Videos by Pierce C Parker
UL Whistleblower Leona O'Callaghan Recites Corruption and Mismanagement at UL. Yet Non-Financial ... more UL Whistleblower Leona O'Callaghan Recites Corruption and Mismanagement at UL. Yet Non-Financial Matters Such As Hate Crime Attacks against Non-White Students or Cannabis Trafficking, Are Completely Ignored by the Media, HEA, the 2017 Thorn Report, PAC and the Department of Education, Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (‘DFHERIS’). 35 views
FF TD Marc McSharry asks UL President Kerstin Mey to itemise UL's Entertainment Expenditure durin... more FF TD Marc McSharry asks UL President Kerstin Mey to itemise UL's Entertainment Expenditure during the 2019-2020 finance year, which appears to be exorbitantly high at over €1 million, despite the Covid lockdowns. One possible explanation is that under this 'Entertainment Expenditure' entry, all the money syphoned from the Irish taxpayer has been hidden as a matter of routine accounting cooking process, and thus UL was unable to reduce this 'Entertainment Expenditure' amount below €1 million, despite the Covid lockdowns. 7 views
A derelict Dunnes store Limerick city centre site was valued only at €3m, but UL paid €8.343m to ... more A derelict Dunnes store Limerick city centre site was valued only at €3m, but UL paid €8.343m to acquire the property when Prof Des Fitzgerald was its president. The current UL President, Prof Kerstin Mey and UL Chancellor Mary Harney refuse to release the KPMG investigative report, citing a threat of a High Court process - Are they trying to hide something? Here UL Chancellor Mary Harney appears to be duplicitous when she is asked how it would be possible that while the KPMG report was commissioned by the the UL Board of Authority, its chancellor ('Mary Harney') has never seen it, even before this High Court action was lodged. What are they afraid of? Let this High Court action proceed and release this KPMG report. Vēritās līberābit vōs! 13 views
Papers by Pierce C Parker
This article explores the series of controversies and scandals that have significantly impacted t... more This article explores the series of controversies and scandals that have significantly impacted the University of Limerick (UL) since the early 2010s, with a particular focus on events from 2017 onwards. The appointment of Professor Desmond Fitzgerald as UL's president in 2017 marked the beginning of a tumultuous period characterised by financial irregularities and governance failures, which culminated in his resignation in 2020 amidst mounting scrutiny. His tenure, inherited from his predecessor, Professor Don Barry, was marred by these preexisting issues, highlighting the institutional challenges faced by UL. Following Professor Fitzgerald's departure, Professor Kerstin Mey assumed the presidency, becoming the first female and non-Irish leader of a major Irish university. However, her term soon encountered significant hurdles, notably the controversy surrounding the acquisition of student housing in Rhebogue. Allegations of financial mismanagement related to this acquisition reignited debates on governance at UL, bringing further scrutiny to Professor Mey's leadership and resulting in calls for increased transparency and accountability. The fallout from these controversies included possible fraud referrals to Gardaí and ongoing investigations by the Higher Education Authority (HEA). Amidst this backdrop, the article chronologically details the key developments and examines the broader implications for UL's governance and leadership. The narrative is informed by extensive local media reports, particularly from the Limerick Leader and Limerick Live, which document the escalating crises and their impact on the university's administration. Despite the administrative upheavals, UL achieved notable academic successes, such as being ranked among the world's top 75 young universities and being recognised for its contribution to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. These achievements underscore the university's resilience and commitment to excellence, even as it grapples with internal challenges. The article concludes with recommendations for addressing UL's deep-seated issues, emphasising the need for a robust anti-corruption framework and suggesting the appointment of a State Visitor to oversee the implementation of governance reforms. By establishing such mechanisms, UL can better navigate its current challenges and work towards a more transparent and accountable future. The narrative underscores the importance of moral vision and decisive leadership in steering the university towards renewal and sustainability amidst ongoing adversity.
Letter Sent to Dr Alan Wall, CEO of Higher Education Authority, Dated 29 April, 2024, 2024
This letter outlines a request for inclusion in the ongoing review of the University of Limerick ... more This letter outlines a request for inclusion in the ongoing review of the University of Limerick (UL) affairs conducted by the Higher Education Authority (HEA). Pierce Parker, a former postgraduate student at UL, highlights their arbitrary expulsion following the reporting of a hate crime attack on Chinese students.
Despite the severity of expulsion, no reasoned findings were provided, raising concerns about institutional conduct and governance. Recent developments, including the HEA review and the establishment of a strategic governance committee by Prof. Kerstin Mey, offer opportunities to address systemic issues within UL.
Parker urges for his case to be included in the review, emphasising the importance of accountability and fostering an inclusive learning environment at UL.
Letter Addressed to US Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, Recipient of Fulbright Commission’s Public Service Award & Award in Memory of Attorney General Peter Sutherland at UCD., 2024
The letter discusses the hypocrisy observed at University College Dublin (UCD) following the unju... more The letter discusses the hypocrisy observed at University College Dublin (UCD) following the unjust treatment of a former student and employee, who is a male person of colour. Despite UCD's purported commitment to diversity and inclusion, the individual faced racial profiling and subsequent retaliation, leading to a lifetime ban from its campus and termination of employment. This mistreatment contrasts sharply with UCD's recent conferral of an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Laws upon Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, a prominent advocate for social justice and equality. The letter emphasises the urgent need for accountability and highlights Congresswoman Pelosi's influential role in addressing systemic racism within academia and society. It underscores the broader implications of UCD's actions and calls for meaningful change to ensure fairness and equality for all individuals, irrespective of race or background.
