Students must now pay to attend their own conferrings. Eh...what?

Jay P

Just got an email about this:

Dear Students,



With effect from 1 April 2010, UCC will introduce a charge to all students who wish to attend their conferring ceremony.



The charge of €65 will apply to each student and their two guests choosing to attend their conferring ceremony and the post-ceremony reception. This charge will apply to Summer Conferrings in June, Autumn Conferrings in September and Winter Conferrings in December 2010.



UCC is currently adapting the e-payment facility on the Student Portal to accommodate this charge. Only online payments by Laser or Credit cards will be accepted. Only students eligible for conferring who have paid the conferring charge will receive their conferring informationpack, including tickets to attend the conferring ceremony and reception with their two guests.



Students who do not pay the conferring charge will be considered to have chosen to be conferred In Absentia and will not be able to attend the ceremony. Parchments for students conferred In Absentia will be posted to their college-registered home address following the conferring ceremonies. Further details will be available prior to the Summer Conferrings, including the deadline for payment of the conferring charge.



If you have any queries, please reply to this email address (m&c@ucc.ie)



Kind regards,


The Office of Media & Communications

UCC

Seriously, this is just ridiculous. Having to pay to receive your own degree/masters/doctorate/whatever is just insane. Without wanting to sound like a cliché, we already pay a lot. Surely a relatively negligible amount of €65 can be covered from the registration fee.

:rolleyes:

J2D2

Just saw this a while ago too, not too impressed tbh. I've been here nearly 4 years and am rather looking forward to the conferring, however I now have to pay for the privilege. This just strikes me as penny pinching.

JSK 252

This is an absolute blooming disgrace if there ever was one. Next thing they will come out with is that if you are absent for the conferring you have to pay 25 euro for sending the parchment to your home address. I actually laughed when I got the email.

Papa_Lazarou

Just replied with a most wholesome email

PhatPiggins

Dr Murph must need a few more diamonds for his sceptre. Considering UCC already get a fat wedge of the extremely over priced gown and photo's racket I think this is really taking the micheal

chocfan

hmmm...

I'm aware it's still 31st March but would have slight suspicions that this may be related to April Fools? Account may have been hacked by some "hilarious" students?

Really hope that's not the case because this is an absolute disgrace if it's true

Eliot Rosewater

They've got the get the funding somehow. Its the unfortunate reality of life that things cost money.

robp

Disappointing news. It does dampens my enthusiasm for the ceremony just a bit. I guess it much easier to add additional charges then make further cuts. Although by adding a fee such as this it does come across as very transparent i.e. money needed for conferring is spent directly for that purpose.

Eliot Rosewater

robp wrote: »

I guess it much easier to add additional charges then make further cuts.

It's also better for our education, which is the primary reason we're in UCC. I've had tutorials cut this year as it stands. I'm happy to shell out a extra few euro's to get a qualification that isn't sub-standard.

Byron85

Eliot Rosewater wrote: »

It's also better for our education, which is the primary reason we're in UCC. I've had tutorials cut this year as it stands. I'm happy to shell out a extra few euro's to get a qualification that isn't sub-standard.

Tell that to DonegalFella and his ilk over in the politics forum. A university education in Ireland is meaningless if you listen to that crowd.

x in the city

mr murphy is an expensive person to have on board

D-Generate

T.W.H Byron wrote: »

Tell that to DonegalFella and his ilk over in the politics forum. A university education in Ireland is meaningless if you listen to that crowd.

Well he is not too far off the point. The quality of the lectures I have been to in the US and in the UK have been streets ahead of the quality of lectures I received in my own department in UCC. That coupled with the ridiculous grade inflation devalued the quality of a university education.
Last year in my finals I had an average of 84% in Elec Eng which is regarded as being a difficult course. I probably deserved around 70% but to get 84% is nonsense, no one should be getting that. I am in UCL now in London doing a MSc and to get accepted I still had to pass a test in Maths even though I never received a year average below 82%. Not everyone had to do that test, just people who didn't go to the well known Unis in the UK and around the world. I guess UCC wasn't held too highly in their esteem too. Oh and I certainly won't be getting above 70% this year alas.

maglite

OUTRAGOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



I'll bring the big banner, J2D2 can you bring the handheld signs, Eliot you bring the tea....We shall march on the quad....

Esse85

How can they justify €65?

J2D2

maglite wrote: »

OUTRAGOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



I'll bring the big banner, J2D2 can you bring the handheld signs, Eliot you bring the tea....We shall march on the quad....

