Everyone loves the Brugha. They love the students, the atmosphere, the porters. What people don’t love is dire facilities, broken promises and the Brugha problems being brushed under the carpet.
It’s been an agenda item on the DIT / DITSU Leadership Group which meet monthly, for the past 2 years and we’ve had enough.
– Roisin O’Donovan, DITSU VP for Welfare
In 2016, Cathal Brugha Street students were promised €20,000 to pay for the refurbishments of the Students’ Union Common Room, but to this day, none of this has been followed through. The Brugha Common Room is a neglected, by DIT, with uncomfortable and old couches and old bean bags. This is despite all efforts from DITSU over the past two years but here in the union, we have had enough.
This refurb has been promised for over 2 years and DIT have sent us on a wild goose chase. This is completely unfair to the students, there is little to no space in the Brugha and what’s there is in an awful state. DIT need to start looking after their own, including their staff who got given the run around for this project too.
– Jess Morris, DITSU VP for Events previous College Officer of CBST
When I got the bean bag they were meant to be a temporary solution. Bean bags are a bit of fun, not built to last. Students not having a place to go in their own college should be looked down upon. Not to mention i was told we would get new seats over the summer of 2016! – Tony Duggan, Alumni & previous College Officer, Pharmaceutical Healthcare CBST
Cathal Brugha Street had one of the lowest student satisfaction result in DIT’s Student Satisfaction Survey. DITSU lobbied to have this money fenced off for students so the common room could be improved for students there, as the state of the facilities on Cathal Brugha Street has had a negative impact on the student experience.
The last 3 times I’ve gone to the SU I’ve literally sat on the floor, there is far from enough seating and even what is there is so bad (poor bean bags and pieces of couches etc – Nicole Byrne, 3rd year Tourism Marketing CBST
I heard that over christmas it would all be changed and we would return to new couches, but its 10 months later and we’re still sharing suspiciously stained bean bags – Jamie O Neill, 3rd year, Food Science CBST
We’ve been waiting two years already for seats, some students sit on the floor and others just leave to try get a seat in the full canteen! Lack of facilities are a joke at this point and we want them before we go to Grangegorman! – Fionn Collins, 3rd Year, Culinary Entrepeneurship
‘I think it’s appalling that we’ve been promised all of these things but yet nothing has come through for us. We got a certain amount of money to make the SU better and all they’ve done is paint it in a colour we didn’t even want. With more and more students coming in each year we need these services to be there and in the best possible conditions that they can be so students can use and avail of their SU. I really hope they start and get it done before we break up for Christmas‘ – Zoe Stack, final year, Food Innovation
How can i learn when my lower back burns? If i had these in my house I’d be upset, imagine this being your only couch – Áedán O’Shea, 3rd Year, Pharmeceutical Healthcare
The proposed refurbishments consisted of:
- Modular round seating, matching small tables in center of modular units (moveable)
- Ping Pong table to be moved to far right hand side of room (near radiator)
- Existing chairs/sofas in CBST to be sent to Mountjoy Square to common areas
- Remove beanbags / old cushions
- Small seating unit and table for the space at stairs
- All walls, doors and skirting area to be repainted
- Missing ceiling tiles to be replaced
- All windows in the SU Common rooms and DITSU Offices to be cleaned
- New electric screen to be put in on the wall where the TV is – To be used for movie nights, events and campaigns for students
- Projector to face the screen and be built into the ceiling.
- To expand current locker facilities and or replace any broken/damaged units.
The new seating plan was going to allow the area to be more accessible for students, particularly for students in wheelchairs. There has been endless amounts of excuses as to why no works have been done yet the past two years. DIT have made many efforts to distract us by pulling the wool over the students eyes, leading the SU astray and neglecting their own staff who have tried tirelessly to get this project off the ground.
Excuses include:
- HR delays
- No Estates Manager in place to manage the project
- Staff leaving for different departments
- The money being lost then found again
- Unanswered emails from DIT
- False assurances from DIT Leadership Group
WHAT DO WE WANT?
- A written apology to DIT Students of Cathal Brugha Street from DIT
- A written promise and set date for the refurbishments to be done in Cathal Brugha Street Common Room
- Plans for future improvements to the Cathal Brugha Street campus
The Students’ Union are planning a SIT IN protest in Cathal Brugha Street to stress our frustration and disappointment on this issue.
Our SIT IN will be on Wednesday 24th of October at 12pm in the main foyer in the Brugha and we will not be moving until we get our demands.
We want to Save Our Services! We want as many students as possible to get involved so PLEASE do join us so that our voices can be heard!
Please email all and any complaints to estates.helpdesk@dit.ie and Cc: welfare@ditsu.ie
College Officer for Cathal Brugha Street
Final Year Baking and Pastry Arts Student ??
