Over 1,000 students attending Maynooth University staged an organised lecture walk-out yesterday after plans for a new student centre were scrapped.
On Thursday, following the termination of MU student centre, Maynooth Students Union organised a lecture walk out which took place at 11:11am. As previously reported by Dublin Live, students who attended the university between 2015 and 2022 paid a €150 sum annually towards the centre, on top of their student contribution fees of €3000 .
The centre was supposed to be completed next year, but Maynooth has confirmed the project has been abolished due to rising costs. The 3,700 square metre building commenced construction in summer 2020, and it was conceptualised as a welcoming hub for the student body, with space to facilitate club and society meetings as well as an outdoor living room veiled by a canopy.
Read more: Lotto results Ireland: Family run store that sold €8.9m jackpot winning ticket revealed
In a statement to Dublin Live, the Maynooth Students Union described the walk-out that took place yesterday as a "show of solidarity to students and alumni over their anger at the cancellation of a project seven years in the works." They said: "Students are angry because the levy was passed in a 2015 referendum to promise future students of Maynooth three important student facilities buildings, one of which was the student centre.
"The building has lagged behind in prioritisation as other capital projects for the university were constructed before ultimately being cancelled. This is especially infuriating for students who have repeated or even did their UG and PG in Maynooth, having paid the levy for 4-5 years, sometimes more, who were promised a brighter future for the new generation of Maynooth students."
"We had over 1,000 students and alumni gather outside the John Hume building, also in attendance were lecturers and staff, local TDs and councillors who stood in solidarity with our students, both physically and online," they added. Maynooth SU confirmed they would continue to push for a new student centre and enhanced facilities across the university, which is attended by approximately 15,000 students overall.
READ NEXT:
- Students angered as proposed campus centre in Maynooth University is scrapped
- Students missing lectures and getting clamped due to lack of parking in Maynooth University
Woman's warning after thieves try to steal car by hacking into system
American Pie singer Don McLean steps out with model girlfriend Paris Dylan ahead of 3Arena gig
Pubs may be forced to sell bottled beer in the dark, publican warns
Sign up to the Dublin Live Newsletter to get all the latest Dublin news straight to your inbox.
