Why are UCD students unhappy on Black Monday

UCD students are up in arms with the news that the college bar has been shut for ‘Black Monday’. So what exactly is Black Monday and why is the bar closed.

By Declan Whooley

Black Monday. Is this a reference to a death or something similarly serious?

Not quite. While Black Sunday is used for a number of events from an attack on US soldiers during WWI, to a series of wild bush fires in Southern Australia in 1955, Black Monday is not quite as tragic. This is the over-the-top name that has been given to the first day of college lectures at UCD.

So what happens on ‘Black Monday’?

Lectures begin on the Belfield campus, though this would appear to be the furthest thing on many students’ minds. Normally students decide to pass on the academic events in favour of social activities in the student bar. Kind of like RAG week minus the charity or college Christmas Day’s minus the festive period.

Must be a roaring trade for the bar.

It is normally a very good day for business. The clip here highlights last year’s Black Monday with a queue of students looking to get inside and introduce themselves to strangers while sampling some of the drinks promotions.

So why close it this year?

Even allowing for the ruckus caused last year, the bar has been closed due to financial problems. As we reported yesterday, the Student Bar was closed due to spiralling debts while the other bar, The Forum Bar, remains closed pending refurbishment. Surprisingly, Black Monday and the closure of the bars is just a coincidence.

What ruckus was caused last year?

Students and drinking sprees are hardly anything out of the ordinary and their drinking exploits can often lead to varying degrees of anti-social behaviour. When these start late morning/early afternoon, chaos is a guarantee.

Last year saw Dublin Bus pull some of their services on the campus after a spokesperson said students were “unnerving drivers, the drivers feel unsafe, that’s why we ended up with a situation.” A number of other incidents were reported that did not paint the students in a good light.

So what have the students decided to do in light of this tragic news.

Luckily for them, Dublin is not short of a selection of watering holes to choose from should students wish to mark the day with a beverage or several.

Some price conscious students set-up an event to arrange a drinking session on UCD’s pitches, catering for ‘friends, families and pets’.