Lynn Ruane (Independent) | Oireachtas source

When Senator Higgins spoke she acknowledged the positive elements that Senator Coffey referred to. The problem is not that we are ignoring the positive aspects dealing with respect for diversity of values, beliefs and traditions in Irish society. We must understand the strength of the word "ethos", which refers to the culture that underpins something. If we looked up the meaning we would see that it refers to the characteristic spirit of a culture. It is about the manifestation of attitudes within a community.

The amendment does not refer to promoting an ethos of diversity of values, beliefs and traditions. It does not have the strong underpinning that comes with "ethos" in the other parts of the definition but it does when it comes to entrepreneurship. It puts it on a stronger footing than the other elements of the section. That is what we are arguing about.

Ethos should take in the whole university and all of those elements. It should not be singled out in one part. That is the crux of the problem. We can get caught up in words all we want but we are moving more to the "marketisation" of people and degrees. People can be seen as economic factors within a university but that should not be the case. When we speak of ethos we should speak about the attitudes and characteristics manifesting in a community and what we are trying to do with students. I ask the Minister of State to consider both amendments but especially the amendment from Senator Norris.