College Tribune | February 3rd 2009
9
Editorial
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The Difference is We’re Independe
Last week, Hugh Brady addressed the academic masses, and put forth his plan to cut as much meat off university expenditure as possible. Everything from freezing the number of temporary staff in employment, to cutting the use of tea and biscuits were discussed. In many ways, the President is in a nowin situation, balancing a contracting budget with a unionised workforce. While SIPTU’s UCD workers quite rightly point out that they were not the architect of Ireland’s economic malaise, pay cuts may eventually result regardless. The most worrying aspect is that is current downturn may persist, and there are numerous economists of note predicting just that. However, a small number of decisions taken by the President’s inner circle need to questioned. The costly Gateway project is still proceeding. The justification for the continued progress for this project is that all the investment has come from third parties. This seems reasonable, but only if these monies are unable to be channeled into other, more pressing university projects. Furthermore, this project and others like it need to be transparent. The freedom of information act is a useful tool, but one would hope it should not be required in a place of academic endeavour. That ethos should always remain, although in 21st century Ireland, such hopes may be in vain.