checking, which terminal exams are *supposed* to do, though I'll admit I'm not their greatest fan myself.

Padkir · 12-12-2010 3:46pm

Why the hell can you not bring a cup of tea into the library?? What is the basis behind it, considering that it's ok to bring water or any other bottled fizzy drink!! I like to have a cuppa tea while I'm doin some work but now I had to just swig it down quick outside to make sure I wasn't wastin 1 mins of study unnecessarily! It's a ridiculos rule!!!

the keen edge · 12-12-2010 4:48pm

Padkir wrote: »

Why the hell can you not bring a cup of tea into the library?? What is the basis behind it, considering that it's ok to bring water or any other bottled fizzy drink!! I like to have a cuppa tea while I'm doin some work but now I had to just swig it down quick outside to make sure I wasn't wastin 1 mins of study unnecessarily! It's a ridiculos rule!!!

I thought that only bottled water was allowed, not fizzy drinks.

I don't agree that its a ridiculous rule, students have to be allow bring some type of drink in, and in the event of the inevitable spill that is bound to occur, water is going to do the least amount of damage to library books etc.

It's a rule to help keep the books in the library in good condition for a long time.
IMO it's a good rule, maybe poorly enforced.

God knows it would only take a single tea/coffee stain, over a single passage of exam relevant material, on the last copy on the shelf, of a certain book around exam time for some panicked student to start complaining about the condition of the library books.

reap-a-rat · 12-12-2010 5:01pm

the keen edge wrote: »

I thought that only bottled water was allowed, not fizzy drinks.

I don't agree that its a ridiculous rule, students have to be allow bring some type of drink in, and in the event of the inevitable spill that is bound to occur, water is going to do the least amount of damage to library books etc.

It's a rule to help keep the books in the library in good condition for a long time.
IMO it's a good rule, maybe poorly enforced.

God knows it would only take a single tea/coffee stain, over a single passage of exam relevant material, on the last copy on the shelf, of a certain book around exam time for some panicked student to start complaining about the condition of the library books.

Water may do the least damage, that's a really good point. But I know for me at least, when I have tea I a) drink it faster than any other drink because it can't go cold or its rotten, and b) am a lot more mindful of where I leave it down, where my arms are etc.

It could easily happen that if you check a book out of the library, a lot more than a tea/coffee stain could occur. You could get bolognese all over it, your baby sister might decide its nicer than her usual mush, the dog might chew it up etc. Accidents can happen anywhere to be fair! It should be enforced that its either water or nothing at all though, spilling lucozade would be stickier than spilling tea like:)!

While I'm here, I might as well add in about the library, what's with the toilets? Not a regular in the library at all but when I needed to go I had to text someone to find out where they were, as there just aren't any little signs or anything saying it! You'd think they'd be near the lads jacks, but anyway! And then, when I got there, there were 3 cubicles, 2 of which were out of order! I mean, the amount of people that are inevitably going to need to go, and only one toilet, seems a bit daft? Had to queue up, like in a niteclub or something!:rolleyes:

You really start to notice all the annoying things about university at exam time, I don't do half as much giving out the rest of the time:o!

cat_xx · 12-12-2010 5:17pm

I was in the bialinn today and the manager came up to me and my boyfriend and told us we were not allowed to eat food from other shops in there.. we had food from centra. She told us we would have to buy something in the bialinn to remain seating there and she said the same to a few others. She then came back around and demanded to see what we had bought. We refused to buy anything and then left. Is there not supposed to be signs saying this instead of the REALLY annoying staff intruding your lunch?!

JohnCleary · 12-12-2010 5:28pm

cat_xx wrote: »

I was in the bialinn today and the manager came up to me and my boyfriend and told us we were not allowed to eat food from other shops in there.. we had food from centra. She told us we would have to buy something in the bialinn to remain seating there and she said the same to a few others. She then came back around and demanded to see what we had bought. We refused to buy anything and then left. Is there not supposed to be signs saying this instead of the REALLY annoying staff intruding your lunch?!

Prob because the place is quiet in there today and they've nothing else for doing.

