End of semester letter

tintinr35

Dear Student,

At the close of the first semester of the academic year, I would like
to take this opportunity to wish you well for Christmas and the New
Year. I would also like to bring you up to date with developments in
UCD and with the progress we have made in achieving the goals laid out
in UCD’s Strategic Plan 2005-2008.

UCD has gone through great change since September, with the
introduction of new academic structures and the UCD Horizons
curriculum. Academic, administrative and technical staff all pulled
together to ensure that students’ needs were put first throughout
this
change process.

In its first semester, UCD Horizons has been a great success. Almost
40% of first year students chose to broaden their learning experience
outside of their subject area, while the remainder deepened their
knowledge by choosing electives within their field of study. In each
case, and for the first time in the Irish university sector, students
had the opportunity to make the choice themselves.

The UCD Horizons initiative has also made it possible for UCD to offer
new subject combinations and degree programmes for 2006, such as law in
combination with either politics, history or
philosophy,chemistry/chemical biology, biomedical sciences,
neuroscience and graduate entry to medicine. This is creating
excitement outside of the university and confirming UCD as
Ireland’s
leading innovator in teaching and learning.

We have continually improved our student services. Important
initiatives included the introduction of on-line registration for all
first year students, a new central Student Services Desk, a new student
email system, new student advisors, extension of library opening hours
(now the longest of any Irish University) and the provision of an
out-of-hours reading room, and ongoing upgrades to student residences
and facilities for clubs and societies. New student residences are in
construction, which will provide an additional 468 places for next
September, and we have secured €1,000,000 from the Department of
Justice, Equality and Law Reform towards building a second crèche.

UCD has approximately 3,000 international students who greatly enhance
the diversity and social and cultural life of our campus. Over the past
year we have joined the elite ranks of the Universitas 21 network and
established a new Centre for Chinese Studies. These important
initiatives will ensure that UCD can attract top quality international
students and enable UCD students to visit leading international
universities within the framework of a UCD degree.

In research, innovation and technology transfer, UCD academics have
been both very active and very successful.

We are now moving to the next stage of the Strategic Plan and further
improvements in student facilities are central to this. We will build
more residences, extend our lap-top programme, improve our recreational
facilities – and, as part of this, hope to move ahead as quickly
as
possible with a UCD swimming pool and a further student centre.
Curriculum development and quality assurance will be central to the
ongoing modularisation process.

Once again, my very best wishes for Christmas and the New Year.

Yours sincerely,

Mary Clayton
Vice-President for Students










Presume everyone else recieved this spam from ucd (thats all it is)
what a joke!

randombassist

sounds like a terrible waste of a lot of paper to me!

BKtje

sounds like they shoulda emailed it

Funky

Too long, didn't read.

Riamfada

1) They did email it

2) Heil!

Red Alert

what a load of crap.

Mr.Nice Guy

Wait, I'm confused about the letter...so the cops knew internal affairs were setting them up?

panda100

tintinr35 wrote:

Dear Student,



UCD has approximately 3,000 international students who greatly enhance
the diversity and social and cultural life of our campus. Over the past
year we have joined the elite ranks of the Universitas 21 network and
established a new Centre for Chinese Studies. These important
initiatives will ensure that UCD can attract top quality international
students and enable UCD students to visit leading international
universities within the framework of a UCD degree.





QUOTE]

oh yes enhance and enrich hughies bank balance too specially in medicine were Irish students are outnumbered 4 to 1 and probably more......

tintinr35

tintinr35 wrote:

We are now moving to the next stage of the Strategic Plan and further
improvements in student facilities are central to this. We will build
more residences, extend our lap-top programme, improve our recreational
facilities – and, as part of this, hope to move ahead as quickly
as
possible with a UCD swimming pool and a further student centre.
Curriculum development and quality assurance will be central to the
ongoing modularisation process.

meant to highlight this earlier!!
are they actually joking about a new student centre, 100 odd euro from my reg fee's is enough for somthing that id say i have been in 5 times in my three years there!! dont really think another one would be the best idea, maybe hughie should this about improving whats already there! before building more useless and expensive buildings....................bah humbug:eek:

recyclebin

I got that load of bull**** email today. They sent it to me twice. Have they nothing better to do?

Scraggs

I liked it

Chinafoot

Didnt get it....nice to see where our "registration and administration fees" are going.

rainbow kirby

Spamtastic!
Basically, it's a nice way for the Bradyites to say "We're bleedin' rapid!"...

