Hugh Brady - UCD's Michael O Leary

The_Minister

Athens? LION? Project Muse? J-Stor?
Please explain.

Sangre

The only thing that is happening to UCD from where I can see is its getting a much needed kick up the arse.

Blush_01

Firespinner wrote:

Athens? LION? Project Muse? J-Stor?
Please explain.

Online journals that you can access through the library website. Great resource for articles esp. for essays when all the books are gone.

The old way of using the online journals off campus.

An online journal that's unsubscribed to by UCD but that everything seems to be on. (Go figure, eh?)

That clear it up?

snickerpuss

&#231 wrote: »

Sorry folks, will read the rest of this thread in a min but just to correct this statement -

Trinity is a copyright library. and has been around since the late 1500's so yeah, we do have more books than you. However being a copyright library means we're ENTITLED to a copy of each book published in Ireland and the UK. entitled does not mean given, it means we have to pay for them. Hell, otherwise we'd be suffering the stacks issue we have at the mo (another 6-12months and our storage facilities are full) a long long time ago.

Just to correct - Trinity don't have to pay for any of the books they get under the copyright law.

Crash

My mistake actually - just been doing some reading into it (anything to avoid study) - dates back to the copyright act 1911 in the UK - actually having trouble finding the specific piece of legislation relating to it though

xeduCat

To clear this up.

Under British law, the British Library has to be sent a (free) copy of every published book*. There are five other libraries that are entitled to a free copy, but have to claim it (and they cooperate to make the admin of such easier) - Aberystwyth, Edinburgh, Oxford, Cambridge and Trinity. (Legal Deposit Libraries Act 2003). This is an act of the UK parliament and applies to books published in the UK.

Under Irish law, free copies (one each) have to be sent to the seven university libraries, the National Library of Ireland, and the British Library. Aberystwyth, Edinburgh, Oxford and Cambridge can claim a copy too. (Copyright & Related Rights Act 2000). This is an act of the Oireachtas and applies to books published in Ireland.

However, this is a single copy, and is generally treated as part of an important collection - e.g. in Trinity, the vast vast majority of books received under 'legal deposit' are kept in closed access and can only be borrowed by staff or postgraduate students. Generally, anything that's in use for a course will have multiple copies purchased - and certainly, it would be highly unusual for a 'free' book to be in a lending collection.

* and certain other items too - periodicals are the most obvious, but the introduction of legal deposit for certain digital content is still being worked out.

panda100

peachypants wrote:

But sure, once you're happy everyone else is just a whinger, right? :rolleyes:

This couldnt be further from the truth. Yes Im quite happy with my college and the way it works. I apologise for that but Im allowed to have my opinion too even if it does disagree with many people on these boards most of the time,specially the art students.

sangre wrote:

The only thing that is happening to UCD from where I can see is its getting a much needed kick up the arse.

I really have to agree with sangre on this one. When I started college in 2001 everything was done by post and paper. Handouts for lectures were at the top of the lecture halll and if you didnt get one then tough luck.Online classes and blackboard have been great initatives along with computerising onlime addmission exam cards etc.No more long hauls out to addmissions...yipee!!

Hermione* wrote:

I actually find the internet thing such a pain, I don't have internet in my house so I have to come up to ucd to do anything like that. Yeah, I live walking distance away, but it's still a nuisance to walk to ucd and back (about 40/ 50 minutes) to print a page. For the poeple who spend an hour or more commuting to ucd, this must be a nightmare.

I used to get my Mum to send my exam card up to me from Limerick, and never had a problem with it getting lost in the post. I usually had it less than two days after Mum posted it as well. Very handy imo, no chance of leaving it in your locker.

But ok I hold my hands up and say peachy is correct I am completly out of touch with what the rest of you students want. But to me printing off the exam card is mega handy. Unfortumatly there seems to be a dissorganised dominant Donovan gene running through the x chromosomes in my family and so my mum never remembered to send my exam card up to me in Dublin. At least now its my perogative to get off my behind amd print off my exam card and with internet access so incredibly greatt throughout Dublin City its not too difficult to print it off. Anywho thats my two cents,do the majority of people on here agree that the computerization of the college is a problem and a pain.....??