I'd love to be approached in a situation like above. I know it sounds knacker'ish but i'd simply reply with "Make me" - It'd be some sight to see her get a few boys out from the kitchen to physicially lift you off the premesis (which would never happen as this constitutes as assault)

the keen edge · 12-12-2010 5:30pm

reap-a-rat wrote: »

Water may do the least damage, that's a really good point. But I know for me at least, when I have tea I a) drink it faster than any other drink because it can't go cold or its rotten, and b) am a lot more mindful of where I leave it down, where my arms are etc.

It could easily happen that if you check a book out of the library, a lot more than a tea/coffee stain could occur. You could get bolognese all over it, your baby sister might decide its nicer than her usual mush, the dog might chew it up etc. Accidents can happen anywhere to be fair! It should be enforced that its either water or nothing at all though, spilling lucozade would be stickier than spilling tea like:)!

While I'm here, I might as well add in about the library, what's with the toilets? Not a regular in the library at all but when I needed to go I had to text someone to find out where they were, as there just aren't any little signs or anything saying it! You'd think they'd be near the lads jacks, but anyway! And then, when I got there, there were 3 cubicles, 2 of which were out of order! I mean, the amount of people that are inevitably going to need to go, and only one toilet, seems a bit daft? Had to queue up, like in a niteclub or something!:rolleyes:

You really start to notice all the annoying things about university at exam time, I don't do half as much giving out the rest of the time:o!

I'am sure that you yourself are mindful when it comes to avoiding spills, but come on, what about, for example the messers, incessant chatters etc.
I couldn't see that crowd being to careful not to spill Diet Coke or whatever on books.

And sure the books may get damaged when taken out. It is hard to avoid this from happening, however they probably spend over 50% of their life span within the library. So while they are within the university, it is very good sense to make, and enforce, rules to help protect their condition at that time.

Besides, have you every been in there and someone within 10 yards of you opens up a can of Red Bull, it stink's the place up no end.
One person may choose to drink it, but everybody around them has to smell it, uh.

Ficheall · 12-12-2010 5:33pm

cat_xx wrote: »

I was in the bialinn today and the manager came up to me and my boyfriend and told us we were not allowed to eat food from other shops in there.. we had food from centra. She told us we would have to buy something in the bialinn to remain seating there and she said the same to a few others...

That sounds perfectly reasonable.
If you had a bit of cop on there wouldn't be any need for her to come down and tell you.

Fionn MacCool · 12-12-2010 5:40pm

JohnCleary wrote: »

Prob because the place is quiet in there today and they've nothing else for doing.

I'd love to be approached in a situation like above. I know it sounds knacker'ish but i'd simply reply with "Make me" - It'd be some sight to see her get a few boys out from the kitchen to physicially lift you off the premesis (which would never happen as this constitutes as assault)

Is An Bialann not part of the student campus, and therefore you're fully entitled to use their seating areas? Or has the college sold its students down the river once again and does it belong to Campbell Catering or whatever other shower of rip off merchants run that circus?

Is there anywhere else provided for students to eat their own food, that is indoors?

reap-a-rat · 12-12-2010 5:46pm

Fionn MacCool wrote: »

Is An Bialann not part of the student campus, and therefore you're fully entitled to use their seating areas? Or has the college sold its students down the river once again and does it belong to Campbell Catering or whatever other shower of rip off merchants run that circus?

Is there anywhere else provided for students to eat their own food, that is indoors?

I was trying to think of that earlier, the only place I can come up with is Smokey's, and possibly that cafe in Aras na Mac Leinn too, but I'm not 100% sure. Its pure crap like!

With the Bialann as well, did ye notice at a certain time in the evening, no matter how wedged it is, they just close off areas? Its thick, like I know they're trying to make less work for themselves in cleaning, but what's the point in having it there at all if you can't use it while the place is still busy? Don't like the place anyway anymore. The worst eatery on campus, IMHO.

cat_xx · 12-12-2010 5:47pm

Ficheall wrote: »

That sounds perfectly reasonable.
If you had a bit of cop on there wouldn't be any need for her to come down and tell you.

Judging by your replies to other comments i half expected this. I wouldn't have minded half as much if there were signs stating this as most half decent restaurants do. Iv never seen/heard this happening before and i don't see the problem with eating food from other places in there.

reap-a-rat · 12-12-2010 5:49pm

cat_xx wrote: »

Judging by your replies to other comments i half expected this. I wouldn't have minded half as much if there were signs stating this as most half decent restaurants do. Iv never seen/heard this happening before and i don't see the problem with eating food from other places in there.

