MORE than l,000 students began their examinations in University College, Dublin, yesterday without adequate access to library facilities, the students' union has claimed.
Students sitting the examinations under the new semester system include final year business and legal and commerce students as well as postgraduate and evening students in arts and commerce. Some of these students are sitting up to 50 per cent of their final examinations this month.
The college library closed on December 22nd and reopened last Friday from 9.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m., over four hours earlier than the usual closing time of 10.00 p.m. on weekdays. It did not open on Saturday so evening students, who work during the week, would not have had any access to the library in the two weeks prior to their examinations. Access to computer facilities was similarly restricted, according to the students' union.
"Row students are expected to prepare for examinations without having access to books, journals and reports is beyond me," the union's education officer, Mr Garrett Tubridy, said.
The students' union had received about 100 complaints from students. The union has written several letters to the registrar, Dr Caroline Hussey, about the problems facing students sitting the examinations under the new term arrangements and asking her to ensure that grades will not suffer as a result of inadequate college services.
UCD students' union says that the University of Limerick's semester examinations commence on January 11th, but its library has been open since last Wednesday. Dublin City University does not have January examinations, but the library there also reopened on Wednesday.
A spokesperson for UCD explained that semester examinations are not college-wide at present and that a committee set up by the college academic council is looking at their implementation, in the interim, faculties which had introduced semesters and which had examinations in Christmas, 1994, were allowed to have examinations this Christmas. The library took steps to accommodate students, allowing them to borrow books from December 11th to January 9th.
The proposed extension of the semester system was put on hold last year alter opposition from both students and staff.