GusherING

Those of us making representations to the college on behalf of students who will be modularised next year( thats you if your in 2nd year of a 3 year course, OR 2nd or 3rd year of a four year course) demanded a letter from the college explaining what it would entail. Instead we get a bull**** letter which doesn't contain anything but waffle and very little on modularisation except how great it is. The **** will hit fan over this.

tintinr35

GusherING wrote:

Those of us making representations to the college on behalf of students who will be modularised next year( thats you if your in 2nd year of a 3 year course, OR 2nd or 3rd year of a four year course) demanded a letter from the college explaining what it would entail. Instead we get a bull**** letter which doesn't contain anything but waffle and very little on modularisation except how great it is. The **** will hit fan over this.

im sure they are shaking in thier boots, i dont agree with the way its being implemented either but i think its about time we all just accept that short of leaving college there is nothing we can do to change the inevitable, nothing that is being done is going to make any difference the decision has been made and to be honest instead of this constant rebellion attitude by student reps they should be working with the college to ensure that it goes as smoothly as possible

*ducks to avoid torrid of abuse*

LovelyHurling

tintinr35 wrote:

im sure they are shaking in thier boots, i dont agree with the way its being implemented either but i think its about time we all just accept that short of leaving college there is nothing we can do to change the inevitable, nothing that is being done is going to make any difference the decision has been made and to be honest instead of this constant rebellion attitude by student reps they should be working with the college to ensure that it goes as smoothly as possible

*ducks to avoid torrid of abuse*

Wise words, and also it seems like everything that comes out of the kremlin is met with a barrage of frantic taunting and abuse. Sometimes the Bradyites have good ideas...

m1ke

got this spam earlier too.... just a load of media bytes and b.s. Modularisation seems to be working though.... and brady has brought in lots of funding. The restructuring is working.... there isnt much you can fault them on tbh.

GusherING

tintinr35 wrote:

im sure they are shaking in thier boots, i dont agree with the way its being implemented either but i think its about time we all just accept that short of leaving college there is nothing we can do to change the inevitable, nothing that is being done is going to make any difference the decision has been made and to be honest instead of this constant rebellion attitude by student reps they should be working with the college to ensure that it goes as smoothly as possible

*ducks to avoid torrid of abuse*

I'm not going to give you a polemic on the evils of modularisation, or flip at you for disagreeing with me. So no need to duck your head.:)

What I will say however, is that the College really does seem to want us not involved at all. They held meetings with us, we voiced what concerns we would have if modularisation was implemented on a practical level although we said we remained opposed to it in the first place. Nothing whatsoever has come of those meetings. We asked that an e-mail or letter (a simple task) be sent to all those affected before Xmas giving detailed information about what the story with modularisation is. This e-mail seems to be their attempt, and anyone can see that it doesn't come close to the brief we wanted for this communique. It is taking the piss,tbh.

We've tried our best to consult and talk to the authorities, they have basically shrugged us off. They clearly don't value our opinions or suggestions. They have contradicted the previous stance of modularisation for the students on the old system, by deciding to modularise. We are in no position to even get involved in ensuring things run smoothly.

Personally, I realise that modularisation is a near certainty for us next year, I'm not stupid. I just think the disregard shown calls for a public protest to get us involved and idealy to get them to stop it all together. Sure, why not??

pretty*monster

tintinr35 wrote:

im sure they are shaking in thier boots, i dont agree with the way its being implemented either but i think its about time we all just accept that short of leaving college there is nothing we can do to change the inevitable, nothing that is being done is going to make any difference the decision has been made and to be honest instead of this constant rebellion attitude by student reps they should be working with the college to ensure that it goes as smoothly as possible

Just to elaborate on what GusherING said, we've been nothing but polite to the college authorities about this issue, but the fact is they're only patronising us with they're meetings, they continue to lie to us, how can we co-opperate with them when we are constantly reminded that we can't believe a word they say?

Pythia

tintinr35 wrote:

im sure they are shaking in thier boots, i dont agree with the way its being implemented either but i think its about time we all just accept that short of leaving college there is nothing we can do to change the inevitable, nothing that is being done is going to make any difference the decision has been made and to be honest instead of this constant rebellion attitude by student reps they should be working with the college to ensure that it goes as smoothly as possible

*ducks to avoid torrid of abuse*

I agree.

TheVan

Well I for one am glad that we're at least getting an e-mail telling us what changes are happening in UCdoubleD! Especially the extra campus accomodation.
If they hadnt sent out an e-mail I can think of a few people who would be complaining!

Mr.Nice Guy

I'm only just after noticing this bit:

We are now moving to the next stage of the Strategic Plan and further
improvements in student facilities are central to this. We will build
more residences, extend our lap-top programme, improve our recreational
facilities – and, as part of this, hope to move ahead as quickly
as
possible with a UCD swimming pool and a further student centre.

Swimming pool?! Hot UCD girls in bikinis?!

YEAH!!!!! I'll leave Pacman with the last word on this...

:v: "I heartily endorse this facility and/or service."

Waltons

Mr.Nice Guy wrote:

Swimming pool?! Hot UCD girls in bikinis?!

YEAH!!!!! I'll leave Pacman with the last word on this...

:v: "I heartily endorse this facility and/or service."

Will there be an observation area? :v:

LovelyHurling

Beautiful ashen Irish women floating in an orange scum...

Riamfada

The only thing I want is are a few heaters by the Wall at the tArts Cafe

Scraggs

LovelyHurling wrote:

Beautiful ashen Irish women floating in an orange scum...

^^^rofflepants:D