I'd say scrap the signs and switch to pitchforks and fire!!

I can't quite understand what the 65 euro is going towards though. To the best of my knowledge, we have to pay to rent the gown for the day and all the college has to do is print the degree/masters/etc, book the room and serve some tea and coffee. Professional photos have to be paid for, so it's not covering that, maybe the lecturers need incentive to show up :rolleyes:

captainspeckle

Eliot Rosewater wrote: »

They've got the get the funding somehow. Its the unfortunate reality of life that things cost money.

I am sure its costing 65 euro to move a few chairs around and make a few pots of tea alright! :mad:

This is an actual joke.

daniel.ocarroll

Wrote an article on the Cork Student NEws about this for anyone who's interested:

http://www.corkstudentnews.com/breaking-news/main-news/ucc-conferring-charge-enrages-students/

Eliot Rosewater

captainspeckle wrote: »

I am sure its costing 65 euro to move a few chairs around and make a few pots of tea alright!

I was referring to the fact that the University as a whole is underfunded, and that it needs to get extra money somehow. There seems to be an illusion amongst the student population that a world class degree can be gotten for nothing; unfortunately it can't.

T.W.H Byron wrote: »

Tell that to DonegalFella and his ilk....

On my "Boards Matchmaking" thing donegalfella gets 10 lovehearts, with Nova_Era coming second on 2! :pac:

The grade inflation thread was interesting and highlighted ails in our education system. Just because it's not convenient for UCC students to hear about it doesn't mean you should block your ears and pretend it's not happening.

Byron85

Eliot Rosewater wrote: »

I was referring to the fact that the University as a whole is underfunded, and that it needs to get extra money somehow. There seems to be an illusion amongst the student population that a world class degree can be gotten for nothing; unfortunately it can't.



On my "Boards Matchmaking" thing donegalfella gets 10 lovehearts, with Nova_Era coming second on 2! :pac:

The grade inflation thread was interesting and highlighted ails in our education system. Just because it's not convenient for UCC students to hear about it doesn't mean you should block your ears and pretend it's not happening.

It was interesting but their point was somewhat proven to be wrong when the American companies said that they had no problem with Graduates from UCC, UCD and Trinity. Anyway, I digress.

The conferring fee is bad etc etc.

captainspeckle

Eliot Rosewater wrote: »

I was referring to the fact that the University as a whole is underfunded, and that it needs to get extra money somehow. There seems to be an illusion amongst the student population that a world class degree can be gotten for nothing; unfortunately it can't.

Yes, I agree that more funding is needed, however is charging 65 euro to graduate a fair way of doing this? This fee is for graduation, not to fund the college overall.

D'Agger

Well that's €65 of my first dole cheque gone seeing as my already expensive "world class" degree isn't going to get me a job

center15

Why don't people make a deal with their class that nobody pays it and then see how UCC deal with that one.

The Pooka

Guys, it's CLEARLY an April Fool's; they pretty much give it away in the first line of the email. Wait a few hours and they'll announce it, bet you anything...

Eliot Rosewater

T.W.H Byron wrote: »

It was interesting but their point was somewhat proven to be wrong when the American companies said that they had no problem with Graduates from UCC, UCD and Trinity. Anyway, I digress.

Its not as simple as "they'll take us". If a UCC graduate is going up against a Trinity graduate in an interview, the latter will be hired, all other things being equal. An Irish graduate will lose out against an English graduate from a reputable University. Just cause we're getting in at the moment doesn't mean we can't do better.

This issue is directly linked in with fee's. If the college wants to improve it will need more funding; however any movements to increase revenue throught= fees are consistently obstructed by the students.

captainspeckle wrote: »

Yes, I agree that more funding is needed, however is charging 65 euro to graduate a fair way of doing this?

Whats the alternative? Try to raise the registration fee? Watch as the student unions of UCC and CIT organize a massive anti-fees rally, prank call the minister for education, burn effigies of various personalities, and make an embarrassment of the University by marching through the city centre drinking cans?

PaulieC wrote: »

my already expensive "world class" degree

How much did you pay for it?

Faith

UCC email wrote:

The charge of €65 will apply to each student and their two guests choosing to attend their conferring ceremony and the post-ceremony reception.

I just reread this line. Surely that doesn't indicate that each guest is also subject to the charge, right? Is it just badly phrased?

Jay P

Faith wrote: »

I just reread this line. Surely that doesn't indicate that each guest is also subject to the charge, right? Is it just badly phrased?

