The University Observer

History

• Education minister diverts technical funds to Women's Studies
• College drives through semesterisation
• Scientology church targets UCD students
• Lecturer distributes anti-condom Aids stickers

• No room for Disadvantaged and Travellers say UCD authorities: The university told students from disadvantaged socio-economic background that it could be years before places could be found for them in UCD
• Erasmus fury at residence rip off: International students had lodged complaints about treatment by UCD accommodation services. Excessive deductions from deposits, unrealistic ESB bills and veiled intimidation for non-payment of rent were among the complaints made by students.

• A features-oriented newspaper, this year saw the UO printed with a full-colour image on the front page for the first time.
• Survey reveals large majority of UCD students have taken drugs: A survey conducted by the University Observer found that 71 per cent of students had taken illegal drugs at some point while in college.

• Revealed: USI President's Confidential Expenses
• The Missing Money: Dramsoc Auditor Flees Country
• Gardaí Investigate 'Massive' Campus Arson Attack
• Nuclear Reactor Planned for Belfield

• The paper moved to broadsheet format; becoming the first student broadsheet in Ireland. Launched O2 supplement and first edition of the University Observer online. Interviews with Ruairi Quinn, John McGahern and Joe O'Connor.

• Blood bank deny high HIV risk in UCD: The blood transfusion service board have been forced to abandon the public clinic held annually in UCD due to substandard conditions in the university.
• Smoking Ban proposed for Arts block: A proposal to make the Tierney building an entirely non-smoking building was put forward to the building committee for consideration.
• Letting agency rips off students: Gardaí issued a warning to students who have had dealings with the "home hunters" accommodation agency, following complaints made by several students who had been defrauded by the agency.

• Sheep slaughtered on campus – test laboratory on campus uncovered
• Student chaplain in hot water over Fashion Show comments
• Protected building demolished without approval

• UCD paid £43,000 golden handshake to harassed staff member: College held secret meetings in Dun Laoghaire hotel to resolve dispute, harassed member received €43,000 golden handshake.
• Senior business school lecturer forged credentials, University Observer revealed.
• No Luas Link for UCD – planned route to college dropped, despite denials from Department of Transport
• Blow job incident on Student Bar stage was "faked"
• Missing £30,000 from Dramsoc funds – actor O'Dowd under fire
• Runner up Winner of the Guardian Student Media Award for Best Newspaper

• Student Held At Gunpoint – A second-year student was held up at gunpoint and her car stolen during a robbery on a Securicor van outside the Library Building.
• 60 per cent failure rate in first year Medicine – The credibility of the new Medicine curriculum was dealt a big blow after 62 per cent of students failed the winter exams
• Extreme Revisionist Organisation Sets Its Sights On UCD – The controversial Revisionist Education — which claims the Holocaust did not take — canvasses students in a bid to recruit new members.

• Opus Dei lecturer – The University Observer learned that a lecturer told her students they must attend Opus Dei events to pass her class.
• Anti LGB lecturers – Accusations of homophobia in UCD after the paper obtains copies of emails sent by lecturers to the LGTB Rainbow Week.
• Coca-Cola referendum – The paper first revealed that a referendum on banning Coca-Cola was to take place and gives extensive coverage to the referendum including interviews with Coca-Cola bottlers in Colombia and the Head of Coca-Cola in the region.

• Belgrove Fire – The paper reveals missing fire extinguishers, alarms that didn't go off and fire safety instructions that are actually for Merville residence and direct students to a non-existent stairwell and the wrong assembly point.
• Exxon Mobil Seminar – engineering students are told they must attend an event sponsored by the oil company
• Riot at the L&H – masked individuals storm the podium to prevent Justin Barrett of Youth Defence speaking at an L&H debate.

• Escort agency recruitment cards circulating on campus – Students targeted for roles offering "very high earnings and excellent conditions"
• Arrests made after students trash hotel at annual B&L Ball – Two UCD students arrested following later-night vandalism and debauchery
• Thieves hit bulls-eye in Archery Club robbery – Around €4,000 of equipment including several bows
• Two Ferns priests assessed at UCD – Priests accused of sexual misconduct in the diocese of Ferns in the early 1980s were sent to UCD for assessment

• Registration crisis: Students left queuing for hours for days on end as UCD's online registration goes into meltdown. We brought the students's frustrations to Hugh Brady, and also revealed the results of the internal investigation into it.
• School of History breaches data protection: The paper reveals a direct contravention of UCD's Data Protection policy when the School of History posts exam results publicly on a noticeboard.
• O2: Bill Bryson interview

