Madam, - Sean Flynn supplies a dispiriting portrait of modern student life in the country's most prestigious universities (Education & Parenting, February 4th). His descriptions of apathy, cynicism and booze culture would suggest that many of the public perceptions of students are true.
I suggest, however, that these are shallow and prejudiced opinions of the difficulties many young people face in gaining an education. With increasing numbers going to third-level, it is unfair (if not offensive) to stereotype students or the backgrounds they come from.
In the past year, a school in Neilstown, in my own constituency of Dublin Mid-West, sent its first student to study medicine at Trinity. Where was the fanfare for this significant achievement? Would this student fit the stereotype your correspondent depicts in his article? Furthermore, student life exists beyond the cobblestones of Trinity, the bar in Belfield and the modern buildings of DCU. Unfortunately, Mr Flynn completely ignored the institutes of technology - a sector that receives little attention in the pages of The Irish Times when it comes to discussing university life.
Insufficient analysis has been carried out on the backgrounds students come from, the efforts they have to make simply to get to university, never mind the struggle to live and study once they are there.
I suggest that this would be a more accurate depiction of student life than that supplied in the article. - Yours, etc.,
Senator JOANNA TUFFY, Labour Party, Seanad Éireann, Dublin 2.