College staff and students stage demonstration
Staff and students at Carlow College during today's demonstration
STAFF and students at Carlow College, St Patrick's staged a demonstration earlier today, calling for greater transparency around the decisions that led to the college's closure and for greater staff involvement in any further talks going forward.
The demonstration, organised by Carlow College Staff Action Group, set off from the front doors of the building, with many carrying black placards bearing the phrase ‘This is what transparency looks like’ — a reference to the heavily redacted report released to this newspaper following a request.
The group of about 80 people marched down the avenue of the college several times chanting ‘What do we want? Save our staff. When do we want it? Now’ and ‘Whose staff? Our staff’ before regrouping at the building's main entrance to hear staff and students make passionate pleas for the college to remain a hub for arts and the humanities.
Programme director in applied social studies at the college Dr John McHugh told the crowd how negotiations between Carlow College and SETU's senior management began as talks about the future but soon "became more and more focused on balance sheets and profit and loss."
"Before, during and after these negotiations, academic staff have been completely excluded," Dr McHugh said.
"A willingness to embrace change, to engage creatively, to bring experience and expertise in the humanities and social sciences was ignored and excluded throughout. Even after the announcement on 19 May, staff have continued to put forward ideas for the future — none have been responded to and none have been recommended for further discussion.”
He continued: "We are rejecting this lack of transparency, this lack of inclusiveness, this lack of respect. Sometimes, you just have to call these things out.” Lecturer in Irish history at the college Dr Regina Donlon spoke of "empty promises" made to staff since the announcement in May.
"Three months ago today, we met with the minister for higher and further education James Lawless. We were told a working group would be set up. As I stand on these steps today, I have not heard one word from the minister about that working group. Now is the time we need action," Dr Donlon said, adding that staff remain committed to helping students reach the end of their degrees, but that they deserve to be shown "some respect" while they do it.
Speaking after the action, final-year philosophy and psychology student Anthony Moran told about the "devastation" he and his fellow students felt when news of the college's closure first emerged, pointing to the strength of its community spirit.
"This place is like a community, but it is also nearly like family," Anthony said. "A great man that we lost this year used to always say 'Ideas are never born in a vacuum.' His name was Dr Noel Kavanagh and he taught us an awful lot," Anthony said, echoing the words of the much-loved philosophy lecturer who passed away in February.
While Anthony said he is fortunate to be able to finish his degree during the two-year teach-out period, he noted that earlier students in their courses have not been so lucky. He also described a number of emails he had received from concerned parents whose children had been due to begin courses at the college in September before news of the closure broke.
"The second these parents found out their child was coming to Carlow, being aware of the housing situation, they told me they'd already put down deposits, in some cases a full semester's rent," Anthony said. "Then they were told their child has to go somewhere else and they did not have the money for that. I felt totally powerless listening to them," he added.
Concluding the action, programme co-ordinator and lecturer in politics and society and social, political and community studies at the college Steph Hanlon extended an invitation to minister Lawless and minister of state Jennifer Murnane O'Connor to meet with staff and students and provide an update on the current status of the college.
"We would absolutely love to see you here, to speak with you and to engage with you constructively," Ms Hanlon said.