Especially considering how horrible their own is most of the time!:p

Fionn MacCool · 12-12-2010 5:50pm

cat_xx wrote: »

Judging by your replies to other comments i half expected this. I wouldn't have minded half as much if there were signs stating this as most half decent restaurants do. Iv never seen/heard this happening before and i don't see the problem with eating food from other places in there.

tbf most of his comments are spot on - don't think that just because some of the lads on here work themselves into a rage about them that they're any less credible.

If the Bialann has been busy then I suppose it's fair enough they might ask you to move on, although I bet there was a good 50 people there who had long finished their food and were just chatting. Hate the place personally, seems to be more of a 'sit around with ur mates and gawk at everyone else' place than somewhere to eat.

Padkir · 12-12-2010 5:54pm

Fionn MacCool wrote: »

seems to be more of a 'sit around with ur mates and gawk at everyone else' place than somewhere to eat.

Completely contradicting yourself when a few posts before you said that it was

Fionn MacCool wrote: »

Is An Bialann not part of the student campus, and therefore you're fully entitled to use their seating areas?

Why are you now giving out that people go in there to sit around and have a gawk? Make up your mind.

cat_xx · 12-12-2010 5:55pm

Fionn MacCool wrote: »

tbf most of his comments are spot on - don't think that just because some of the lads on here work themselves into a rage about them that they're any less credible.

If the Bialann has been busy then I suppose it's fair enough they might ask you to move on, although I bet there was a good 50 people there who had long finished their food and were just chatting. Hate the place personally, seems to be more of a 'sit around with ur mates and gawk at everyone else' place than somewhere to eat.

The place wasn't busy though! even though most of it was closed off there were a good few seats. What really amused me was one of the staff running around the different tables making sure the only food they have was from the bialinn and then reporting back to the manager.

Also the girls that were beside me said that they had bought there drinks in the su shop and she said that they needed to buy something from the bialinn or they would have to leave! Pretty hilarious

Fionn MacCool · 12-12-2010 5:59pm

Padkir wrote: »

Completely contradicting yourself when a few posts before you said that it was

Why are you now giving out that people go in there to sit around and have a gawk? Make up your mind.

I'm afraid your understanding has let you down once again son, read it again.

cat_xx wrote: »

The place wasn't busy though! even though most of it was closed off there were a good few seats. What really amused me was one of the staff running around the different tables making sure the only food they have was from the bialinn and then reporting back to the manager.

Also the girls that were beside me said that they had bought there drinks in the su shop and she said that they needed to buy something from the bialinn or they would have to leave! Pretty hilarious

Should have asked for her name and told her you'll be reporting her to the college. Not saying you should bother actually doing so, but for the snare!

Ficheall · 12-12-2010 6:29pm

reap-a-rat wrote: »

With the Bialann as well, did ye notice at a certain time in the evening, no matter how wedged it is, they just close off areas? Its thick, like I know they're trying to make less work for themselves in cleaning, but what's the point in having it there at all if you can't use it while the place is still busy? Don't like the place anyway anymore. The worst eatery on campus, IMHO.

That's hardly unusual eatery practice. If you were turned away because they had no spare seats not in those sections, then you'd be justified in complaining, but if it's just that you don't get to sit over on your own in some section, then making less work for themselves is surely the sensible thing to do. It's not like you're going to log on here, say, and say the canteen was wonderfully spacious and you got a table all to yourself.
Though I'd agree with you, from the customer's point of view - I hate eating in crowded areas... But from a business point of view...

Also - what time in the evening are you referring to? And which days during the week?

As for not liking it anymore... did anyone ever?

JohnCleary · 12-12-2010 6:32pm

While on the topic of Bialinn, I hate the way the staff rarely rub down the tables.

They demand you clear your own table - I'd have no problem with this if they actually had signs up. But to be snapped at by staff when you didn't realise it was a 'Clean as you go' is frustrating.

The problem is when you clear your own table the staff don't attend to the table and there's bits of food/stains etc. on the table - its manky! If a table is dirty I purposely don't clear the table. I'm paying top prices for food, the least I expect is a clean table

Padkir · 12-12-2010 6:35pm

Ficheall wrote: »

Also - what time in the evening are you referring to? And which days during the week?

