NUIG students Vote

NUIG has voted! The college is the only one in the country which has put the question of the next president of USI to its students via popular vote. I was overjoyed that the college decided to back myself and feel that given the students decided who should get NUIG’s votes makes these votes special.

It was a vote for positively and positive campaigning. It was a vote for a better future of USI. It was a vote for their union. Most importantly they decided who was best to lead the organisation. Over 2,000 students now have had some interaction with USI via this election. This is a wonderful achievement and despite a long day, the interaction with the students was, as usual, fruitful!

Asking the question ‘do you know USI?’ may sometimes be wrong standalone question. Rather, I found, it is more important to see whether the students have had any involvement with any of USI organised events or campaigns. The students may not know who organises them but if they have attended or at least heard of them means USI have a starting position. USI is on campus via campaigns and events, so it is important that the organisation creates a better image for itself so that students make the link. We are mandated to seek advice from media specialists to achieve this and, if I become president, this will be amongst the very first tasks I will achieve. It is important that the other students who didn’t vote yesterday are also asked why they didn’t vote. It is only when we start communicating with all sectors of the student population will we get a unified union. Unity is strength after all!

Strength is needed to fight / stop / halt Minister O’Keefe’s proposal to cabinet. As I have noted, this will take place during the first week of April and I fear it will coincide with the ‘mini budget’ that is also to take place around the same time. USI have asked the Minister for a round table (and I’m sure frank) discussion on fees before then. I have already talked about the graduate tax system - which I think is a farce and will not see any revenue for at least a decade after it is brought in. Student loans, another system I’m sure the department are looking at, has not done any favours to the British exchequer. According to yesterdays Telegraph paper the British system of loans has also failed to recoup many millions of pounds from students from students who now are abroad. We are talking in the region of £130 million pounds. Seems like an awful lot. Seems like even more during a recession.

It is this nonsense that USI and all Student Unions need to bring to the media’s attention.
Over the next few weeks the colleges in the West will be flooding the media with opinion pieces, letters and articles about fees. Our MAFs organisation will be running in two weeks time. We are holding mini style lobbys of TD’s in the Western region.

Tempus Fugit