ATU Donegal to offer students late-night transport service for new academic year

The Students’ Union at Atlantic Technological University has put measures in place to ensure the safety of students both on and off campus.

For the first time a bus will be provided for students who are socialising late at night to drop them at home, a representative from the students' union said. The system has been put in place to ensure students get home safely and to reduce the number of students walking home late at night. 


Education and Communications Officer Kevin Sweeney and Immanuel Chirwa, Welfare and Equality Officer at ATU Donegal

“We are going to organise a bus home from nights out to drop around the town, so students have safe transport home,” Education and Communications Officer Kevin Sweeney told DonegalLive. “We have a range of support and campaigns in the college,  counselling services and health services and we are always here to speak to students if they need to. We are also going to release safety tips before freshers week.”

ATU this week welcomed 1,137 first-year students onto campus in Letterkenny and Killybegs. There are still issues accommodating all of the students, but the situation has improved. 

“Since we started in July the number of rooms available has doubled but we are still using hotels, they are offering discounted rates,” Mr Sweeney adds. The ATU  are very grateful to all those who have both listed and provided accommodation to students in Letterkenny. 

Meanwhile, accommodation at ATU is becoming more readily available despite there not being on-campus accommodation.  “The accommodation is getting easier now because we rely on digs," Immanuel Chirwa the Welfare and Equality officer said. "Homeowners are renting out spare rooms to students."

Furthermore, ATU is expanding and growing, with an overall increase of five per cent across the University. ATU is now offering 62 courses on the Donegal campus. There has been a rise in the popularity of certain departments such as Science, Engineering,  Technology and Business.

Natasha O’Donnell and Emma Bonner from Dungloe were among the 4,630 students to enjoy their first week at ATU

“The university offers a wide range of programmes across various disciplines, cutting-edge facilities and a rich cultural and social calendar that ensures students have a well-rounded university experience,” Dr Billy Bennett VP for academic affairs and registrar, said. 

Next week,  starting, September 25, is Freshers Week and there is a range of on-campus and off-campus events available for students to participate in. The off-campus events include live music, quizzes, karaoke and much more. The on-campus events include the popular annual pet farm, games and orientation. 
There are approximately 30 clubs and societies to choose from catering to a  diverse range of hobbies and interests. The Clubs and Societies Day is taking place on Wednesday, 27 September in the main corridor.