Ref: How EDI Complaints Were Dealt with Before Creation of UL EDI Office
UL President Prof Kerst... more Ref: How EDI Complaints Were Dealt with Before Creation of UL EDI Office
UL President Prof Kerstin Mey and Prof Shane Kilcommins created a 'strategic governance committee' to deal with outstanding issues in May 2023.
This letter was sent to Prof Shane Kilcommins to explain that mine was one of them.
I was expelled from UL in retaliation for reporting hate crime attack incident targeted against a group of Chinese students on its campus.
Hate crime attacks against people of colour on the University of Limerick (UL) campus are daily o... more Hate crime attacks against people of colour on the University of Limerick (UL) campus are daily occurrences. There are no human or civil rights protection entities at UL, and if anyone should report these hate crime incidents to UL officials, the reporting person will be expelled from UL in retaliation for 'bullying' to report these hate crime incidents.
The former US Secretary of Energy, Dr Steven Chu, once visited the UL campus, but he never bothered to convene a gathering of American students or employees working at UL. These hate crimes incidents occur because there are no hate crime laws in Ireland. People of colour are, therefore, teased, intimidated and publicly attacked for entertainment.
According to the Equality Tribunal Adjudicator Conor Stokes, it is none of Equality Tribunal's business to determine whether reporting these hate crimes constitutes 'bullying' that rose to the level of summary expulsion from UL or not: '5.5. It is not for me to consider whether the investigation, findings or sanction imposed of either the University Advocate or of the Disciplinary Committee were the correct ones, rather the Acts enable me to consider whether investigation, findings or sanction imposed were tainted by discrimination.' (Ref No: DEC-S2013-004).
Thus, this UL expulsion was upheld by the Equality Tribunal since it was none of its business.
The President of the University of Limerick (UL), Prof Desmond Fitzgerald, chose to leave his pos... more The President of the University of Limerick (UL), Prof Desmond Fitzgerald, chose to leave his post abruptly and retire in September 2020. This article examines what exactly led him to leave his post only three years into his ten-year term. Prof Fitzgerald had been set up for failure from the start, and when he attempted to restructure UL with his UL@50 plan, but neglected to rectify the legacy corruption and mismanagement issues, which he inherited from the ex-president, Prof Don Barry, he was pushed out by two opposing forces within UL, which in this case, ironically, collaborated to see him go. In essence, Prof Fitzgerald was brought down by two main machine forces that wanted nothing more than the status quo. One was from the silent majority that wanted to see the pending allegations from former UL employee whistleblowers resolved. The other came from the labour union resistance that emerged, when he attempted to dismantle the corrupt machine disguised as a 'university'. Prof Fitzgerald finally announced that he would abandon his UL@50 plan and quit. He cited his reasons as the Covid-19 lockdowns and the consequent impediments to carry out his duties as the UL President effectively, but this article argues that this pretext was just a cover for his real motives to leave. Prof Fitzgerald had positive visions in his UL@50 plan, but in the end, the existing corrupt machine wanted nothing more than maintaining the fecund cash cow ('UL') intact for itself to milk.
Key Words: University of Limerick, Whistleblowers, 2017 Thorn Report, Corruption, Hate Crimes, Organisational Mismanagement, Universities Act 1997.
The 1 st of May, 2017 will mark a turning point in the chequered history of the University of Lim... more The 1 st of May, 2017 will mark a turning point in the chequered history of the University of Limerick (UL), as a new president from the University College Dublin (UCD), Prof Des Fitzgerald (currently the UCD VP for Health Affairs), takes the UL's top helm. This peaceful transition of power takes place after a period in which UL had been haunted with allegations from past employee whistleblowers and students of financial corruption and misgovernance under Prof Don Barry's 10-year tenure. This transition period also presents a unique window of opportunity for the new president to clean house, distance himself from the past wrongdoings of UL, permit a State Visitor to come in and redress over a dozen grievance complaints currently pending with various government bodies brought forth against UL by the whistleblowers. The allegations put forth by the whistleblowers against UL are almost fabulous, unfathomable and incontournable for a publicly-founded third-level educational institution and would include cronyism, payments of hush money, kickbacks, existence of slush funds, human rights violations, covering up of racist hate crimes on campus, exacting retributions, lack of transparency, of public accountability and of due process, rampant existence of illicit drugs on campus, abuses of power, arbitrary use of authority, etc. This paper examines and analyses this chequered history of UL, its organisational structure, its Mafia culture, and attempts to address how it had become so corrupted and mismanaged, for it never was a simple function of Prof Barry's incompetence and complicity. It also describes the allegations brought forth by several former UL employee whistleblowers. The inadequacy of the Higher Education Authority's (HEA's) oversight and the failure of the Irish legal system permitted these illicit Mafia enterprises to flourish. These malfeasant activities should compel the Irish Government to ask how UL's gangster activities have gone unchecked for so long and were allowed to thrive for the better part of a decade in the western province of the country.
