A Chara, - Eamon Sweeney highlighted (August 16th) the lack of civic culture among the better-off in our society. It is clear from the tone of his letter that he is opposed to the student accommodation development at Dartry or as he calls it, "the monster student hive".
It is also clear that he has no experience of the hardships facing students looking for accommodation in Ireland today. An Bord Pleanala is to be commended for granting planning permission for this development in the face of such self-interested objectors.
Every year we hear the horror stories of vulnerable students being taken advantage of by unscrupulous landlords and every year there are calls to provide more purpose-built accommodation for students. However, when someone actually tries to build some accommodation for students, a chorus of NIMBY objectors immediately emerge from the woodwork and whine as loudly as possible. Mr Sweeney would do well to develop a sense of responsibility towards the less well off in our society, be they students or otherwise, and refrain from implying through his use of language that students are insects. For example, it is unlikely that he would have used such an offensive choice of words if he was discussing asylum seekers but, as always, it appears that students are fair game for such demeaning insults. - Yours, etc.,
Noel Hogan, President, NUI Maynooth Students' Union, Maynooth, Co Kildare.