Ah well from my experience from around 4 o clock they start closing off areas. I think it's a bit stupid, considering it's still very busy at that time. Like I know a few times 3 of us failed to get a seat together because it was so busy, and still loads in getting dinner that hadn't been seated yet. And this was with all but the main area in front of the tills and a small bit beside Starbucks there, closed off.

As for the days of the week, I can't recall to be honest, but I'd imagine it would be similar Monday - Thursday.

Ficheall · 12-12-2010 6:37pm

cat_xx wrote: »

Also the girls that were beside me said that they had bought there drinks in the su shop and she said that they needed to buy something from the bialinn or they would have to leave! Pretty hilarious

Different companies - if the complaint was valid regarding the Centra grub, it would be just as valid for stuff from the SU shop.

I'm not certain as to the terms of the catering contract Campbell's have with the college, as in whether they're obliged to accommodate and clean up after students who don't avail of their services, but it's never really affected me anyway, as if I used a premises facilities I'd always feel obliged to purchase something from them. (Except, granted, that one time I had to pop into a pub for a leak...)

edit: To send in your complaints: http://www.campusdish.com/en-US/HE-IE/NUIG/ContactUs/ContactUs.htm

HotDogger · 12-12-2010 6:49pm

Clearing up after youself is more of a courtesy thing, so it's odd that the staff would be giving out to you over it. The place doesn't employ you to clean the place, it just sells you sh*tty food.

Most places in town that serve food have a constant film of salt, vinegar, and grease all over the place. It's called Irish mist.

Be careful what you wish for though. There's a bit of a learning curve to cleaning, and before you know it you'll have someone shooting supervalue all-purpose cleaner up yer arse while you're trying to eat a sandwhich.

39steps · 12-12-2010 9:09pm

reap-a-rat wrote: »

Sorta linked to this, a friend of mine in third Science said one day early in the Semester they had a guy "teaching" them who spent the lecture telling them how much he hated lecturing and he was only doing it becuse of the sponsorship for research :eek:!

Hey Reap a Rate,
Don't put up with that crap. report that lecturer to president@nuigalway.ie

TheCosmicFrog · 12-12-2010 9:12pm

Probably the worst thing (or best thing?) they could have done during the renovation was put in white tables. They get filthy and you feel disgusted eating anything off them. I say "best thing" because it's useful for demonstrating just how disgusting the place is.

Who actually paid for the new Bialann? Was it Campbell Catering or NUI Galway itself?

Ficheall · 12-12-2010 9:14pm

I'd be 99% sure it was NUIG. Campbell's is just a catering company after all...

TheCosmicFrog · 12-12-2010 9:48pm

Ficheall wrote: »

I'd be 99% sure it was NUIG. Campbell's is just a catering company after all...

Well in that case it would be an interesting argument for being able to eat whatever the hell we like in there.

Don't get me wrong, I see their arguments. They don't want to have to clean up after students who've bought their food elsewhere. But since they don't clean up after their own customers I don't think that's a fair argument :rolleyes:

Also, thanks for the Contact Us link. I've used it wisely.

KittyeeTrix · 12-12-2010 11:10pm

39steps wrote: »

Hey Reap a Rate,
Don't put up with that crap. report that lecturer to president@nuigalway.ie

Feck all point in doing that as this guy has huge money making thing going on thru research in the college. They won't listen to some hurt feelings from some undergrads....

challengemaster · 13-12-2010 4:27am

HotDogger wrote: »

Clearing up after youself is more of a courtesy thing, so it's odd that the staff would be giving out to you over it. The place doesn't employ you to clean the place

This.

Where else would you pay people for a job/service and then do it for them? :rolleyes:

Raging_Ninja · 13-12-2010 1:50pm

cat_xx wrote: »

Is there not supposed to be signs saying this instead of the REALLY annoying staff intruding your lunch?!

There are signs around the place, mainly at the entrances.

Ficheall · 13-12-2010 3:16pm

TheCosmicFrog wrote: »

Well in that case it would be an interesting argument for being able to eat whatever the hell we like in there.

Don't get me wrong, I see their arguments. They don't want to have to clean up after students who've bought their food elsewhere. But since they don't clean up after their own customers I don't think that's a fair argument :rolleyes:

Also, thanks for the Contact Us link. I've used it wisely.