• The University Observer exclusively reveals the extent of UCD's deficit after seeing confidential documents from the university's top-level finance committee
• UCD's Accommodation Office revealed to be searching Internet sites including YouTube to catch students breaching res rules
• Students' Union launch controversial 'Miss UCD' beauty pageant, sparking protests on campus
• O-two interviews Will Ferrell

• Student protests against fees – Batt O'Keeffe Op-ed, features on history of student movement, news coverage of 5,000 person protest at Dáil Éireann
• UCD runs by deficit of 20 million euro
• Otwo interviews Rodger Daltry, Alan Rickman and Salman Rushdie.

• UCD overcharges student levy by tens of thousands – Following prompting by the University Observer, UCD acknowledges that it overcharged the student body in the Student Centre Levy, asking them for €7.50 each more than had been agreed in a previous referendum. The cash was later refunded to the SU, the societies and sports clubs.
• Major security flaws in UCD Registry exposed – An investigation by the University Observer revealed major flaws in the security procedures in UCD Registry, which allowed any person – armed with basic facts such as a student's date of birth – to be able to access that student's academic records without their consent.
• Exclusive first Irish interview with Jedward

• IUA expenditure rises amid universities' financial crisis: The Irish Universities Association, of which UCD is affiliated, had close to a €2 million increase in both income receive and expenditure against a backdrop of education cutbacks between 2008 and 2009.
• O-two interviewed Tinie Tempah, Martin Sheen, Michael Sheen, My Chemical Romance, Elbow, and Feeder.

• UCD Students' Union up to one million euro in debt, and seeks refinancing – SU President admits that the Union is in "financial crisis" and seeks large-scale refinancing.
• PGDE students misled over course level – Students who believed they were reading for a Masters-level course are dismayed over the reassignment of their course to a Level-8, or undergraduate, degree.
• OTwo interviewed Christina Perri, Janis Ian, Henry Rollins, Marc Maron, Ash, Throwing Muses, LMFAO, and Snow Patrol.

• Winner of Editors of the Year at the National Student Media Awards.
• UCD Ball 2013 to be held off-campus.
• OTwo interviewed Ellie Goulding, Jenna Marbles and Biffy Clyro.

• Winner of Newspaper of the Year 2014 at the National Student Media Awards.
• UCD Res prices to increase by 11% for 2014/15.
• Otwo interviewed Martin Freeman, Bombay Bicycle Club, Sophie Turner, St. Vincent, John DiMaggio Lenny Abrahamson and Little Green Cars.

• Took home Journalist of the Year and Features Writer Arts and Pop Culture at National Student Media Awards
• Nominated for Student Newspaper of the year
• Students' Union Presidential Candidate 'likes' controversial Facebook group
• OTwo interviewed RJ Mitte, Brendan Gleeson and Tom Vaughan Lawlor

• Awarded Newspaper of the Year and Website of the Year at National Student Media Awards
• Most Senior Academic positions in UCD held by male staff
• UCD received over €1.8 million in exam repeat fees
• OTwo interviewed Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Foals, Mario Rosenstock and Evanna Lynch

• Awarded Editors of the Year and Website of the Year at National Student Media Awards
• Pro-Life advocate elected president of pro-choice union
• Consent classes dropped by UCD and the Students' Union
• OTwo interviewed Newton Faulkner, Sinéad Gleeson, David Norris, David Kitt and Tonie Walsh

• Awarded European Commission Award at National Student Media Awards
• UCDSU retracts information on abortion from 'Winging It' handbooks
• UCDSU President Katie Ascough impeached
• OTwo interviewed Claire Hennessy, James Kavanagh and Tara Flynn

• Awarded Layout Design of the Year and Features Writer of the Year - Arts and Pop Culture at National Student Media Awards; Awarded Human Rights Story of the Year at Student Publication Association Awards.
• Common Room Committee to organise boycott of University Club
• "As soon as you get into Direct Provision, you become a number" - Life as a student in Direct Provision
• OTwo interviewed Nicola Coughlan, Eoin Colfer, Alfonzo Films and Áine Cahill

• "UCD to Sell Richview"
• "“They don’t seem to understand anything that’s not a physical disability.” Access Centre accused of not providing adequate resources for students"
• "Precarious work as a PhD in UCD; PhDs organise to fight for better working conditions"
• OTwo interviewed Emma Donoughue, Keir Gilchrist, and Astrid S

  Awards