Blowfish

panda100 wrote:

do the majority of people on here agree that the computerization of the college is a problem and a pain.....??

Obviously i'd say that us comp. sci's don't think it's a pain, but we are in a completely different situation, so definitely can't speak for the majority.

beanyb

Personally, I think to a certain extent the computerisation is a good thing. Clearly blackboard is an advantage even if it isnt properly utilised by many lecturers. It's handy being able to change details over the net and things like that.

However, I dont like the almost total lack of communication and general human contact from the college by any other means. For example, look how long it took Vainglory and co to get the college to send a simple letter to students concerned over the impact modularisation might have on them. All they wanted was a letter, really how hard could that be? As I've already said I think it's ridiculous that we dont get exam results posted out to us, and anyone I've ever told about that in any other college cant believe what they're hearing.

It would also be helpful if timetables for us non-modularised people could be available somewhere other than UCD, including online. At the start of this year I had no idea when I was meant to be in college on the first day of term and had to trek out to UCD to find out anything. My brother is an evening student and he came out with me. They didnt even have a timetable for him on the Saturday before we went back. It's like they assume since we arent freshers anymore we should miraculously know where we have to be!

Before anyone says it, I know I'm in university and cant expect to be spoonfed everything. I'm not expecting to be, I just expect to be made aware of simple logistical details without having to go to ridiculous effort to find it out.

Red Alert

i think they've pre-loaded people's UCD connect calendar with the timetable for the modular people.

cast_iron

Hermione* wrote:

I actually find the internet thing such a pain, I don't have internet in my house so I have to come up to ucd to do anything like that. Yeah, I live walking distance away, but it's still a nuisance to walk to ucd and back (about 40/ 50 minutes) to print a page. For the poeple who spend an hour or more commuting to ucd, this must be a nightmare.

Yes it's terrible, you have to actually make one trip into college a year.
On a very rough calculation, sending out aprox 15,000 exam cards would cost about €7000 euro, plus printing/envelopes/labour costs. And that's just for exam cards. With the college budget being cut by government, something has to give. So what if you have to pay 8cent to print it out.

In today's day and age, to argue it's hard to access the net doesn't really wash. Says alot when people are actually reduced to whinging about this. Maybe Hugh will wipe your a**e for you too.

Sangre is dead right, it's high time the waste stopped. People seem to think there is and endless pit of money there. There isn't!

The problem Hugh has, is a bit like the politician's problem - the electorate don't care about the long term view...they live for the day that's in it. But he's sticking to his guns, with the big picture in mind. And all we do is complain about a broken turn-style. Hold on, maybe Hugh will fix it for you.

Chakar

Red Alert wrote:

i think they've pre-loaded people's UCD connect calendar with the timetable for the modular people.

That's right Red Alert.

Ernie Ball

My understanding is that UCD always had a balanced budget until Brady came along and blew a hole in it to the tune of several million with spending on ads and remodelling his house, etc. etc.

He may be saving money in some places, but he's also blowing a lot more of it in others.

cast_iron

Ernie Ball wrote:

My understanding is that UCD always had a balanced budget until Brady came along and blew a hole in it to the tune of several million with spending on ads and remodelling his house, etc. etc.

He may be saving money in some places, but he's also blowing a lot more of it in others.

The ignorance!!
The ads seem to be paying off - CAO applications are on the up. Funding is related to numbers, so this is a good thing!

As for the house, you'd swear Hugh Brady commisioned the job. For a start it wasn't a remodel - it was essential rennovations. He had no say in it at all in fact. Art Cosgrave decided on it. It needed alot of works, and on a house of it's nature, it was always gonna be expensive.
But yeah, you're right, Hugh himself should have re-plumbed and re-wired the place!