I assumed it was €65 for the three of them, but now that I re-read it I'm not so sure....

maglite

The Pooka wrote: »

Guys, it's CLEARLY an April Fool's; they pretty much give it away in the first line of the email. Wait a few hours and they'll announce it, bet you anything...

Shhhhhh, this is great fun, Pitch forks it is.....

D'Agger

Eliot Rosewater wrote: »

How much did you pay for it?

Put it this way I'm skint for the last 2months despite the fact that I've had summer internships for the last 3years - scrimping and saving everything I've earned so I don't have to ask Mammy & Daddy for pocket money every week. I've been on one weekend break and a weeks sun holiday since 2005 because J1s are for the affluent imo.I wasn't just referring to the monetary cost - I've made sacrafices to get this degree ,as have alot of other students I know, but for me to bust my ass for the last few years and then be asked to pay so I can walk on stage and take a degree I've rightfully earned from Mr. Murphy galls me.

On the other hand I'll have no problem paying the fee if I get to break his fúcking jaw right after he hands me that expensive piece of paper.

podgemonster

D-Generate wrote: »

Well he is not too far off the point. The quality of the lectures I have been to in the US and in the UK have been streets ahead of the quality of lectures I received in my own department in UCC. That coupled with the ridiculous grade inflation devalued the quality of a university education.
Last year in my finals I had an average of 84% in Elec Eng which is regarded as being a difficult course. I probably deserved around 70% but to get 84% is nonsense, no one should be getting that. I am in UCL now in London doing a MSc and to get accepted I still had to pass a test in Maths even though I never received a year average below 82%. Not everyone had to do that test, just people who didn't go to the well known Unis in the UK and around the world. I guess UCC wasn't held too highly in their esteem too. Oh and I certainly won't be getting above 70% this year alas.

Well you did do all the easy Micro-electronic subjects like PIC and DIC. The power side of it is well taught and difficult! And jus a guess but you were in the top 3 of the class if not top 2?

I see where your coming from but you did pass that test after all....
Hope London going good for ya...;)!

On topic: I think the €65 is pricey but they know we'll pay it and they could have asked for alot more!

Does kinda sound like an April fools tho!

KnifeWRENCH

I'm going to reserve my fist-shaking anger for the meanttime, as it sounds like it could be an April Fools. They surely would never expect a student AND their guests to pay 65 each. That is totally absurd.
If this isn't a pisstake and turns out to be true, I shall be sharpening my pitchfork along with everyone else.

samf

Trust me, this is not an april fools, its been coming for a while and is an absolute disgrace.

I think next years SU should hold second conferrings for each graduation, free to attend, hire a cheap photographer for cheap photos, and get a cheap gown rental too.

Devere hall can be hired, and you can have it as is, just without the president (although he doesnt shake hands anyway so what harm, I think a cardboard cutout would suffice.)

UCC's students really shouldnt take this charge lying down, its a timed announcement with the SU away on congress (and due to crossover shortly) and many students gone home for the easter break, last year it was the printing fee's, next year it'll be something else, have no doubt about it.

deisedude

D-Generate wrote: »

Well he is not too far off the point. The quality of the lectures I have been to in the US and in the UK have been streets ahead of the quality of lectures I received in my own department in UCC. That coupled with the ridiculous grade inflation devalued the quality of a university education.

I'm studying in the US now and the standards for a lot of classes are nothing short of a joke. They are handing out A's. I had an open book final exam in one class. In another class you got extra credit for bringing cans into class for the homeless. If thats not obvious grade inflation then i don't know what is

daniel.ocarroll

Hi guys,

The Cork Student News has set up a Facebook group to join if you oppose the fee:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Abolish-the-UCC-Conferring-Fee/105497372820124?ref=ts

Also, the online petition is here (please sign if you don't like the fee)

http://www.petitiononline.com/csn1234/petition.html

Eliot Rosewater

Eliot Rosewater

PaulieC wrote: »

Put it this way I'm skint for the last 2months

And??? No one forced you to do a third level degree. Everyone going into college knows it going to be tough financially, what with the "cheap student" cliche and all. Do think you have some right to demand that you go through life with the Government paying for everything you want?

Mario007

Am lads, 65 euro is pretty much 2 nights out for a college student...wow how disgraceful that college would ask you to cut two nights out in your final year to save for this?

Mind you I'm not endorsing the idea, but for such a small charge you're making a lot of fuss.

Pi^2

Dead right Mario007.

