UCC President: What a joke!

For those of you that haven’t yet heard, todays Irish Independent has revealed to the world that U.C.C president, Dr. Micheal Murphy has spent a shocking 75,000€ on expenses. Not only is this above that of other University presidents but its on top of his 270,000€ salary a year!  http://www.independent.ie/national-news/president-of-indebted-university-enjoying-the-high-life-2106272.html

This has to be one the biggest scandals ever. In the single worst recession Ireland has ever faced, we have a leader of one the country’s biggest universities spending money on extravagance that is really unimaginable. Nearly €7,000 on 1st class flights from Cork to New York? Does anyone else not think that this is extortionate? I mean that easily equals 4+ return flights at economy class. Why does Dr. Micheal feel that he requires 1st class anyway? It’s clearly not his money to be spending in the first place. The money that pays for this comes straight from either the Tax Payer or U.C.C students themselves. At a time when U.C.C lies in massive debt (Estimated to be 13 million) our president surely should be trying to cut every unnecessary cost possible. Instead he appears to be jetting in luxury across the globe!

Of course I firmly believe that trips to China are actually important for the university. It clearly results in the college getting foreign links and gaining reputation and what not, hence that is a vital part of the president’s job. But still the question exists, who has given this man the right to be splurging our money across the globe ?

What is really hilarious is the fact that it appears that certain private costs like baby-sitting have been paid by the president himself. How tough on the guy? How ever did he afford it? What we need is real reform of the public service in this country. A new government that will reform how things actually work. A government that will lower salaries from €270,000 to something far more respectable and create a system that doesn’t allow expenses to get out of hand. A system that monitors the actions of people like Dr. Micheal Murphy- a man who clearly has no morals in the current economic climate, at least in my opinion. Hopefully that system would also examine whether or not our president is worth value for money, for many do believe he is a waste of money and space in his current capacity.

I hope the students union in U.C.C will make some real noise about this and show our president that he is cut off from the real world. The fact that he is paid such a huge some of money is remarkable in itself! I mean how many students have ever seen him? Does he ever take a walk around campus? If he has, I wonder has he noticed that lack of places to eat healthy food? The poor opening hours in the Library? The poor state of some of the lecture rooms? Even, the real struggle facing lots of students just to stay in education? If this €75,000 had been given to the students it could have made a real impact. It could have helped several people I know to stay in college. It also could have possibly been used to reduce printing fees. It could have helped repair the floors in the W.G.B etc etc. There are hundreds of ways sum of this money could have made a real difference to U.C.C students. €600 dinners is not one of them.

The president should be ashamed to say the very very least!