Hundreds of students at the University of Limerick walked out of lectures yesterday in protest over what they claim is a five-year delay by the university in implementing changes agreed under an alcohol policy plan.
Under the 2002 Alcohol Policy Action Plan, the students' union at UL agreed to ban all alcohol promotions on campus and not to stage any events that were sponsored by alcohol companies.
In return, the university promised funding of €60,000 a year for clubs and societies to replace lost alcohol-related sponsorship, the opening of a late-night non-alcoholic venue on campus, and Wednesday afternoons free in order to foster participation in extra-curricular activities.
Protesters said the university had not lived up to its end of the bargain, particularly in relation to free Wednesday afternoons. In a statement UL president Don Barry said a timetable that avoided Wednesday afternoons was currently "not feasible".