UCC is the first university in the State to open a cybernet cafe on-campus. The new facility, which opens this week in the students' union's marvellous student centre, will be based in what was formerly the centre's exhibition area.

The cafe, which goes under the name of - groan, wait for it - Surfers' Paradise, has eight PCs, including two designed for disabled access, and offers full free Internet access and email facilities for those with accounts in UCC.

"Basically, we're opening it because of the need for Internet access and email for students," says Martin Clancy, facilities and services manager in the centre. "We'd like to be at the cutting edge - also, a lot of students can't afford their own computers or afford to pay for Internet access. It's all part of the service to students."