Powercut in the middle of exams.

ArerA

Did you ever see that happening in another college?

I had an exam at 16:45 yesterday, and after driving for 2.5 hours, I arrived in WIT at about 3pm.
There was two porters standing at the library doors, forbidding entry to the library. We were informed "You cannot go in there, there's been a power cut."
They told us to come back in ten minutes, so I took a trip to reception, to enquire about deferring my year. She couldn't photocopy for me and told me to come back on monday. WTF?

15 minutes later, I head back over to the library, and there was still nobody being allowed in. We were told another 10 minutes.

I ended up sitting in my car trying to get a tiny bit of reading done before exam.

If that wasnt bad enough - about 20 minutes into the exam, there was an announcement that there would be a powercut at 5:30. During the exam.
Yay for writing in the dark.

WIT, IMHO, is a complete sham of a college. It doesn't even deserve to be regarded as an I.T, much less a University. They are as incompant as they come.

Never mind the fact that they held the christmas results until March, or the fact in 1st year, we did not have a lecturer for one of our classes for the month of september or the month of october.

Word of advice to anybody unfortunate enough to be going there this coming year -- If you got an offer anywhere else, take it.

Sully

While I agree that the power cut during an exam was ridiculous, and that at times you feel like walking away from the place with the range of problems that can occur - its still one of the best ITs in the county and if given University status IMO it could turn out to be a very good college and sort out the background ****e that gives us all such headaches.

If you feel hard done by - contact your Students Union. Its what they are there for, its what they are paid to do and its what some students elected them to do. Use them!

Though, as regards to the library -- surely during a powercut the doors should open automatically and not stay closed? Safety and all that?

ArerA

The side door of the library was open, allowing students to come out.
But its absolutely disgraceful that the week of exams, they schedule the powercut to "upgrade".

Hadn't they an entire summer for that??

I just can't phathom what sort of learning facility would close a library during exams.

Grr.

MitchKoobski

ArerA wrote: »

If that wasnt bad enough - about 20 minutes into the exam, there was an announcement that there would be a powercut at 5:30. During the exam.
Yay for writing in the dark.

Um...its August? The sun goes down at around 7:30 atm?

WIT, IMHO, is a complete sham of a college. It doesn't even deserve to be regarded as an I.T, much less a University. They are as incompant as they come.

They have a powercut for a few hours and its suddenly a "sham of a college"? And "incompant" as you put it?

Never mind the fact that they held the christmas results until March, or the fact in 1st year, we did not have a lecturer for one of our classes for the month of september or the month of october.

Teacher's union would take the blame for the results actually, not WIT. It was a dispute over lectuer's pay for correcting exams. I thought anyway who was paying attention at the time would have realised this from the posters and news?
And I spoke to my department head when I didnt have a lecturer for two weeks. It was due to cutbacks. Government cut their spending so they had to reduce the number of lecturers, and then get who they could to fill spaces.

Word of advice to anybody unfortunate enough to be going there this coming year -- If you got an offer anywhere else, take it.

Hope to see you in September!

ArerA

Um...its August? The sun goes down at around 7:30 atm?
The main exam hall was in complete darkness at 17:45. We actually sit the exams, inside, in a big building, with little natural light. Not outside under the sky, where it stays bright until 19:30


They have a powercut for a few hours and its suddenly a "sham of a college"? And "incompant" as you put it?
Yes. Having paid 150 euro to resit, it is hardly unreasonable to expect the facilities to be open.


Teacher's union would take the blame for the results actually, not WIT. It was a dispute over lectuer's pay for correcting exams. I thought anyway who was paying attention at the time would have realised this from the posters and news?
And this makes it okay? WIT should never have allowed its students be used as pawns. I presume the exam remains property of WIT, and not of the individual lecturer, which means, the lecturer had no right to hold them. Had they not been corrected, because they weren't paid, thats fine. WIT should have had them corrected externally.
I don't know about you but I didn't see any other students in Ireland having to protest in March for exams sat in december.

And I spoke to my department head when I didnt have a lecturer for two weeks. It was due to cutbacks. Government cut their spending so they had to reduce the number of lecturers, and then get who they could to fill spaces.
Again, I paid my registeration fees in 1st year. I paid them again in 2nd year. "Cutbacks" simply is not a good enough reason not being taught a subject I've paid good money to be taught, or to be examined in. They simply should not be accepting students they cannot teach.

Et Cetera

Love WIT but it isn't a patch on any other University and is rightly not one of them.

littletiger

ArerA wrote: »

WIT, IMHO, is a complete sham of a college. It doesn't even deserve to be regarded as an I.T, much less a University. They are as incompant as they come.

What is this word 'incompant' you write. Did you mean 'incompetent'?

The exams were repeat exams? That means you failed them in the first place? Does that not prove incompetence on your side?


I think you need to have a look at yourself before making such comments

Sully

littletiger wrote: »

What is this word 'incompant' you write. Did you mean 'incompetent'?

The exams were repeat exams? That means you failed them in the first place? Does that not prove incompetence on your side?