Ernie Ball

All I'm saying is that, far from being the picture of financial rectitude, the Brady admin is running relatively large deficits. That might not matter but given the complaints by staff I don't have the feeling he's really improved the place for all the money spent. In any case, as was mentioned in another thread, the budget information (how much paid for what) is being guarded like it's the crown jewels. Why not be transparent about it if it's all for the good?

Chakar

That's gonna happen for good few years what with the planned Gateway project.

cast_iron

Well i'm all for transparency. I'm with you there.

Change never goes down well. The staff don't like it. Can't blame them. But that doesn't mean it isn't for the better.
Yes, it's gonna cost more - by definition it has to. But savings will kick in in the long term. Though the students of the day (like the electorate) don't see this.

All the computerisation has actually saved enormous amounts of money already!

Chakar

Yeah, even the staff recognised that the Horizons system is in the interests of the students.But they themselves don't like it because of extra work, stress and still the same money.

cast_iron

Exactly, and that's the tough part of it. Though what's a bit of extra work for a year or too. They are on good money anyway to be fair.

When Horizons was first mentioned, everyone said it was a terrible idea. Granted, they did a bad job implementing it, but in a few years, that will all be sorted and forgotten and a better college system will exist.

On a side note, Michael O'Leary revolutionised Irish (and European) air travel, and is the best in the business at what he does...and comparing Hugh Brady to him is such a bad thing?

Chakar

Michael O'Leary is a joker, Brady however is not, I saw him at the first Chomsky lecture and when he was speaking he was shouting at first then would quieten down at the end of the sentence and then shout again.Brady is a serious man, I get the impression he's a perfectionist.

Chakar

What do you think cast on?

cast_iron

I agree, but that doesn't mean he doesn't do his job well. So what if he's a joker. O'Leary doesn't care what people say - he gets on with his own agenda and gets excellent results. Hoping Brady does the same.....

Chakar

Seems to be doing better than the previous presidents neway.

Hermione*

cast_iron wrote:

Maybe Hugh will wipe your a**e for you too.

Tbh, I don't think that 's called for for a start.

cast_iron wrote:

Yes it's terrible, you have to actually make one trip into college a year.

I'm actually in college seven days a week. My point was if I want to use the internet I have to come into college. I'm fortunate to live nearby. Some people live two hours away.

cast_iron wrote:

On a very rough calculation, sending out aprox 15,000 exam cards would cost about €7000 euro, plus printing/envelopes/labour costs. And that's just for exam cards. With the college budget being cut by government, something has to give. So what if you have to pay 8cent to print it out.

Yet the library send me a letter every time I have a reservation in, and 90% of the time it's a book I've already collected.

cast_iron wrote:

In today's day and age, to argue it's hard to access the net doesn't really wash. Says alot when people are actually reduced to whinging about this.

Not everybody has the internet. My parents don't have a compueter in teir home, and my house in Dublin doesn't have it. I don't see it as a mjor deprivation, I certainly wasn't "whinging", I was just raising a point. Net access is not as widespread as you'd imagine.

*my two cents*

Blush_01

The library sending out letters objection seconded. Cast Iron, if it costs €7,000 a year to send out exam cards (which is fine, and to save that money I don't mind printing my own off - once I'm reminded like everyone else is, I'm a student too, ta very much) and assuming prices don't increase dramatically over the summer it costs the same to send out results, then why are they saving €14,000 per annum and instead sending a number of times that level of post out to remind us that we're late with books we've already returned, or that reservations are available when they've already been collected? It makes no sense. Therein lies the rub in his "improvements". Necessary paperwork is not being provided to students (even exam results up online are not considered to be official proof of exam results, yet we're expected to take them as such - moronic? I think so!) but unnecessary junkmail is being sent out whilly-nilly.

cast_iron

Hermione* wrote:

Tbh, I don't think that 's called for for a start.

Fair enough, though i'm sure you see my point.

Hermione* wrote:

I'm actually in college seven days a week. My point was if I want to use the internet I have to come into college. I'm fortunate to live nearby. Some people live two hours away.

