NCAD Students Oppose Move to UCD

by Student Grant Thu Nov 10, 2005 18:07

Do not let the move go ahead. Rather than an art College, it will soon become an arts building if the move goes ahead. Imagine trying to talk to some UCD office clerk about funding, when he or she is putting extra funding in to the latest government pushed degree, (I.T in the mid nineties, engineering at present).
I'm a communications student in DCU, in our building we have Multi-media, Communications and Journalism degree students. The facilities are poor, with two C.D./D.V.D burners for the entire faculty. While our P.C./Macs crash or simply do not work other more popular and less media orientated degree courses have better facilities and better I.T. equipment. It's a popularity contest when it comes to funding. In N.C.A.D Thomas Street, art students are not fighting for funding with other non-art affiliated faculties. Do not let your college be used for the profit of whom ever pays Bertie enough for the permission to build more dog box apartments on your current campus. Let's face it, it's all about profit at the back of it.

by Nessa - NCAD Students' Union Tue Nov 01, 2005 19:40 ncadsu at gmail dot com 100 THOMAS STREET and proud of it!!! 0879970415

Thank you all for your support, I knew there wouldn't be a single person out there in their right mind who would be in favour of this move. Below is a link to some photos of our protest last Thursday. We have many more planned, and we'll post the details up here in the hope that some of you our supporters will be able to join us. At the protest on Thursday Centra across the road from the college donated some crates of water to us and many other local businesses have expressed their support for our campaign. We will be providing them with posters to display in their shop windows. We will also be meeting with Aengus O Snodaigh the local Sinn Fein TD very soon. The article in the UCD Observer was disappointingly one-sided, so it's very reassuring to hear that UCD students are supporting us! Please don't take anything we say against UCD personally, trust me it's not aimed at the students! Let the battle continue!

by UCD student Tue Nov 01, 2005 11:34

I think that it would be better to keep colleges in the city centre. NCAD makes a great contribution to the life of the Liberties. They will say it is because of lack of money! But surely it would cost more to build a new building in Belfield. Why don't they campaign for money off the state. UCD is quickly becoming a corporate college with lower academic standards at undergraduate level. NCAD should keep its distance from this. However you should not keep your distance from UCD students who are your allies in this attack on your college.

by hmm Mon Oct 31, 2005 12:50

I seem to recall something like this in the mid 80s.

by Dunk Sat Oct 29, 2005 17:20

saw the grafiti on the walls<

would be a tragedy if it moved> having an art college in the city means that as you learn the theory you learn same time from the city< having NCAD in the oasis island of UCD< would be a huge loss< i learned my architecture from walking the streets< speanding time wandering around and understanding the city< i was in bolton st< beside moore st< and thankful that that was the case
i know that not all artees are into city and people stuff< but many are and with that in mind you and those who support you should fight to keep things as they are

by Organise Fri Oct 28, 2005 03:15

This would be a disaster for NCAD. UCD has a very specific agenda as to its direction over the coming years. UCD is driving itself forward as a mecca for R&D, its marketing message is industry. A university that is based around the logic of capital otherwise referred to as knowledge based. The commodification of art. Organise and oppose

by MAX Thu Oct 27, 2005 13:22

Handing NCAD and the old powers distillery over to the Developers would probobly make a lot of money for Brertie. Butv Past and future generations of irish artists would surly lose out. I spent a few years there and the building has a unique atmosphere which could not be replicated in a surburban site like belfield. NCAD thrives on its city cenre location One of the reasons that many students chose NCAD over Dilat in Dun Laogharie is that you feel part of the fabric of the city If you move it You will kill everything which makes it what it is.

Fuck this is depressing

by spin-off Thu Oct 27, 2005 13:13

Perhaps because I'm a grown-up I read :- "The relocation of NCAD would have a detrimental effect on the local economy of the Thomas Street area". I wonder have the SU contacted those "suppliers" and "small businesses" &c.., in the area to ask them about their views on losing their customer base? Quite probably budding artists will remain loyal to their crayon shop in the future, but many other businesses who supply daily essentials such as sandwiches, alcohol, and cigarette papers will be effected.

who is the TD for the constituency?

by monkey Thu Oct 27, 2005 02:29

Didn't the gov shove millions and millions at MIT to use arces of old buildings around there, how it is that the couldn't expand a college I don't know.

by space cadet Wed Oct 26, 2005 22:47

It'll be a sad day for the city if NCAD is banished to Belfield. It's funny to think that the college management say they have no money for redevelopment of the Thomas Street site- this would imply a degree of financial mismanagement that is hard to believe. The college should be thriving, every course is oversubscribed, and since the artworld is booming, you'd think that there would be plenty of opportunities for sponsorship, endowments etc.

Still, when you look at some of the amadáns that run the place it's no surprise that they are in a mess...