Dublin City University (DCU) has issued a warning to students living in the university’s accommodation over on-campus parties.
It follows a party in “serious breach” of the university’s Covid-19 rules which saw fireworks set off inside an apartment, the Irish Times reports.
The party took place in a student apartment in the College Park Residences on November 11th.
The gathering was hosted by a short-stay renter on the north Dublin campus with people attending from outside the college, one source confirmed.
Fireworks were set off inside the apartment and the fire alarm sensors in the apartment were covered.
Security on campus was alerted to the gathering after a fire alarm in a hallway went off, the source said.
Serious breach
The management of the campus accommodation warned students that there had been “a serious breach of Covid-19 protocols in the residences” in an email on November 13th.
“A short-stay booking resident, who is in breach of the terms and conditions in relation to gatherings, or any health and safety issues, will not be welcome back to make another booking to stay in campus accommodation,” the email said.
It added that any future breaches would be reported to the university’s disciplinary committee.
Short-stay residents are students who book accommodation on a nightly, weekly, or monthly basis due to reduced in-person teaching on campus amid coronavirus restrictions.
The email said long-term student residents, who live on campus full-time, would be fined and issued “one final warning” if found in breach of college rules.
Under DCU’s contract for those living in campus accommodation, visitors are not permitted this year due to Covid-19.
A DCU spokesman said that a small number of students have been fined to date for breaches of Covid-19 regulations.
They have been blocked from making further short-term bookings in campus residences.
