In the News..

University of Galway has announced the 2024 Tarpey Scholarship recipients – Mental Health Nursing student Meghan Murphy and Medicine student Rayna Cox. The scholarship honours the enduring legacy of the late Hazel and Tanya Tarpey – two remarkable sisters whose lives inspired countless healthcare workers during their treatment for a rare genetic autoimmune disease. The Tarpey family established the scholarship in memory of the sisters to support the development of future healthcare professionals. It is awarded to outstanding students committed to enhancing their professional skills through additional studies, beyond the regular curriculum. In addition to the scholarship, the Tarpey family provides a Tarpey Bursary. This private award, first introduced in 2022, is given annually to two additional students from the College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences at University of Galway who face financial challenges and might otherwise struggle to continue their studies.             Tim and Mary Tarpey, parents of Hazel and Tanya, said: “It is a pleasure to give back to the medical community who did so much. We look forward to this event every year to meet the new recipients and reconnect with the friends and healthcare workers who cared so diligently for Hazel and Tanya. This scholarship and bursary ensure that their memory lives on, supporting the future of compassionate healthcare professionals.”             Professor Tim O’Brien, Established Professor of Medicine at University of Galway and Consultant Physician in Endocrinology at HSE West and North-West, and who treated Hazel and Tanya during their time in the hospital said: “The Tarpey Scholarship and Bursary embody the Tarpey family’s extraordinary commitment to supporting students and advancing healthcare. Hazel and Tanya’s legacy lives on through this generosity, ensuring that the next generation of healthcare professionals is equipped to make a meaningful difference in their communities.”             Meghan Murphy, a Bachelor of Nursing Science (Mental Health) student from Mervue, Galway, and recipient of the 2024 Tarpey Scholarship, said: “I am honoured to receive this scholarship in memory of the exceptional Tarpey sisters. This award is a testament to their enduring legacy and inspires me to continue striving for excellence in my studies and future career.”             Rayna Cox, a fourth-year Medicine student from Trinidad and Tabago and recipient of the 2024 Tarpey Scholarship, said: “This scholarship is a powerful encouragement to continue advancing my clinical and academic aspirations. I am deeply grateful to the Tarpey family for their support, which motivates me to contribute meaningfully to the field of healthcare.” The Tarpey family’s contribution ensures that students at University of Galway have the opportunity to excel in their fields while carrying forward the legacy of Hazel and Tanya’s inspiring lives. Ends

More than 40 families of children with additional needs have been given a unique opportunity to enjoy the magic of Christmas with a special visit to a Sensory Friendly Santa’s Grotto. The two-day event was facilitated by staff and students from the School of Psychology at University of Galway, who took on the important roles of elves and Santa’s helpers. The annual Sensory Friendly Santa's Grotto has been a highlight of the year at University of Galway since 2017 and has grown to a two-day weekend event, giving 40 children with additional needs and their families the opportunity to visit Santa. The organisers hope to build on that, by setting a goal to create a freely available "How to Guide” on running similar inclusive and accessible Santa's Grotto events. The aim is that it will encourage other businesses and organisations across Ireland to provide this unique opportunity for more families of children with additional needs to experience the magic of meeting Santa. Dr Ciara Gunning from the School of Psychology coordinates the event with a team of volunteer staff and students from the PhD and MSc in Applied Behaviour Analysis and the BSc Psychology program at University of Galway. The team transform rooms into a winter wonderland to ensure children and their families have a magical visit. Children receive individualised, sensory-friendly gifts from Santa and have photos taken, creating special Christmas memories. Dr Ciara Gunning, Lecturer in Applied Behaviour Analysis, School of Psychology, University of Galway, said: “Visiting Santa is a very special part of every child's Christmas, but it can be difficult for children with additional needs to visit Santa Grottos in busy shopping centres with lots of noise, bright lights and queues. The Sensory Friendly Santa's Grotto at University of Galway provides a unique, magical Christmas experience for children with additional needs and their families. For some families attending, this is the first time that they have had a chance to visit Santa.” “The event is set up to be accessible and inclusive with some tweaks to the Grotto and the environment. Santa and the team connect with the families attending in advance to support each child to enjoy their visit at their own pace and in their own way. It is truly a team effort with our Santa, elves and helpers working very hard behind the scenes - making real life magic. "A huge credit goes to all those who volunteer - our staff and students at the School of Psychology. We are also so grateful to our incredibly generous sponsors from Galway and across Ireland, as well as the School of Psychology and College of Arts, Social Sciences, and Celtic Studies for supporting the event.” The event coordinators continued their annual tradition to collect for COPE's Christmas appeal with visitors and volunteers donating items for Christmas hampers for those in need.  Businesses from Galway and around Ireland sponsored the 2024 event and their generosity plays a critical role in making the magic of the event happen. Sponsors include, Liberty IT, Galway Camera Shop, Little Lane Coffee Company, Charlie Byrne’s Bookshop, 56 Central, Cregal Art, The White Gables, The Galmont, Magpie Bakery, Esquires Coffee, Gourmet Tart, The Salthill Hotel, Prátaí, Irish Socksciety, Ground and Co, Déanta Studio, Dunnes Stores, Peter Murphy Electrical, Galway Bay Hotel, Citylink, Smyths Toys Superstores, Art & Hobby, Aplomb, Supermac’s, Cava Bodega, Sheridans Cheesemongers and Lidl. Ends