My point is that all you have to do is come in to college! Not that unreasonable a request, me thinks. You are supposed to be a full time student in UCD, remember.

Hermione* wrote:

Yet the library send me a ltter every time I have a reservation in, and 90% of the time it's a book I've already collected.

Yea, thats bad admin, but doesn't mean invalidate my point in any way. So we should spend €7000 grand on sending exam cards out just cos we send out library book notifications?

Hermione* wrote:

Not everybody has the internet. My parents don't have a compueter in teir home, and my house in Dublin doesn't have it. I don't see it as a mjor deprivation, I certainly wasn't "whinging", I was just raising a point. Net access is not as widespread as you'd imagine.

*my two cents*

True, but all i'm saying is there's plenty of computer on campus and it's not that unreasonable to ask students to use them once a year in the 21 century to print an exam card.

cast_iron

Blush_01 wrote:

The library sending out letters objection seconded. Cast Iron, if it costs €7,000 a year to send out exam cards (which is fine, and to save that money I don't mind printing my own off - once I'm reminded like everyone else is, I'm a student too, ta very much) and assuming prices don't increase dramatically over the summer it costs the same to send out results, then why are they saving €14,000 per annum and instead sending a number of times that level of post out to remind us that we're late with books we've already returned, or that reservations are available when they've already been collected? It makes no sense. Therein lies the rub in his "improvements". Necessary paperwork is not being provided to students (even exam results up online are not considered to be official proof of exam results, yet we're expected to take them as such - moronic? I think so!) but unnecessary junkmail is being sent out whilly-nilly.

Well, i'm with you on the library letters, see above.
Now i forget, but i thought the final exam results got posted to me (in September). Though i did have a repeat exam or two. Has anyone been refused a printed copy of them, when requested? I know i have no use for a printed copy of them till i finish, so i've never required them - though i'm sure alot of other people would need them.

Blush_01

If you get the grant it means going to UCD for an official printed copy - a little frustrating if you're from Donegal or Cork! Only final years get their results sent out. Unfortunately, they never told us. So I convinced myself I'd failed. I understand conservation of resources, but basic information being supplied, even at the end of the last lecture, doesn't cost that much bloody money.:)

Hermione*

cast_iron wrote:

My point is that all you have to do is come in to college! Not that unreasonable a request, me thinks. You are supposed to be a full time student in UCD, remember.

I'm here twelve hours a day most days, seven days a week. People who live in Lucan, Swords, etc can't do this, they live too far away. That's my point.

My course is full-time but has only fifteen hours of teaching time a week. The rest of the time is private study. Not everybody studies in UCD, or is in a position to avail of study facilities in UCD at weekends.

cast_iron wrote:

but all i'm saying is there's plenty of computer on campus and it's not that unreasonable to ask students to use them once a year

There's nowhere near sufficent provision of computers for students in UCD and a bad situation has been exacerbated greatly by the introduction of college-wide submission deadlines.

cast_iron wrote:

Has anyone been refused a printed copy of them, when requested? I know i have no use for a printed copy of them till i finish, so i've never required them - though i'm sure alot of other people would need them.

You have to pay for an academic transcript, which is necessary for most postgraduate applications. You also have to get it whenever admin's open. It must be applied for in person.

cast_iron

Hermione* wrote:

I'm here twelve hours a day most days, seven days a week. People who live in Lucan, Swords, etc can't do this, they live too far away. That's my point.

I see your point, but i think you are missing mine. Your exam card is available to print during term time, so almost all students will be in college anyway. And even if you do live in Lucan/Swords (and i lived in Lucan for a bit), you dont need to go to college to print it. It's available from anywhere with a internet connection and printer, ie. most homes or all internet cafe's. And don't forget, we all have friends....

Hermione* wrote:

You have to pay for an academic transcript, which is necessary for most postgraduate applications. You also have to get it whenever admin's open. It must be applied for in person.

That's a nuisance.