ABSTRACT
In the cities around the world, the members of the Mafia would find themselves having a... more ABSTRACT
In the cities around the world, the members of the Mafia would find themselves having absolutely no common affinities with any university officials in their respective regions. The two very disparate groups are like oil and vinegar in that they simply do not mix well with each other. Such is not, however, the case in Limerick where the two are synonymous with each other, or rather, are the homonyms. Against this backdrop, Prof Des Fitzgerald replaced Prof Don Barry as the new president at the University of Limerick (UL) on the 1st of May, 2017. Upon his inauguration, Prof Des Fitzgerald commissioned Dr Richard Thorn to conduct a sweeping investigation on the past financial and HR mismanagement issues under Prof Don Barry’s ancien régime. Subsequently, under the remit from the Higher Education Authority (HEA) and the Department of Education and Skills, Dr Thorn met with a total of 34 individuals in Dublin and Limerick in July and August of 2017.
The Thorn Review required five months to complete, as the meetings began in the mid-May of 2017, and his final report was submitted to the HEA in October of 2017. The Thorn Review had requested records from UL, covering the period from 2006 to 2017, and the Thorn Review deals directly with the events that had taken place during that 12-year period. The Thorn Review into the past management failures at UL makes for a chimaera reading. A directory of mismanagement and mis-governance issues was identified over a period of 12 years that led to a Mafia culture at the core of the UL institution.
This paper examines what has happened since. It now has become clear that during the 12-year period mentioned, UL had turned into personal ATMs for its Governing Authority members. The Limerick Leader has played a vital role in keeping the UL corruption stories on the leading front page headlines, and it was the first newspaper to break the Leona O’Callaghan’s whistleblowing testimonials. If the Limerick Leader had not exposed the true magnitude of these corruption issues, there is a good chance that they would have continued and even grown worse. Much has been promised by Prof Des Fitzgerald at his inauguration, but no tangible action has been taken yet. This paper also revisits the segments reported by Conor Ryan in the RTÉ Investigates programme, ‘Universities Unchallenged’, which was aired in the Republic of Ireland on the 25th of May, 2017. Through the Freedom of Information Act, Conor Ryan was able to discover even more startling and fabulous corruption anomalies that were taking place at UL.
Key Words: Whistleblowers, University of Limerick, Corruption, Mismanagement, Hate Crimes, Racism in Ireland, Drugs in Irish University, Universities Act 1997.
Brief an Prof. Kerstin Mey, UL-Präsidentin, 2021
Below is the translation in English:
*****
Ref: Unresolved Legacy Issues
Pierce Parker (UL 06735... more Below is the translation in English:
*****
Ref: Unresolved Legacy Issues
Pierce Parker (UL 0673552)
Dear Prof Mey,
I am writing to you today because I want to be reinstated.
I was once a PhD student at UL, but was expelled in retaliation for having reported a hate crime incident against a group of Chinese students. The
attackers were never caught; instead, I was eliminated from UL in retaliation. I am the first and only IRC postgraduate scholarship awardee ever in Irish history to be expelled from UL.
I have already written a letter about this matter to Dr Marie Connolly and asked her to investigate this. Now that you are the tenured UL President, you have the authority to rectify these legacy issues.
I would very much appreciate your kind reply by email. Thank you for your attention and remain
Your sincerely,
Pierce Parker
*******************************
I have been a victim of white supremacy at UL. I was expelled from UL in retaliation for reportin... more I have been a victim of white supremacy at UL. I was expelled from UL in retaliation for reporting about a hate crime attack incident against a group of Chinese students, Peng-Xiang Zuo, Ya-Nan Wang, Xin Gao and Yanxin Gong. For having been an active bystander against a hate crime attack incident, UL Advocate Raymond Friel and VP Prof Paul McCutcheon framed me as a bully, instead of catching the racist attackers. You can confirm these facts with my supervisor, Dr Brendan Halpin, in the UL Sociology Department. These UL officials displayed blatant disregard for due process and fundamental human rights. They found it more expedient to expel me than catching the racist attackers.
This study surveyed 1,144 respondents from the four most populous new EU10 state residents in the... more This study surveyed 1,144 respondents from the four most populous new EU10 state residents in the Republic of Ireland (Poles [2006 Central Statistics Office Census figures: 63,276 residents], Lithuanians [24,638 residents], Latvians [13,319 residents], and Slovaks [8,111 residents]), using an innovative variation of snow-ball sampling method called,“respondent-driven sampling (RDS).”
Drafts by Pierce C Parker
According to the recent Irish Examiner report, Prof Shane Kilcommins did not resign after the PAC... more According to the recent Irish Examiner report, Prof Shane Kilcommins did not resign after the PAC hearing on 18 May 2023, but Prof Kerstin Mey, the President of the University of Limerick ('UL'), and he announced a creation of 'strategic governance committee' to deal with outstanding issues.
This letter was sent to Prof Shane Kilcommins to remind that mine was one of them.
A common theme that emerges from all financial and mismanagement allegations at UL is that the allegation themselves are never investigated, but the only focus of any external or independent enquiry is 'whether the process involved in dealing with the allegations is correctly followed or not' - which is very convenient to the accused, but is pointless in finding any truth.
