RAG week pulled by NUIG following students behaviour

[nooneshoutedstop]

I see the students in Galway have forced the pulling of Rag week in the future following a number of disturbances this week, following on from what a number of complaints about the Rag week in Sligo it's not been a good week in the west for students image.

'Unruly' behaviour forces college to end support for Rag Week
Galway Advertiser, February 26, 2009.
Gardai make twenty five arrests

By Martina Nee

Rag Week in its current form may be no more as NUI Galway senior management announced yesterday that it is no longer in a position to support the event following "a series of unfortunate incidents".

Gardai in Galway were kept busy trying to maintain order on the streets, and during Monday and Tuesday last approximately 25 arrests were made for various public order incidents.

NUIG senior management met with the president of the Students' Union last Tuesday night and it was decided that Rag Week will no longer form part of the university calendar.

A statement said: "The university would like to offer its apologies to Galway city residents who may have experienced disruption or distress as a result of student activities this week. Unfortunately this week of charitable events has been overshadowed by a minority of students using this time as an opportunity for excessive drinking leading ultimately to unsafe, unruly, and anti-social behaviour. NUI Galway does not condone this behaviour and treats such breaches of conduct very seriously."

The easy availability of cheap alcohol, special offer, and extended drinking hours, was also blamed for hampering the university's endeavours to encourage moderate and sensible drinking.

"The university has written to the publicans, club-owners, and off-licence premises on two occasions in the last year to request cooperation in this matter. Unfortunately a number of clubs have not co-operated and proceeded to run events this week outside of regular nightclub hours, in spite of the university's best efforts."

This move has been welcomed by Fianna Fail Councillor Michael Crowe who said that "Rag Week as we now know it, without the aknowledgement of the college, will be no more".

"I welcome NUI Galway's decision and I hope the student leadership will sit down with the university authority to work out a different format, one that won't be as wild."

Cllr Crowe stressed that it was only a small minority of the student population that were causing problems and that students contribute enormously to the local economy.

"The Student Unions have done their best to get the message across. There has also been blame put on the sale of alcohol by certain retailers. That's a cop out. It's the students themselves that have to own up to their responsibilities and how they behave," he said.

A spokesperson for GMIT, Regina Daly, said that they respected the decision taken by NUI Galway but that they will continue their support. Ms Daly said that the college does not support "loutish behaviour" and had received no "formal complaints". She added that an incident regarding disturbances at Glasán recently had helped to nipped any misbehaviour in the bud.

Gardai were called to the Glasán Village student accommodation on February 12 after complaints were received by security and residents at the nearby Woodhaven estate. B&B owner John Rabbitt said that the "criminal" disturbances were a weekly occurrence. Six students took responsibility for the party and for the damage caused to property.

[Dinny Breen]

Use to make to the trip up from WIT to Galway for their rag-week every year I was in college, you hadn't a clue who with or where you'd end up sleeping, simply a great trip ...good times 

[GalwayBayBoy]

Well I won't preach too much because I used to get pissed as a lord during rag week myself when I was in NUIG. However I was never paralytic at one or two in the afternoon like you see a lot of them these days. It's not too bad if you can confine them to campus but when you see them roaring and shouting and falling over each other in Eyre Square and Shop St it's not a good look.

[David McKeown]

This is a pity, RAG has such a great history amongst students but in the north its practically dying on its feet despite some great work being done by a select few.  The problems in QUB in recent years have 100% been down to the university itself offering little or no support to RAG.  It really is a pity

[comethekingdom]

I did some laughing this evening when I heard on Matt Coopers show that some girl ran into the cathedral and flashed her boobs !! 

[Tony Baloney]

This is a pity, RAG has such a great history amongst students but in the north its practically dying on its feet despite some great work being done by a select few.  The problems in QUB in recent years have 100% been down to the university itself offering little or no support to RAG.  It really is a pity

What problems in QUB?

[cavan4ever]

I did some laughing this evening when I heard on Matt Coopers show that some girl ran into the cathedral and flashed her boobs !! 
[/quote

Prob a mucksavage

[Owenmoresider]

Stupid decision. 42 students arrested maybe so, but that's out of how many? Bearing in mind Sligo IT has 6k, so the two colleges must be 10k plus easily. They're not all drunken vandals, and the ones who do engage in such acts deserve to be punished. One landlord in sligo was talking on Ocean last week of kicking his tenants out for Rag week in future. Good man, why stop there, just throw them out full stop, and then when your wonderful 'investment property' lies empty and the bank manager is calling on the phone, you might appreciate their business a little more. If they wreck the place, make them pay for the damage, shouldn't require cutting a nose to spite one's face. The Champion photographer could also do the town a favour and go taking photos in other certain housing estates, might uncover some things of interest, but somehow I don't see them doing that.

Not long since doing the college scene myself, during Rag, indeed there was a fair few students fairly fucked early in the day (including myself one day, much to my shame), but by and large it wasn't quite the free-for-all that they portray locally. If the Gardai keep a good eye on things around the estates and down the Mall, they might avert some problems. But then again, I was heading into town on this night last week, and seen two Garda vehicles out on the dual carraigeway with the speed guns, on a Thursday night, and the Thursday of rag week at that. That doesn't say a lot for their priorities IMO.

And as for Cllr Crowe welcoming NUIG's kneejerk reaction - well it is election year after all. Quite predictable.

[comethekingdom]

I did some laughing this evening when I heard on Matt Coopers show that some girl ran into the cathedral and flashed her boobs !! 
[/quote

Prob a mucksavage

Pissed as well

[mountainboii]

This is a pity, RAG has such a great history amongst students but in the north its practically dying on its feet despite some great work being done by a select few.  The problems in QUB in recent years have 100% been down to the university itself offering little or no support to RAG.  It really is a pity

What problems in QUB?

Probably meant problems getting anyone to realise that RAG week exists, rather than trouble extending from it. I'd say the vast majority of the student population in Belfast couldn't tell you what RAG week is, never mind when its on.

[Shamrock Shore]

Rag week in Athlone RTC in 1985 still stands out in my memory.

We had fun without drink and sex cos, well we were poor students and the women had (    )  a different attitude then

[David McKeown]

This is a pity, RAG has such a great history amongst students but in the north its practically dying on its feet despite some great work being done by a select few.  The problems in QUB in recent years have 100% been down to the university itself offering little or no support to RAG.  It really is a pity

What problems in QUB?

Probably meant problems getting anyone to realise that RAG week exists, rather than trouble extending from it. I'd say the vast majority of the student population in Belfast couldn't tell you what RAG week is, never mind when its on.

I meant more problems with getting venues or help from the university.  Queens through the students union used to pay for a part time student officer to run RAG and assist the editor with the publication of PTQ (the joke mag) that marked RAG day. It stopped doing this about 5 years ago consequently the society fell by the way side quite a bit.  This came to a head about three years when RAG were refused access to every room in Queens during RAG week.  The reason for this being that RAG co-insided with the official re-opening of the union and the visit of Bob Geldoff and consequently Queens asserted that all rooms had to be repainted in order to look their best.  Through the tireless efforts of a dedicated few RAG though is slowly re-emerging

In relation to RAG day itself it has been a damp squib for many many years, pretty much since it was moved from a Wednesday to a Friday because of an accident caused by a RAG event taking place between the university and the union