USI
Congratulations to all those who took part in a peaceful protest.
Check out some of the press below:
Thousands of students hold Dublin protest over fees
Quinn favours increase in €2,000 student fee
Students end Education Dept protest
Student marchers vow fees fight
Ensure Ireland's future is protected - Contact your local TD at www.tellyourtd.com
- Open the document below (Broken Pencil Letter to TD).
- Use the index to find your constituency.
- Print the pages that relate to your constituency.
- Sign the letters.
- Drop them down to your SU office.
- We'll take care of the rest.
The Union of Students in Ireland is your national representative body and theres been plenty going on in USI this year. After a tough year last year USI is doing its best to come back in full force with a number of anti-fees protests throughout the country and lending support to DITs new campus in Grangegorman and our bid for university status.
Website: www.usi.ie
Facebook: https://www.facebook.
Twitter: www.twitter.com/TheUSI
USI Saddened at Actions of Small Minority who attempt to hijack peaceful Demonstration
The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) is saddened by the actions of a small minority of people from various left wing organisiations who staged a sit-in protest at the Department of Finance, during the USI protest march today (November 3rd).Gardai estimated that over 40,000 students participate in the USI march, which was a non-political, peaceful event, aimed at showing student concern at increases to the Registration Fee in the Budget 2011.
There was an unprecedented turn out for the USI protest, which began at Parnell Square and ended at Government buildings in Merrion Square.
The anti-social behaviour of a small number of people, which occurred during a sit-in at the Department of Finance, was completely separate from USI's demonstration and was an attempt to hijack the peaceful events of the students of Ireland.
USI is committed to meeting with the Gardai tomorrow, as we have done throughout the planning process, to review what was a very successful event.
USI President, Gary Redmond, said:
"USI is delighted with the massive turn out for today's protest march. Over 40,000 students travelled from around the country to the demonstration, which was a brilliant success for USI and the students of Ireland.
The organisation is deeply disappointed at the destructive behaviour of a minority of people at the Department of Finance, which occurred seperately from the USI march. We do not condone destructive behaviour and believe that peaceful protest and open discussion and debate is the way forward for the students of Ireland.
USI will continue to campaign tirelessly and peacefully to ensure that Higher Education remains accessible to people from all socio-economic backgrounds in Ireland, not just those who can afford to pay hiked college fees."
For additional information visit www.educationnotemigration.ie.
11 October 2010: USI recently launched its new policy document, which aims to tackle soaring levels of graduate unemployment, by taking 20,000 graduates off the live register.
The policy document, entitled ‘Reigniting the Smart Economy’, proposes three initiatives to tackle the unemployment crisis:
- The establishment of a national internship programme to take 20,000 graduates off the live register by offering places in the public and private sector.
- The implementation of measures to instil an ethos of entrepreneurship in Third Level students.
- The implementation of measures to improve the employability of graduates.
With approximately 91,000 graduates currently unemployed and considering emigration, USI is urging the Government to put into action the initiatives proposed in its new policy document as a matter of urgency.
USI President, Gary Redmond, said:
“Tomorrow’s presentation in front of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Enterprise, Trade and Innovation will hopefully prompt the Government to put in place the measures proposed by USI designed to tackle the graduate unemployment and emigration crisis in Ireland.
Graduates are not looking for an easy way out of the jobs crisis. They realise they will have to work harder for less money than was promised in the good times. They realise that they have a part to play in getting Ireland moving again.
Failure to introduce initiatives in the upcoming Budget to combat this crisis will spurn the further exodus of graduates to the benefit of rival economies. USI is doing its upmost to ensure that graduate unemployment is at the forefront of the Government’s agenda.”
6th October 2010: USI Slams Government after another Academic Year is Marred by Student Grant Delays
The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) has condemned the Government for keeping thousands of students waiting for their maintenance grant over a month after returning to college.
Students started college over five weeks ago, yet only 13 out of the 66 awarding bodies have made any payments to those awaiting their student maintenance grant.
To date, just 10 county councils and three VECs have made grant payments to students, who are eligible for maintenance grant assistance.
USI is again calling on the Government to enact the Student Support Bill as a matter of urgency.
The bill - which includes measures to prevent delays in payments of student grants - would hugely reduce the number of grant awarding authorities. This streamlining of the student maintenance grant system would also minimise the cost of processing student grant applications.
USI President Gary Redmond said:
“It is totally unacceptable that students, who are living on the breadline, are still waiting for grant payments. Due to the recession, many students’ parents are in financial difficulty, and students are unable to get part time or summer jobs this year.
Therefore, those eligible for the maintenance grant are heavily reliant on financial support to assist with the cost of living. However, the grant system is at breaking point, and students are dealing with the consequences of this.
USI is strongly reiterating its call for a centralised grant agency.”
31st August 2010: USI tells Minister Batt O'Keefe to 'get real' about graduate unemployment.
The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) is calling on the lackluster Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation, Batt O’Keeffe, to “get real” about graduate unemployment before it is too late.
Minister O’ Keeffe announced a new initiative this morning - Graduates 4 International Growth (G4IG) - which will create 50 placements for unemployed graduates.
However, at the current rate of graduate emigration, this will negate just two and a half days of graduates emigrating from Ireland, leaving the remaining 100,000 with little hope of Government intervention as they move abroad over the coming five years in search of jobs.
This half-baked response from the Government to graduate emigration and unemployment comes despite calls from USI for Minister O’ Keeffe to create a graduate internship programme.
The cost of this proposed programme would be minimal to both the Government and employers. The Government would already be paying social welfare benefits for these unemployed graduates but would now benefit from the increase in GDP brought about by an influx of new graduates into the labour market.
Employers would benefit from gaining fresh knowledge and greater output from graduate interns without having to bare the financial burden of remuneration. Graduates would also benefit from the experience: they
would maintain their skills and reconnect to the labour market.
This programme would free thousands of Irish graduates from the grip of long term unemployment. It would also ensure graduates would attain places in both the public and private sectors, whilst retaining their social welfare benefits.
Dublin Institute of Technology Students’ Union President, Ciarán Nevin, said:
“The time has come for the Government to get real about combating graduate
unemployment. Creating fifty placements is admirable, but it appears the Minister fails to
realise the extent of the problem facing this country.
The creation of 50 placements solves just .0005% of the graduate unemployment
problem and with almost 100,000 graduates now out of work, the minister cannot afford
to ignore the need for large scale measures such as a national internship programme.”
Gary Redmond
Gary is the USI President for the coming academic year.
Gary has submitted an open letter to all of USIs members
outlining their plans for the coming year.
You can read this letter here.
For more information about USI and its events see http://usi.ie/
USI Constitution
USI Annual Congress 2010
Motions Submitted by DIT Students' Union
Constitutional Amendment - Articles 7.1 and 7.2
Constitutional Amendment - Article 7.2-3
Constitutional Amendment - Schedule C
Cohesive Communications Strategy
Furtherance of Education for Apprentices
Pre and Post Feedback from the HEA and NQAI
Quality Assurance for Non Academic Student Services
System of Accountability
USI Constitutional Review Committee
USI Sabbatical Manifesto's
President
Linda Kelly
Gary Redmond
Deputy President
Jono Clifford
Cónán Ó'Broin
Education Officer
Donnacha O'Suilleabhan
Equality Officer
Emily Keaveney
LGBT Officer
Sinead Dolan
Siobhan Maguire
Welfare Officer
Rebecca Murphy
USI Officer Reports
February 8th - 14th 2010