 Survey carried out by Ulster University and the University of Galway describes staff experiences, knowledge, engagement, and perceptions in Higher Education institutions North and South Call for greater collaboration between Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland Higher Education sectors to enhance protections for staff and support for change   The COSHARE North-South survey report outlines key findings from the first all-island study of Higher Education staff members’ experiences of consent, sexual violence, and harassment in Higher Education in Northern Ireland (NI) and the Republic of Ireland (RoI). The survey was responded to by staff members in HEIs in the North and South of Ireland with 236 (45%) of respondents in an HEI in NI and 285 (55%) in ROI. Some 75% of respondents identified as female. The research found that, of the 364 staff who opted to respond to questions on their experiences of sexual violence and harassment, 43% have experienced some form of this behaviour in their work or personal lives in the last year and 66% in the last five years. In the context of this research, SVH is a collective term that includes physical contact or non-physical conduct of a sexual nature that occurs in the absence of clear, knowing and voluntary consent. This collaboration by Ulster University and the University of Galway seeks to understand these experiences and bring workplace culture and wellbeing into the conversation by assessing knowledge of policies and confidence in their institution.  Funded by the Higher Education Authority under the North-South Research Programme, COSHARE survey asked Higher Education staff about consent and sexual violence and harassment (SVH) attitudes, knowledge and experience, their awareness of how their institutions address consent, and mental wellbeing. Participants answered questions about themselves, their campus, their experiences of SVH and perpetration, the extent to which this impacted their mental wellbeing and ability to work, and their engagement with information and education or training initiatives on the subject. Questions on SVH included staff members’ experience of sexist harassment, unwanted sexual attention, unwanted/uncomfortable touching, sexualised comments, and attempted non-consensual sexual activities. COSHARE Findings Campus Culture and Climate: 14% of those surveyed agreed that SVH among staff was a problem at their HEI, 40% had a neutral opinion on these issues or said that they did not know whether SVH was a problem, while 46% disagreed that it was a problem. Policy: less than half (46%) of the participants agreed their HEI proactively addressed issues of SVH, while one third (36%) saw their HEI senior management as visible on this issue. A clear majority of survey participants agreed that they were aware of staff policies (76%), and agreed that these were clear and explicit (60%) with 35% agreeing that they were effective. Training and Awareness: 30-40% of staff said that they had received particular forms of information from their HEI relevant to consent, sexual violence and harassment. The rate of engagement was notably higher for seeing posters on consent / SVH (78%). Two thirds (65%) of respondents agreed that they felt a responsibility to engage with SVH at their HEI. There are encouraging signs that staff want to contribute through being involved in training: 80% displayed willingness to support initiatives and 65% said they would take an active role in delivery.   Survey respondents were presented with questions referring to their experiences in both their personal and professional lives, not just within the HEI where they worked, across the past 12 months, five years, and more.   Sexual harassment: Almost two thirds of 364 participants (64%) had experienced sexual harassment in the past five years. This included 57% who had experienced sexist hostility in last 5 years (27% in last year), 23% with an experience of electronic or visual sexual harassment (last 5 years, 11% in last year), 34% who experienced sexualised comments (last 5 years, 19% in last year), 31% who had experienced unwanted sexual attention (last 5 years, 13% in last year, and 5% with an experience of sexual coercion.   Sexual violence: One quarter of 364 participants (26%) experienced some form of sexual violence in the past five years, in their personal or professional lives: almost a quarter of staff participants had been touched in a way that made them feel uncomfortable,16% indicated unwanted attempts of stroking or kissing; and 10% had been made to touch, stroke or kiss someone when they did not want to do so.   Professor Pádraig MacNeela, Co-Lead of the Active* Consent programme, University of Galway, said: “The qualitative responses that staff gave in the COSHARE survey make for interesting reading. Some staff said that significant progress had been made in the Higher Education sector, citing more resources, education and training that have been put in place. Others saw progress as more mixed, and as trying to remedy a low baseline in the past when harassment was relatively acceptable.” “The final group of staff said that things had not changed – they were worried that students and staff do not seem to have access to investigations that are fit for purpose, the career impact of bringing a complaint, and continuing nature of everyday sexist harassment.”   “We also found that staff want to get involved in helping to create culture change in their universities. The vast majority (over 80%) said they were willing to take part in training on bystander intervention, disclosure skills, and consent, while 65% agreed that they would take an active role in delivering such training”.   Dr Susan Lagdon, Senior Lecturer in Psychology (Mental Health) at Ulster University said: “Sexual violence and harassment is pervasive in all walks of our lives but it should not be.  These findings demonstrate concerning patterns of sexual violence and harassment experienced by staff in higher education in both their personal and professional lives. While this behaviour should never be tolerated, we are grateful to our own Higher Education Institutions Ulster University and the University of Galway for their support and encouragement to progress with this important work. “We’re pleased that our institutions already proactively work with us on a range of initiatives that look to end violence and harassment in the workplace and are looking at the recommendations from this research. We are also grateful to our wider Higher Education colleagues who supported and facilitated dissemination and awareness raising of this research, ensuring that those who wished to contribute, had their say.” The full COSHARE report is available to read here: https://www.consenthub.ie/research/coshare-north-south-survey-report-2024/ The research follows the Irish Government’s ‘Safe, Respectful, and Positive: Ending Sexual Violence and Harassment in Irish Higher Education Institutions’ framework, launched in 2019 to set a culture change across HEIs by engaging individuals at all levels. Comparatively, in Northern Ireland, recent years have seen a surge of statutory agency activity, with the launch of The Executive Office’s Ending Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Strategy, the Ministries of Health and Justice’s Domestic and Sexual Abuse Strategy, and the Police Service of Northern Ireland’s Tackling VAWG Action Plan.  Ends