Why is it that people think everything to do with college must be free?

The college should start charging money for a lot more things and that will sort the wheat from the chaff in terms of who wants a good education and who wants to have a laugh.

Free third level education was a great idea for a while when it was regarded as a privilege. Now that people think it is a right its a joke.


And while I'm on my little rant... who the hell thought it would be a good idea for a pub, let alone 2 pubs, on campus??? What a farce.

D'Agger

Eliot Rosewater wrote: »

And??? No one forced you to do a third level degree. Everyone going into college knows it going to be tough financially, what with the "cheap student" cliche and all. Do think you have some right to demand that you go through life with the Government paying for everything you want?

Nobody forced me to do a 3rd level degree - no. I want one because I want a job in the IT sector with most of the jobs I've been applying for requiring one - ergo I need one.

How did you actually comprehend my post - I don't expect anything from the government - I especially don't expect them to pay for 'everything I want' - I genuinely wasn't trying to make this about me - I'm just relating to the fee from my own personal point of view

What I'm simply saying is I've gone through the same system every other graduate has, I've paid my dues, worked hard just like everyone else - and it's a royal slap across the face to be told 'oh wait you've to pay to get handed the degree you've rightfully earned' - do you not see where I'm coming from like - and yes, I understand the whole UCC is riddled with debt argument and nobody wants to pay for it but it's going to leave me with a bad taste in my mouth if it's UCCs graduating students who're going to end up paying such a retarded fee - why not charge for Autumn exams - I've had to do them and to be honest if I'd to pay for them I'd have accepted it.

Eliot Rosewater

PaulieC wrote: »

worked hard just like everyone else

I dont see how you working hard and studying covers the costs of going to a University.

legal eagle 1

I paid seven thousand in fees this year......i think that should entitle me to graduate without forking out an additional 65 euro!!

D'Agger

Eliot Rosewater wrote: »

I dont see how you working hard and studying covers the costs of going to a University.

Be sure not to take my whole post into consideration, rather take out a snipet and pose a generic question.

I mean honestly - where did I say studing hard covers the costs of going to a Uni. Do you not get my point that at the end of the day - after all the hard work.

PAYING-TO-GET-HANDED-YOUR-DEGREE-IS-A-BIT-RIDICULOUS

I've no problem with fees that're necessary such as printing to stop waste and abuse of the facilities made available to us - this fee is unwarranted. It's simply how I feel about it.

D'Agger

legal eagle 1 wrote: »

I paid seven thousand in fees this year......i think that should entitle me to graduate without forking out an additional 65 euro!!

If you don't want to divulge personal information that's fine but dya mind me asking how it's costing you 7k??

x in the city

PaulieC wrote: »

Be sure not to take my whole post into consideration, rather take out a snipet and pose a generic question.

I mean honestly - where did I say studing hard covers the costs of going to a Uni. Do you not get my point that at the end of the day - after all the hard work.

PAYING-TO-GET-HANDED-YOUR-DEGREE-IS-A-BIT-RIDICULOUS

I've no problem with fees that're necessary such as printing to stop waste and abuse of the facilities made available to us - this fee is unwarranted. It's simply how I feel about it.

]


get it posted...

if your very lucky UCC might cover postage.

and no one is telling anyone attend conferring,

D'Agger

x in the city wrote: »

]


get it posted...

if your very lucky UCC might cover postage.

and no one is telling anyone attend conferring,

I'm seriously considering it except I know my parents will want to see their little boy getting his degree - fúckin parents!!

quietsailor

PaulieC wrote: »

If you don't want to divulge personal information that's fine but dya mind me asking how it's costing you 7k??

More than likely they are a (mature) student who already attended college. Mind you if they worked they your not entitled to a BEA and because they went to college already they're not entitled to the grant. --- 7K is only the start, add in accom etc and it gets damn expensive per year. I can see myself taking out a loan soon to pay for the rest of my degree - ala the American system. We're heading that way

x in the city

PaulieC wrote: »

I'm seriously considering it except I know my parents will want to see their little boy getting his degree - fúckin parents!!

well if it was me I would give them 2 fingers.. (ucc, not your rents..:D).

everyone should just boycott it and organise their own

'grad day'... just need a spacious room, a photo dude (plenty of talent on boards), and a nice sexy sheet for them photo backdrops.

and a outfit of course...

if students are so inclined im sure a life size cut out of various academics could be organised to 'hand over' your hard earned parchment...

