“Lorna Fitzpatrick has been re-elected president of the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) for the coming year, having run unopposed for the position. Fitzpatrick, who served as USI’s vice-president for the southern region before being elected president last year, received 193 votes …” (more)
[Emer Moreau and Cormac Watson, University Times, 27 May]
“Students are being warned not to hand over deposits for college accommodation until they know if they need it. There is still no clarity on what the college year will be like, and how often students will need to attend campus …” (more)
[Irish Examiner, 27 May]
“The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) say students’ mental health is being affected by pre-paid rents not being refunded. The USI and local Students’ Unions called on individual colleges at the start of the pandemic to refund students who had moved out of university-operated student accommodation. Most colleges and universities agreed to provide refunds …” (more)
[BreakingNews.ie, 2 May]
“The USI (Union of Students in Ireland) have called for cooperation between universities and students’ unions to ensure no students are negatively impacted by the covid-19 pandemic. Due to the pandemic, many students are working from home. According to the USI, this has left students in difficult situations, with students not being able to access the internet or devices like laptops to do coursework …” (more)
[Tadgh McNally, The College View, 15 April]
“Students in higher and further education are being assured that they will not be penalised if they cannot take part in an alternative assessment that is replacing a traditional exam this year. New guidelines make clear that such students can progress, as expected, and will have opportunities to complete assessments at a later point …” (more)
[Katherine Donnelly, Independent, 7 April]
“The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) has called for ‘urgent clarity’ on the situation for student nurses and midwives on placement in hospitals, arguing they need clarification on whether they’ll have to repay hours they miss as a result of the coronavirus pandemic …” (more)
[Emer Moreau and Jordan Nann, University Times, 24 March]
“The president of the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) has criticised Trinity’s decision to instruct students to leave College accommodation this week, calling the move ‘extremely concerning’ …” (more)
[Donal MacNamee, University Times, 16 March]
“The governing body of the National University of Ireland, Galway (NUIG) has said it will contact the college’s accommodation group requesting that the decision to increase on-campus rent be reversed, NUIG’s student union has said. It is understood Údarás na hOllscoile, NUIG’s governing authority, has agreed to contact Atalia Student Residences requesting they revoke their decision to increase campus accommodation rents by 4% …” (more)
[Sarah Burns, Irish Times, 28 February]
“Students at another university in Ireland have joined the protests demanding the reversal of rent increases in on-campus accommodation. NUI Galway saw students begin their sleep-out on its campus …” (more)
[Irish Examiner, 27 February]
“Students are ramping up their protests against rent increases for on-campus accommodation. There has been a furious reaction to the decision by the majority of universities to hike rents in September, by 3-4%. Under recent legislation, 4% is the maximum allowable …” (more)
[Katherine Donnelly, Independent, 27 February]
“The president of the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) has criticised the University of Limerick (UL) for proposals for on-campus accommodation that includes putting a second bed into rooms that were previously designed for single occupancy. Lorna Fitzpatrick said it is impossible to see how students would live or study in the conditions proposed by UL management …” (more)
[Vivienne Clarke, Irish Times, 25 February]
“University of Limerick have defended their decision to double-up some single rooms of their on-campus accommodation. In a statement the university said that the decision was taken ‘in an attempt to meet unprecedented demand in the shortest possible timeframe amid a national housing crisis’ …” (more)
[Ciarán Sunderland and Vivienne Clarke, Irish Examiner, 25 February]
“Students’ unions promised to protest until student accommodation hikes are reversed by universities. The National Union of Students in Ireland (USI) has confirmed to Independent.ie that campus protests will continue until next week. Students have taken to the streets in response to their respective universities raising campus accommodation rents for the coming academic year, 2020/2021 …” (more)
[Gabija Gataveckaite, Independent, 21 February]
“Elections in Ireland come around every four or five years. They provide an opportunity for voters to pick the parties and individuals who will best represent the interests of the country and its people. It is a time for our politicians to set out their stall on why they should be entrusted with government …” (more)
[Jim Miley, Lorna Fitzpatrick and Joseph Ryan, University Times, 31 January]
“Students and third level colleges have united to call on political parties to commit to invest more in higher education to prevent Ireland ‘losing ground’ against international competitors. In a joint statement, the Union of Students in Ireland, the Irish Universities Association and the Technological Higher Education Association said State funding per student at third level is now 40% less than it was a decade ago …” (more)
[Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 23 January]
“‘Crisis, what crisis?’ Three words that helped bring down Jim Callaghan’s Labour government in the 1979 UK general election. The prime minister never actually uttered these words. A Sun subeditor fashioned the headline but it captured the popular impression of an administration unaware of a serious state of affairs which had caught up with it …” (more)
[Lorna Fitzpatrick, Joseph Ryan and Jim Miley, Irish Times, 23 January]
“Higher education colleges and students have come together to push for a pre-election commitment for politicians for an increased €100m a year for the third-level sector. State funding per student to third level institutions is now 40% less than it was a decade ago because of austerity-era cuts that have not been reversed …” (more)
[Katherine Donnelly, Independent, 23 January]
“Close to 2,000 students have registered to vote in the general election across colleges and third-level institutions in recent days, the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) has said. University College Cork (UCC) saw the most students sign up to be included on the supplementary electoral register in the last week …” (more)
[Jack Power, Irish Times, 21 January]
“The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) has called on Ireland’s next government to remove the student contribution charge – at €3,000, the second-highest college fee in the EU – and advocated for free public transport for students, in its general election manifesto released this evening …” (more)
[Donal MacNamee and Cormac Watson, University Times, 15 January]
“The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) has called for clarity around voter registration ahead of the upcoming general election, arguing the government must ensure students who have registered in the last year are automatically able to vote on February 8th …” (more)
[Donal MacNamee, University Times, 14 January]
