Students vent fury over €65 fee for conferring ceremony

The UCC Students Union has hit out at the college for bringing in a graduation fee of €65.

With more than 3,000 people leaving the university every year, it is estimated the move will raise €200,000 a year for the university.

However, college authorities have said the new fee is being brought in to cover the cost of hosting the graduation ceremonies which include catering and printing charges for the 10 days of conferrings.

Eoin Hayes, the students union president, said he would be "very surprised" if the college wasn't making a profit from the charge in a bid to make up for the shortfall in the overall finances of the college.

He added his secondary school graduation was "more ornate" than his UCC experience.

A spokesman for the college has defended the move, saying: "Last year, the costs associated with the annual conferring ceremonies rose to in excess of €221,423. Such expenditure in the present financial climate could not be sustained.

"Accordingly, discussions with the Students' Union at UCC were held to advise of the financial situation and the need to impose a modest conferring charge. Following input from the union, a final figure of €65 was arrived at.

"The charge is designed solely to cover costs and contains no element of profit for the university."

More than 300 people have already signed a Facebook petition calling on UCC to reverse the decision.

Students were informed in an email from the college that the tax came into effect from yesterday.

It will apply to each student choosing to attend the conferring ceremony and the post-ceremony reception.

The letter to students warned that only those who have paid the conferring charge will receive tickets to the ceremony.

Students who do not pay the conferring charge will be considered to have chosen to be conferred 'In Absentia' and parchments for those students will be posted to their college-registered home address.

Keith Kennedy, UCC Medical Society Education Officer, said the fee was "unjust".

In a letter to the college, he wrote: "Upon my graduation date, I shall have paid UCC in excess of €50,000 - all of which has been financed by loans. This fee may seem low to you, but I hardly have enough money to cover books, let alone visit my family.

"To force a tax on graduating students whom have already commenced their studies is wrong. Such an action reflects extremely poorly on UCC."

Article courtesy of the Evening Echo newspaper.