:);)

Eliot Rosewater

PaulieC wrote: »

I mean honestly - where did I say studing hard covers the costs of going to a Uni.

The argument of your last few posts has been that is is unfair for you to be charged any more money for your degree because your short on money at the moment and because you've put in a lot of work into the degree.

PaulieC wrote: »

my already expensive "world class" degree

Eliot Rosewater wrote: »

How much did you pay for it?

PaulieC wrote: »

Put it this way I'm skint for the last 2months ... I wasn't just referring to the monetary cost ... [for] me to bust my ass for the last few years and then be asked to pay so I can walk on stage and take a degree I've rightfully earned from Mr. Murphy galls me.

My reading of this is that you oppose more fees because you feel you've already paid enough by studying and living without alternative finance. That is, you feel you've paid enough for it even though actually haven't paid for most of it. Unfortunately the staff and suppliers of UCC don't except a slip of paper saying "this student did x amount of study" as payment for their services.

Educating you has cost UCC money - money that the student body is rather selfishly determined not to pay, even if it negatively impacts upon their degree.

D'Agger

Eliot Rosewater wrote: »

The argument of your last few posts has been that is is unfair for you to be charged any more money for your degree because your short on money at the moment and because you've put in a lot of work into the degree.

Not to be charged any more - Fair enough I said my degree was expensive but I've also argued that I'd have no problem being charged for taking resits, its not that I don't want to pay any more for the degree - If I had to I would, I simply don't want to spend it on this fee because to me its an insult to ask a graduating student to do so.

My reading of this is that you oppose more fees because you feel you've already paid enough by studying and living without alternative finance. That is, you feel you've paid enough for it even though actually haven't paid for most of it. Unfortunately the staff and suppliers of UCC don't except a slip of paper saying "this student did x amount of study" as payment for their services.

Again, I oppose this fee only - I genuinely think that there are better ways of making the money...again I'm going to use the charging for resits example...charge students who have attendance less than the required percentage etc.

Educating you has cost UCC money - money that the student body is rather selfishly determined not to pay, even if it negatively impacts upon their degree.

I'm well aware that it has cost UCC money, I'm not asking for everything to be made free to me as you accused me of a few posts ago - far from the case. Yeah I've had to save etc. but if more fees were introduced I'd get a loan, get another job - I'd manage. Just understand that the driving force behind my posts isn't "Fees are bad. No fees ever" - Rather, this fee is completely avoidable and at the end of the day I don't think I should have to pay to be handed my degree.

I feel if we're to pay UCC it's to educate us and I'm fine with that. Don't make us pay for something we've earned.

rebel girl 15

quietsailor wrote: »

More than likely they are a (mature) student who already attended college. Mind you if they worked they your not entitled to a BEA and because they went to college already they're not entitled to the grant. --- 7K is only the start, add in accom etc and it gets damn expensive per year. I can see myself taking out a loan soon to pay for the rest of my degree - ala the American system. We're heading that way

It starts at 7K for some courses, I know the mature students in my course are paying around the 9K mark before accommodation etc

IMO the fee is ridiculous considering the amount that students already pay to the college, and it was very sneakily done, same as the printing fees that came in last year. I don't mind paying the registration fee and other charges that we have (we are required to do outside courses at our own expense, at least two level 1 coaching courses for our degree), but to add more to an already expensive day is ridiculous. There is no justification in the email, just says that UCC will introduce the fee, no reason why.

Eliot Rosewater

PaulieC wrote: »

I feel if we're to pay UCC it's to educate us and I'm fine with that. Don't make us pay for something we've earned.

Apologies for mis-judging your posts.

I do agree with you. I think the having a graduation fee is undesirable, and that the alternatives you suggest are much better. Having a large fee for repeats would certainly put the pressure on for people to actually do some work.

But I'm willing to accept the graduation fee. I've no interest in seeing the college's debt continue to the point where the quality of our degrees starts heading southwards.

rebel girl 15 wrote: »

IMO the fee is ridiculous considering the amount that students already pay to the college

Like what? Most students' tuition fees are paid for by the State.

rebel girl 15 wrote: »

There is no justification in the email, just says that UCC will introduce the fee, no reason why.

I think its pretty obvious that the college is severely in debt and needs to open new revenue streams.

Manach

In rebuttal to the poster "Eliot Rosewater", I'm also a mature fee-paying, tax-payer. This is UCC admin. attempting to alter a special day that should be one of celebration for years of hard work to that of a ham-fisted attempt to gather money.