ABSTRACT
The college motto at the University of Limerick (UL) is supposed to be ‘Wisdom in Actio... more ABSTRACT
The college motto at the University of Limerick (UL) is supposed to be ‘Wisdom in Action’ (‘Eagna chun Gnímh’). While many sculptures adorn the entire UL campus to convey this stern message, perhaps nothing embodies more about the true nature and the perverted passive complicity culture at UL than the Three Wise Monkey figures decorating the entrance area of the Kilmurry Student Village at UL because they seem to epitomise the essential qualities that this university wishes to instil in its students: ‘See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Say No Evil’. It is an odd image to have at a place of higher learning, and these Three Wise Monkeys are very much out of place, given the fact that a university should impart students to investigate rigorously, listen attentively and speak out vociferously about injustice. Perhaps, the Three Wise Monkeys were put there in jest. Nonetheless, these Three Wise Monkeys teach UL students that the greatest crime at UL is not dealing cannabis, stealing money from the Irish State treasury or attacking non-white students on its campus, but it is seeing evil, hearing evil and saying evil by whistleblowing about these. In May of 2017, Prof Desmond Fitzgerald, formerly a VP of research at UCD, replaced Prof Don Barry as the new UL President. Prof Desmond Fitzgerald had promised changes, yet these were never materialised. In fact, this new UL President still surrounds himself with the same conniving cocoon administrative staff that had brought Prof Don Barry’s administration from 2007 to 2017 deep into the abyss and the quagmires of corruption and mismanagement. Given this reality and short of appointing a State Visitor under the Universities Act of 1997, UL will always be noted for its Mafia activities. The failure is not just in Castletroy, but it is also in Dublin: The conniving complicity runs deeply in the Department of Education and Skills and the Higher Education Authority in the capital who would rather remain fully inapt and who would rather maintain the status quo. How is this even possible in a 21st century EU Member State? This article demands answers.
The Higher Education Authority has published the report of Dr Richard Thorn into Certain Matters ... more The Higher Education Authority has published the report of Dr Richard Thorn into Certain Matters and Allegations Relating to the University of Limerick. The report was commissioned by the Higher Education Authority and the Department of Education and Skills in May this year. It makes 36 findings and 10 recommendations to be implemented by the University of Limerick. The HEA has written to the University requesting a full and formal response by Friday November 24 and making it clear that the recommendations must be acted on without delay. The HEA will monitor the implementation of the recommendations. As the report considers a number of matters that are currently sub judice, the published form of the report is redacted where these matters are considered. An unredacted form has been issued to the University on a confidential basis so that it can act fully on its recommendations. An unredacted form has also been issued on a confidential basis to the parties associated with the sub judice matters. On the basis of this report, the HEA will establish a further investigation on severance and rehire arrangements arising from Recommendation 6.2.9. Dr Richard Thorn will commence this investigation shortly and aims to conclude it in a matter of weeks. **Pierce Parker's case is described on Page 43.
This should be the correct text in the 2017 Thorn Report Published by the HEA. This text has been... more This should be the correct text in the 2017 Thorn Report Published by the HEA. This text has been submitted to Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Dr Richard Thorn for amendment.
At UL, hate crime attacks are dealt with by expelling anyone who reports about them. This is the ... more At UL, hate crime attacks are dealt with by expelling anyone who reports about them. This is the retaliatory expulsion letter for whistleblowing about a hate crime attack incident on UL campus against a group of Chinese students, Peng-Xiang Zuo, Ya-Nan Wang, Xin Gao and Yanxin Gong, on 21 October 2011. I am the first and the only Irish Research Council Postgraduate Scholar ever in Irish history to be eliminated from the host university for whistleblowing about hate crimes. The 21 October 2011 hate crime attackers were never caught. Instead, merely reporting hate crimes is 'bullying', subject to arbitrary retaliatory expulsion. Such is the racial jurisprudence at UL. Vide also the 2017 Thorn Report, which completely omits any mention of Prof Paul McCutcheon.
In 2009 and 2010, through a nationwide research study conducted at a national university, over 25... more In 2009 and 2010, through a nationwide research study conducted at a national university, over 250 Latvians residing in the Republic of Ireland were asked about their experience of discrimination in employment. They were asked three specific Likert-scale questions and one open-ended question dealing with discrimination through their first-hand experience; perceptions in general about discrimination against Eastern European and Baltic migrant workers; and about the Irish employers. Then the results were compared against the responses from Lithuanian, Polish, and Slovak respondents. Statistical analyses indicate that the Latvian respondents did not express any more or less compelling cases of discrimination vis-à-vis the other three nationalities groups studied. Chi-square analyses of the three questions on the experience of discrimination were inclusive. This paper, however, offers some possible explanations as to why the stories of discrimination and incidents of negative experience from the Latvian migrant workers in the Republic of Ireland were not present, and it proposes for a further longitutial study in 2015.
Uploads
Videos by Pierce C Parker
Papers by Pierce C Parker
Despite the severity of expulsion, no reasoned findings were provided, raising concerns about institutional conduct and governance. Recent developments, including the HEA review and the establishment of a strategic governance committee by Prof. Kerstin Mey, offer opportunities to address systemic issues within UL.
