UCC students' union has appealed to students' unions and student bodies around the country for financial assistance to cover what are termed "essential fit out costs" for Aras na MacLeinn, the union's recently opened student centre.
The appeal arises out of the recent court case against the union magazine, The Gazette, which was taken by five security guards in the Boole Library. The action was taken over a defamatory article which appeared in The Gazette in 1992 entitled Homo Sapien Boolesecurity Guardensis.
An apology appeared the following week but the Circuit Court last month awarded damages of £4,000 each to the plaintiffs, leaving UCC students' union with total costs in the region of £30,000 and setting back considerably its plans for the student centre. "We will be expected to pay this fairly soon," said UCC students' union administrative officer Donnchadh O hAodha.
The union is seeking funding for PA equipment, outdoor catering equipment, signs, overhead projectors and the fitting out of a studio for UCC's campus radio station. A special account has been set up at the AIB Branch in UCC for donations, which can be sent to a/c number 24638922 (branch code 93.41.94).
Meanwhile, the application for a club licence for the student centre continues its stately progress through the courts, with student representatives hopeful of a resolution before the end of the academic year. The licence will enable the union to operate a bar in the new centre, which should assist it in tackling its current financial difficulties.