I think you need to have a look at yourself before making such comments

There are many reasons why people sit exams in August. Failing is one of them, but not the sole reason.

I think you shot yourself in the foot with that comment.

Paige Turner

littletiger wrote: »

What is this word 'incompant' you write. Did you mean 'incompetent'?

The exams were repeat exams? That means you failed them in the first place? Does that not prove incompetence on your side?


I think you need to have a look at yourself before making such comments

Not everybody are there because they have failed - I am sitting my final year semester 2 exams now, due to being sick in May and having to defer.
I do tend to agree with the OP on some points in regards to WIT though. Even on simple things, they can't seem to manage:

After the semester 2 exams in May I contacted the college to get exam papers to have to study, was told I would have to wait as they were not available yet. Fair enough. Went to the main campus before August exams, told that as I am based in College St. the exam papers are not availalbe there - but College St. seceterial services is not open until September so not available from there either. No provisions made for college street students. The exam papers on line have not been updated since 2006/207, so no chance of having papers to view there either.

Overall I have had so may bad experiences at WIT, during my four years, that I have decided not to continue there for further studies in September, which is a shame when there is a college with so much potential right on your doorstep. However, in order for them to be recognised as a University, there are many things that need to be iorned out first.

Et Cetera

I would be surprised if anyone in the college (who has been here for a few years) could consider it University material. I was in UCC for a few years and there is utterly no comparison.

Et Cetera

ArerA wrote: »

Um...its August? The sun goes down at around 7:30 atm?
The main exam hall was in complete darkness at 17:45. We actually sit the exams, inside, in a big building, with little natural light. Not outside under the sky, where it stays bright until 19:30


They have a powercut for a few hours and its suddenly a "sham of a college"? And "incompant" as you put it?
Yes. Having paid 150 euro to resit, it is hardly unreasonable to expect the facilities to be open.


Teacher's union would take the blame for the results actually, not WIT. It was a dispute over lectuer's pay for correcting exams. I thought anyway who was paying attention at the time would have realised this from the posters and news?
And this makes it okay? WIT should never have allowed its students be used as pawns. I presume the exam remains property of WIT, and not of the individual lecturer, which means, the lecturer had no right to hold them. Had they not been corrected, because they weren't paid, thats fine. WIT should have had them corrected externally.
I don't know about you but I didn't see any other students in Ireland having to protest in March for exams sat in december.

And I spoke to my department head when I didnt have a lecturer for two weeks. It was due to cutbacks. Government cut their spending so they had to reduce the number of lecturers, and then get who they could to fill spaces.
Again, I paid my registeration fees in 1st year. I paid them again in 2nd year. "Cutbacks" simply is not a good enough reason not being taught a subject I've paid good money to be taught, or to be examined in. They simply should not be accepting students they cannot teach.

You're obviously just going to argue no matter what so dropping it is my suggestion.

AdMMM

Et Cetera wrote: »

I would be surprised if anyone in the college (who has been here for a few years) could consider it University material. I was in UCC for a few years and there is utterly no comparison.

It's a Catch-22, we need extra funding to be able to offer the full range and level of services of a university but can't get that funding because we're not a university.

As for the powercut, I was in doing a project in the computer labs and thought it was only a minor annoyance. I didn't even consider that they would have had exams scheduled during this time too and it does seem rather irresponsible.

dayshah

Et Cetera wrote: »

I would be surprised if anyone in the college (who has been here for a few years) could consider it University material. I was in UCC for a few years and there is utterly no comparison.

Et Cetera, did you go to both?

I went to both. In UCC there were problems like more students than computers during computer practical sessions, completely inadequate food in the canteen, and this year they were flooded.

Overall the buildings in WIT are more modern, and so less prone to such failures, though of course they shouldn't happen.

There are different reasons for someone doing an exam in August. However, what sort of preparation is it to drive 2.5 hours just before the exam, and give yourself 1.5hours before the exam for cramming. More prepared students could take it in their stride. The OP could have asked for extra time on account of the power cut and used it to their advantage as extra thinking time.

I remember my time in WIT, and overall it compares favourably with my time in UCC.

MitchKoobski

It just seems a bit nitpicky to me to be complaining about a powercut interrupting your study plans, when you had the entire summer to study for the repeats and you arrived just over an hour and a half before the exam.
In my two years at WIT so far I've only seen one other powercut and that was during the heavy storms last November that led to Cork flooding as well. It was about 2 hours of no power for the entire campus though, and it was involountary.

dayshah

Sully wrote: »

There are many reasons why people sit exams in August. Failing is one of them, but not the sole reason.

I think you shot yourself in the foot with that comment.

ArerA already said he paid €150 to resit so littletiger was right

Overall it just sounds to me like someone did bad in their exams and wants someone else to blame rather than take responsibility.

Paddy001

I had a repeat exam on saturday just gone at 11.45, came down for around 9 to go to the library and read over my notes. It was closed, so I ended up sitting in the car reading my notes. Saw an unreal amount of people going to the library and walking away when they found it was closed. I thought it would have surely been open for the exams