Parker urges for his case to be included in the review, emphasising the importance of accountability and fostering an inclusive learning environment at UL.
UL President Prof Kerstin Mey and Prof Shane Kilcommins created a 'strategic governance committee' to deal with outstanding issues in May 2023.
This letter was sent to Prof Shane Kilcommins to explain that mine was one of them.
I was expelled from UL in retaliation for reporting hate crime attack incident targeted against a group of Chinese students on its campus.
The former US Secretary of Energy, Dr Steven Chu, once visited the UL campus, but he never bothered to convene a gathering of American students or employees working at UL. These hate crimes incidents occur because there are no hate crime laws in Ireland. People of colour are, therefore, teased, intimidated and publicly attacked for entertainment.
According to the Equality Tribunal Adjudicator Conor Stokes, it is none of Equality Tribunal's business to determine whether reporting these hate crimes constitutes 'bullying' that rose to the level of summary expulsion from UL or not: '5.5. It is not for me to consider whether the investigation, findings or sanction imposed of either the University Advocate or of the Disciplinary Committee were the correct ones, rather the Acts enable me to consider whether investigation, findings or sanction imposed were tainted by discrimination.' (Ref No: DEC-S2013-004).
Thus, this UL expulsion was upheld by the Equality Tribunal since it was none of its business.
Key Words: University of Limerick, Whistleblowers, 2017 Thorn Report, Corruption, Hate Crimes, Organisational Mismanagement, Universities Act 1997.
In the cities around the world, the members of the Mafia would find themselves having absolutely no common affinities with any university officials in their respective regions. The two very disparate groups are like oil and vinegar in that they simply do not mix well with each other. Such is not, however, the case in Limerick where the two are synonymous with each other, or rather, are the homonyms. Against this backdrop, Prof Des Fitzgerald replaced Prof Don Barry as the new president at the University of Limerick (UL) on the 1st of May, 2017. Upon his inauguration, Prof Des Fitzgerald commissioned Dr Richard Thorn to conduct a sweeping investigation on the past financial and HR mismanagement issues under Prof Don Barry’s ancien régime. Subsequently, under the remit from the Higher Education Authority (HEA) and the Department of Education and Skills, Dr Thorn met with a total of 34 individuals in Dublin and Limerick in July and August of 2017.
The Thorn Review required five months to complete, as the meetings began in the mid-May of 2017, and his final report was submitted to the HEA in October of 2017. The Thorn Review had requested records from UL, covering the period from 2006 to 2017, and the Thorn Review deals directly with the events that had taken place during that 12-year period. The Thorn Review into the past management failures at UL makes for a chimaera reading. A directory of mismanagement and mis-governance issues was identified over a period of 12 years that led to a Mafia culture at the core of the UL institution.
This paper examines what has happened since. It now has become clear that during the 12-year period mentioned, UL had turned into personal ATMs for its Governing Authority members. The Limerick Leader has played a vital role in keeping the UL corruption stories on the leading front page headlines, and it was the first newspaper to break the Leona O’Callaghan’s whistleblowing testimonials. If the Limerick Leader had not exposed the true magnitude of these corruption issues, there is a good chance that they would have continued and even grown worse. Much has been promised by Prof Des Fitzgerald at his inauguration, but no tangible action has been taken yet. This paper also revisits the segments reported by Conor Ryan in the RTÉ Investigates programme, ‘Universities Unchallenged’, which was aired in the Republic of Ireland on the 25th of May, 2017. Through the Freedom of Information Act, Conor Ryan was able to discover even more startling and fabulous corruption anomalies that were taking place at UL.
Key Words: Whistleblowers, University of Limerick, Corruption, Mismanagement, Hate Crimes, Racism in Ireland, Drugs in Irish University, Universities Act 1997.
*****
Ref: Unresolved Legacy Issues
Pierce Parker (UL 0673552)
Dear Prof Mey,
I am writing to you today because I want to be reinstated.
I was once a PhD student at UL, but was expelled in retaliation for having reported a hate crime incident against a group of Chinese students. The
attackers were never caught; instead, I was eliminated from UL in retaliation. I am the first and only IRC postgraduate scholarship awardee ever in Irish history to be expelled from UL.
I have already written a letter about this matter to Dr Marie Connolly and asked her to investigate this. Now that you are the tenured UL President, you have the authority to rectify these legacy issues.
I would very much appreciate your kind reply by email. Thank you for your attention and remain
Your sincerely,
Pierce Parker
*******************************
Drafts by Pierce C Parker
This letter was sent to Prof Shane Kilcommins to remind that mine was one of them.
A common theme that emerges from all financial and mismanagement allegations at UL is that the allegation themselves are never investigated, but the only focus of any external or independent enquiry is 'whether the process involved in dealing with the allegations is correctly followed or not' - which is very convenient to the accused, but is pointless in finding any truth.
