STUDENT SUPPORT
Few of us escape emotional stresses and traumas in our personal lives. For students, these often come through family problems, bereavements and other personal crises. For all these, there are counselling services in the College. The Counsellors are Mr Paul Moriarty and Ms Helen Prendergast. However, when these circumstances affect your academic performance, it is also the particular concern of the academic staff.
When problems of a personal nature arise, you should make the situation known to the Head of Department or to your Personal Tutor. Depending on your circumstances, a range of provisions can be made to help you, ranging from the extension of deadlines for the submission of work to seeking permission to defer exams.
In the case of illness, as stated above, it is important to submit a medical certificate to the Secretary only, as soon as possible, to explain any absences from class tests, late submission of work and, of course, examinations. These should be produced at the time rather than later in the year. In some cases alternative assessments may be arranged to produce an appropriate grade. Marks cannot be awarded for medical certificates and it is still important that students meet all the course requirements.
Sometimes when the going gets tough, you may feel College life is not for your but before you make the final decision to withdraw from university it is highly recommended that you speak with the College Student Retention and Progression Officer, Ms Jane Crowley, on the second floor of the West Wing (Tel: 4903671).
STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES
Personal Tutors: A personal tutor is allocated to each student to whom the student can turn for advice and assistance when the need arises. Normally, in the First Year, the tutor in charge of your language group will be your personal tutor.
Staff-Student Committee: Because university education is a co-operative venture, each year-group of students (Arts, Language and Cultural Studies, Commerce, etc.) will elect its own representatives who attend Staff-Student Consultative Committees and represent the interests and opinions of their group. It is envisaged that these committees will meet twice a year and provide an opportunity for you to express your views on the academic programme and to make suggestions for improving the life of the department. These views are taken into account when the academic programme comes under review each year.
N.B. It is imperative that students experiencing difficulty (whether personal or study-related) should bring it to the attention of their tutor and/or Head of Department a.s.a.p.
STUDENT SERVICES
There are many services available to students, a selection of which are listed below, with their telephone numbers:
Student Counsellor - 4802369
Careers Office - 4902349
Disability Support Office - 4902985
Ombudsman - 4902388
Students' Union - 4902652
Bank of Ireland - 4902961
Allied Irish Bank - 4340340
Creche - 4902178
Campus Radio - 4902008
UCC Travel - 4902293
Residence & Student Activities - 4902479
Mardyke Arena - 4904751
Main Switchboard - 4276871
SAFETY
We should all be consciously aware of our own safety and that of others also. The following guidelines should be adhered to at all times. Please read them carefully. Any untoward phenomenon that might constitute a hazard or danger of any kind (a fire risk, a broken window, unusual strangers in the building, etc.) should be reported immediately to the Head of Department via the Secretaries' office.
- All individuals in the department are required to cooperate in fire drills and to obey the instructions given by officers in fire and other emergencies. "In Case of Fire" notices are displayed prominently throughout all buildings, please make yourself aware - wherever you may be - of relevant assembly points in case of fire.
- A 'First Aid Kit' is available in the Departmental Office.
- All accidents and potentially dangerous incidents occurring to members of the department, students and visitors, must be reported, as must any accidents to visitors within the department.
- Corridors and access ways must be kept clear at all times. Please ensure that you do not place your bags/belongings where someone else is likely to fall over them.
- Individuals must work safely. If they do not, they will be stopped from working.
- Warning signs and notices must be obeyed.