Aye, I'd agree.
Either it's viewed as "the college's" in which case students should be allowed to eat anything they like in there, or it's "campbell's" in which case they can't demand that people clear up after themselves. Or at least, that's how I'd see it..

TEH REAL CDP · 14-12-2010 2:19am

Studying in the UK now, but did my degree at NUI Galway. I really miss some of the craic there! Cool thread, funny to see some of the things I used to bitch about are still valid talking/bitching points!

Funny that folks are complaining about thar research orientated lecturer, to be fair - at least he was being honest with you. As opposed to being a shyte lecturer and having zero research credibility to back it up!

Its quite cool over here actually, they have pure research professorships where if you're really esteemed in the research side of things - you just run your lab and write grants (these posts could be counted on two hands with regards to Russell Group universities in the UK!) If you're great at teaching, you lecture. Simple as. If you're unlucky regarding both, you don't last long.

Is LiboCop still around? Funny to read about the same plebs making noise in the reading room. How one can concentrate in there is beyond me!

WallyGUFC · 14-12-2010 2:30am

TEH REAL CDP wrote: »

Studying in the UK now, but did my degree at NUI Galway. I really miss some of the craic there! Cool thread, funny to see some of the things I used to bitch about are still valid talking/bitching points!

Funny that folks are complaining about thar research orientated lecturer, to be fair - at least he was being honest with you. As opposed to being a shyte lecturer and having zero research credibility to back it up!

Its quite cool over here actually, they have pure research professorships where if you're really esteemed in the research side of things - you just run your lab and write grants (these posts could be counted on two hands with regards to Russell Group universities in the UK!) If you're great at teaching, you lecture. Simple as. If you're unlucky regarding both, you don't last long.

Is LiboCop still around? Funny to read about the same plebs making noise in the reading room. How one can concentrate in there is beyond me!

LiboCop the bastard!:D

TEH REAL CDP · 14-12-2010 2:33am

LMAO! He's actually okay from what I remember, but probably the most reviled individual in that place!

I'd have hated the constant job of telling CP's/FTB girls to stfu.

Fisher Calhoun · 14-12-2010 3:41pm

fluffyorganic1 wrote: »

Feck all point in doing that as this guy has huge money making thing going on thru research in the college. They won't listen to some hurt feelings from some undergrads....

Moreover, he wouldn't be the next step on the complaints ladder. Try talking to your head of department and contacting the SU. That's what they're there for after all, to represent student interests and issues. Sadly, that aspect seems to have been lost on the last several SU 'executives' ... case in point, the sports centre membership.

All the same, you should contact them so your complaint has more weight behind it with your HOD.

Padkir · 14-12-2010 5:30pm

Who decided it was a good idea to have maintenance/construction going on just downstairs from the study area in the Cairnes building during the exams. It's very off-putting having stuff banging constantly, with drills and stuff going off every now and then too. To be fair, today is the first day there's been too much noise from it, but surely it would have been better if they left it until the exams are over!

challengemaster · 14-12-2010 5:46pm

Padkir wrote: »

Who decided it was a good idea to have maintenance/construction going on just downstairs from the study area in the Cairnes building during the exams. It's very off-putting having stuff banging constantly, with drills and stuff going off every now and then too. To be fair, today is the first day there's been too much noise from it, but surely it would have been better if they left it until the exams are over!

Construction companies normally have deadlines to meet, or timeframes to work inside (x date to y date) and if they go over time, they lose significant amounts of money. The only reason there's not construction still going on beside the library is because McNamara went bust. little bit unreasonable to think everything else should stop because of exams going on.. plenty of other places to study too...

Padkir · 14-12-2010 6:15pm

challengemaster wrote: »

Construction companies normally have deadlines to meet, or timeframes to work inside (x date to y date) and if they go over time, they lose significant amounts of money. The only reason there's not construction still going on beside the library is because McNamara went bust. little bit unreasonable to think everything else should stop because of exams going on.. plenty of other places to study too...

But this is IN the building, literally yards from a study area. If it was in the library there'd be uproar. And it echoes all over the building too! I'm not saying it's the construction company's fault, but the college should have extended the deadline to ensure they weren't doing it during exam week.

Official Bitch about daily life in NUIG!

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