The college motto at the University of Limerick (UL) is supposed to be ‘Wisdom in Action’ (‘Eagna chun Gnímh’). While many sculptures adorn the entire UL campus to convey this stern message, perhaps nothing embodies more about the true nature and the perverted passive complicity culture at UL than the Three Wise Monkey figures decorating the entrance area of the Kilmurry Student Village at UL because they seem to epitomise the essential qualities that this university wishes to instil in its students: ‘See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Say No Evil’. It is an odd image to have at a place of higher learning, and these Three Wise Monkeys are very much out of place, given the fact that a university should impart students to investigate rigorously, listen attentively and speak out vociferously about injustice. Perhaps, the Three Wise Monkeys were put there in jest. Nonetheless, these Three Wise Monkeys teach UL students that the greatest crime at UL is not dealing cannabis, stealing money from the Irish State treasury or attacking non-white students on its campus, but it is seeing evil, hearing evil and saying evil by whistleblowing about these. In May of 2017, Prof Desmond Fitzgerald, formerly a VP of research at UCD, replaced Prof Don Barry as the new UL President. Prof Desmond Fitzgerald had promised changes, yet these were never materialised. In fact, this new UL President still surrounds himself with the same conniving cocoon administrative staff that had brought Prof Don Barry’s administration from 2007 to 2017 deep into the abyss and the quagmires of corruption and mismanagement. Given this reality and short of appointing a State Visitor under the Universities Act of 1997, UL will always be noted for its Mafia activities. The failure is not just in Castletroy, but it is also in Dublin: The conniving complicity runs deeply in the Department of Education and Skills and the Higher Education Authority in the capital who would rather remain fully inapt and who would rather maintain the status quo. How is this even possible in a 21st century EU Member State? This article demands answers.
Despite the severity of expulsion, no reasoned findings were provided, raising concerns about institutional conduct and governance. Recent developments, including the HEA review and the establishment of a strategic governance committee by Prof. Kerstin Mey, offer opportunities to address systemic issues within UL.
Parker urges for his case to be included in the review, emphasising the importance of accountability and fostering an inclusive learning environment at UL.
UL President Prof Kerstin Mey and Prof Shane Kilcommins created a 'strategic governance committee' to deal with outstanding issues in May 2023.
This letter was sent to Prof Shane Kilcommins to explain that mine was one of them.
I was expelled from UL in retaliation for reporting hate crime attack incident targeted against a group of Chinese students on its campus.
The former US Secretary of Energy, Dr Steven Chu, once visited the UL campus, but he never bothered to convene a gathering of American students or employees working at UL. These hate crimes incidents occur because there are no hate crime laws in Ireland. People of colour are, therefore, teased, intimidated and publicly attacked for entertainment.
According to the Equality Tribunal Adjudicator Conor Stokes, it is none of Equality Tribunal's business to determine whether reporting these hate crimes constitutes 'bullying' that rose to the level of summary expulsion from UL or not: '5.5. It is not for me to consider whether the investigation, findings or sanction imposed of either the University Advocate or of the Disciplinary Committee were the correct ones, rather the Acts enable me to consider whether investigation, findings or sanction imposed were tainted by discrimination.' (Ref No: DEC-S2013-004).
Thus, this UL expulsion was upheld by the Equality Tribunal since it was none of its business.
Key Words: University of Limerick, Whistleblowers, 2017 Thorn Report, Corruption, Hate Crimes, Organisational Mismanagement, Universities Act 1997.
In the cities around the world, the members of the Mafia would find themselves having absolutely no common affinities with any university officials in their respective regions. The two very disparate groups are like oil and vinegar in that they simply do not mix well with each other. Such is not, however, the case in Limerick where the two are synonymous with each other, or rather, are the homonyms. Against this backdrop, Prof Des Fitzgerald replaced Prof Don Barry as the new president at the University of Limerick (UL) on the 1st of May, 2017. Upon his inauguration, Prof Des Fitzgerald commissioned Dr Richard Thorn to conduct a sweeping investigation on the past financial and HR mismanagement issues under Prof Don Barry’s ancien régime. Subsequently, under the remit from the Higher Education Authority (HEA) and the Department of Education and Skills, Dr Thorn met with a total of 34 individuals in Dublin and Limerick in July and August of 2017.
The Thorn Review required five months to complete, as the meetings began in the mid-May of 2017, and his final report was submitted to the HEA in October of 2017. The Thorn Review had requested records from UL, covering the period from 2006 to 2017, and the Thorn Review deals directly with the events that had taken place during that 12-year period. The Thorn Review into the past management failures at UL makes for a chimaera reading. A directory of mismanagement and mis-governance issues was identified over a period of 12 years that led to a Mafia culture at the core of the UL institution.
This paper examines what has happened since. It now has become clear that during the 12-year period mentioned, UL had turned into personal ATMs for its Governing Authority members. The Limerick Leader has played a vital role in keeping the UL corruption stories on the leading front page headlines, and it was the first newspaper to break the Leona O’Callaghan’s whistleblowing testimonials. If the Limerick Leader had not exposed the true magnitude of these corruption issues, there is a good chance that they would have continued and even grown worse. Much has been promised by Prof Des Fitzgerald at his inauguration, but no tangible action has been taken yet. This paper also revisits the segments reported by Conor Ryan in the RTÉ Investigates programme, ‘Universities Unchallenged’, which was aired in the Republic of Ireland on the 25th of May, 2017. Through the Freedom of Information Act, Conor Ryan was able to discover even more startling and fabulous corruption anomalies that were taking place at UL.
