NUI GALWAY Students’ Union’s outgoing president Peter Mannion has said that banning the university’s college week will “not solve the problems” associated with the event.
“Students are just part of a wider problem regarding alcohol consumption in Irish society,” Mr Mannion said.
“Galway probably had far more arrests during St Patrick’s Day, than during college week, and yet no one is calling on the bishop to ban St Patrick’s Day,” he said.
Mr Mannion was commenting yesterday as the students’ union presented two “giant” cheques for €11,000 each to two charities.
Gardaí made over 30 arrests during the college week, which NUIG president Dr Jim Browne has called on the students’ union to abandon. Two years ago, the university authorities withdrew their support for what was then know as “rag week” due to antisocial behaviour on the part of participants.
The students’ union has said that a “minority” were involved in the incidents which resulted in Garda intervention this year, and gardaí in Galway confirmed that it passed off “reasonably well”.
“Of course, the new students’ union officers will be reviewing it,” Mr Mannion said. “There was no trouble on the campus, and the incidents occurred in private residential areas which is something we have to look at.
“However, the majority of student participants were involved in very valuable fundraising.”
In a related development, NUIG students will join colleagues from the University of Limerick (UL) on an annual overseas volunteering programme in south America later this summer. The 15 students will work on a community development project involving provision of water and sanitation in Brazil for five weeks in June. The programme is supported by the chaplaincies of NUIG and UL.
