UCC cancels all lectures for a week

By Eoin English and Niall Murray

Saturday, November 21, 2009

UNIVERSITY College Cork (UCC) has been forced to cancel all lectures for a week after floods caused extensive damage to key buildings.

Some 14 buildings, including the newly opened Western Gateway information technology building on the Western Road, the hi-tech Tyndall National Institute at Grenville Place, the Mardyke Arena Sports Complex and the Glucksman Gallery, were badly affected.

Hundreds of students were also forced to evacuate their accommodation and digs after the River Lee burst its banks.

The damage is so severe that college authorities have cancelled all lectures from Monday and are due to resume as normal on Monday, November 30.

Members of the Irish Federation of University Teachers have been exempted by union leaders from taking part in next Tuesday’s public service strike to allow them help with the clean-up.

The university launched an emergency operation yesterday and a spokesperson said priority was given to finding emergency accommodation for students whose apartments were damaged.

"UCC has extensive student accommodation surrounding the main campus but, unfortunately, most of the student buildings were affected by the unprecedented severity of the flooding," she said.

"The university’s campus accommodation office was in a position to offer replacement accommodation by yesterday afternoon."

Insurance agents were on site assessing the damage with conservative estimates putting the bill at several million euro.

"The ongoing evaluation of damage to the UCC buildings, facilities and equipment may take some time and the university is not in a position at this time to give a clear indication of what the eventual cost might be."

"Further precautionary measures are being taken in relation to the likelihood of flooding re-occurring over the weekend."

UCC’s management also expressed their gratitude to staff who worked through Thursday night to ensure the safety of students and to do what was possible to protect buildings.

Meanwhile, an UCC event next Monday featuring economist David McWilliams has been cancelled.

This story appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Saturday, November 21, 2009