Key Words: Whistleblowers, University of Limerick, Corruption, Mismanagement, Hate Crimes, Racism in Ireland, Drugs in Irish University, Universities Act 1997.
*****
Ref: Unresolved Legacy Issues
Pierce Parker (UL 0673552)
Dear Prof Mey,
I am writing to you today because I want to be reinstated.
I was once a PhD student at UL, but was expelled in retaliation for having reported a hate crime incident against a group of Chinese students. The
attackers were never caught; instead, I was eliminated from UL in retaliation. I am the first and only IRC postgraduate scholarship awardee ever in Irish history to be expelled from UL.
I have already written a letter about this matter to Dr Marie Connolly and asked her to investigate this. Now that you are the tenured UL President, you have the authority to rectify these legacy issues.
I would very much appreciate your kind reply by email. Thank you for your attention and remain
Your sincerely,
Pierce Parker
*******************************
This letter was sent to Prof Shane Kilcommins to remind that mine was one of them.
A common theme that emerges from all financial and mismanagement allegations at UL is that the allegation themselves are never investigated, but the only focus of any external or independent enquiry is 'whether the process involved in dealing with the allegations is correctly followed or not' - which is very convenient to the accused, but is pointless in finding any truth.
The college motto at the University of Limerick (UL) is supposed to be ‘Wisdom in Action’ (‘Eagna chun Gnímh’). While many sculptures adorn the entire UL campus to convey this stern message, perhaps nothing embodies more about the true nature and the perverted passive complicity culture at UL than the Three Wise Monkey figures decorating the entrance area of the Kilmurry Student Village at UL because they seem to epitomise the essential qualities that this university wishes to instil in its students: ‘See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Say No Evil’. It is an odd image to have at a place of higher learning, and these Three Wise Monkeys are very much out of place, given the fact that a university should impart students to investigate rigorously, listen attentively and speak out vociferously about injustice. Perhaps, the Three Wise Monkeys were put there in jest. Nonetheless, these Three Wise Monkeys teach UL students that the greatest crime at UL is not dealing cannabis, stealing money from the Irish State treasury or attacking non-white students on its campus, but it is seeing evil, hearing evil and saying evil by whistleblowing about these. In May of 2017, Prof Desmond Fitzgerald, formerly a VP of research at UCD, replaced Prof Don Barry as the new UL President. Prof Desmond Fitzgerald had promised changes, yet these were never materialised. In fact, this new UL President still surrounds himself with the same conniving cocoon administrative staff that had brought Prof Don Barry’s administration from 2007 to 2017 deep into the abyss and the quagmires of corruption and mismanagement. Given this reality and short of appointing a State Visitor under the Universities Act of 1997, UL will always be noted for its Mafia activities. The failure is not just in Castletroy, but it is also in Dublin: The conniving complicity runs deeply in the Department of Education and Skills and the Higher Education Authority in the capital who would rather remain fully inapt and who would rather maintain the status quo. How is this even possible in a 21st century EU Member State? This article demands answers.
DEFHERIS Ref No: 1705576 SR DES MO 00001 2019A
University of Limerick (‘UL’)
Non-Financial Grievance Matter s
This article examines and analyses the chequered history of the University of Limerick (UL), its organisational structure, its Mafia culture, and attempts to address how it had become so corrupted and mismanaged, for it never was a simple product of its ex-President, Prof Don Barry’s incompetence or complicity. It also describes the allegations brought forth by several former UL employee whistleblowers and the failure of the 2017 Thorn Report. The overt complicity of the Department of Education and Skills, the inadequacy of the Higher Education Authority’s oversight and the failure of the Irish legal system permitted this illicit Mafia enterprise to flourish in Castletroy, Co Limerick. These malfeasant activities should compel the Minister of Education and Skills to ask how UL’s Mafia activities have gone unchecked for so long, how they were allowed to thrive for the better part of this decade in this western province of Ireland and duly appoint a State Visitor under the University Act 1997.
Key Words: University of Limerick, Whistleblowers, 2017 Thorn Report, Corruption, Hate Crimes, Organisational Mismanagement, Universities Act 1997.
The process for the purchase of the properties at Rhebogue, Co Limerick, "failed on a number of levels", said Professor Shane Kilcommins. UL has confirmed that it lost €5.2 million after paying inflated prices for 20 houses last year. Prof Kilcommins told the Committee on Public Accounts (PAC) that multiple concerns had been expressed early in the process of purchasing the properties. On 8 March 2022, "six weeks into the project", the Director of Management Planning and Reporting sent a memo flagging concerns over "the public spending code, about ensuring there isn't a premature commitment". "The Director of Building and Estates raised concerns. The university solicitor raised concerns," he added. Outside agencies added their reservations to those voiced by university staff, in the form of two reports, which were received on 23 March 2022. But "the project continued to move forward", the provost said. "To anybody looking objectively at this, this is utter madness," Labour TD Alan Kelly said of the approval process. The "startling evidence" was straight out of "a soap opera or a mini-series" for Netflix, he suggested. Concerns over governance issues at UL date back many years, said Prof Kilcommins, citing several reports, including one by Deloitte in 2015 and a 2017 programme by Prime Time. The latest scandal follows an admission last year that the university had overpaid, by more than €3m, for a former Dunnes Stores site in Limerick city. Prof Kilcommins said that, when UL bought the site on Sarsfield Bridge for €8m, there had been a feeling that there was "no policy or procedure in place". The proposal had come in late and no appraisal or due diligence had been done. In contrast, for the purchase of properties in Rhebogue, Co Limerick, he said that controls had been put in place, along with a property acquisition policy which had executive sponsors charged with vetting purchases. It had been done "in a way that was unusual", with "informal meetings" called at short notice, where only draft minutes - which were never approved - were taken, the provost said. The proposal had been delivered directly to the university's Chief Corporate Officer by the developer on 24 January 2022. The contract was signed on 4 August, just eight months later. "The Chief Corporate Officer's title keeps coming up here," Mr Kelly said. "Why isn't he here?" Prof Kilcommins said that he had picked "the team" which was "appropriate" to attend the session, but he accepted that the Chief Corporate Officer is "the executive sponsor of the project". John Kelly, the university's corporate secretary, noted that when the executive committee had discussed the proposed purchase on 16 March 2022, only five of the 11 members had been present. "The nature of the meeting and the matter of what was up for discussion" were "very unusual", he added. Chancellor Professor Brigid Laffan added that such "informal meetings" are "very exceptional in higher education". "I was six years in senior management at UCD, and nothing would have been progressed in this way." From 2015, when there were successive reports flagging issues, Fianna Fáil TD Cormac Devlin asked why the Higher Education Authority (HEA) did not conclude that "there's a problem in UL". Mr Devlin asked why the HEA did not act in 2015. "I can't talk to what they did in 2015, I can talk to what I did," its CEO, Alan Wall, replied. "At some level, you must have been aware of this transaction," Verona Murphy said of the Rhebogue purchase. She suggested that the HEA "took your eye off the ball". Mr Wall "emphatically" rejected the suggestion that the authority "didn't inquire" into the planned purchase, insisting that there were "a number of engagements where we would have brought it up". But he conceded: "I am defensive about it to some extent. I can see how it looks." Prof Kilcommins apologised in his opening statement. "There is sadness, and anger too, at the damage that the Rhebogue controversy has done to UL's reputation. "As the person leading today’s delegation, I want to say I am deeply sorry for what has happened. "This acquisition should never have been allowed to progress."
In a special report RTÉ Investigates reveals how tens of millions of euro of taxpayers money is wasted every year by Ireland's universities and colleges.
House of the Oireachtas
Prof Don Barry, President of University of Limerick ('UL') and John Field, the UL Director of Finance at the Public Accounts Committee ('PAC') are being questions by TDs about the financial irregularities in the University.
The common theme running through all of the corruption allegations made by the whistleblowers is that their allegations themselves were never investigated, but only whether the proper procedure to deal with the corruption allegations was investigated by external auditors, which is pointless vis-a-vis the validity of the corruption allegations themselves.
These evasive tactics have emerged as the modus operandi by the UL officials to cover up the corruption.
House of the Oireachtas
At the Committee of Public Accounts ('PAC'), the President of University of Limerick ('UL') , Prof Don Barry, and the UL Director of Finance, John Field, answer questions from Mary Lou McDonald (Sinn Fein TD & Leader) regarding failures in the financial controlling in the University and the allegations made by the three whistleblowers, Leona O'Callaghan (Person A), Person B and Person C.
Jennifer Carroll MacNeill TD (Fine Gael - Dún Laoghaire), the Minister of State at the Department of Finance, with responsibility for Financial Services, Credit Unions and Insurance, questions UL President, Prof Kerstin Mey, about the number of outstanding legal cases against UL.
Prof Kerstin Mey refuses to release the KPMG Report, which was received on 12 December 2021, because the individual negatively affected by it has lodged a High Court case. This gave UL a very convenient pretext to withhold the KPMG Report from the PAC members.
This KPMG Report would contain fabulous tales of corruption and mismanagement UL. Otherwise, Prof Mey and the UL Governing Authority will be more than eager to release it publicly.
Deputy Verona Murphy- speech from 18 May 2023
Committee of Public Accounts
An unknown number of students have been awarded UL degrees when in fact they were not qualified, so UL had to rescind the degree awards.
€750,000 was doled out to UL for the purpose of development of the Dunnes site, for which UL had over-paid €5.5m. Deputy Murphy points out the absurdity of this waste.
This video is prepared by VideoParliament YouTube Channel
Source: https://www.oireachtas.ie
This channel is not associated with The Houses of the Oireachtas although
this video is © Houses of the Oireachtas. Any re-use is subject to the terms of the Oireachtas (Broadcast Proceedings) PSI Licence: https://data.oireachtas.ie/ie/oireach...
Deputy Verona Murphy- speech from 18 May 2023
This video is prepared by Video Parliament Ireland YouTube Channel
Source: https://www.oireachtas.ie
This channel is not associated with The Houses of the Oireachtas although
this video is © Houses of the Oireachtas. Any re-use is subject to the terms of the Oireachtas (Broadcast Proceedings) PSI Licence: https://data.oireachtas.ie/ie/oireach...