Ninth Level Ireland

“Trinity will next week play host to a higher education debate featuring education spokespeople from Ireland’s political parties, ahead of a general election in February. Organised jointly by the Irish Universities Association (IUA), the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) and the Technological Higher Education Association, the debate will bring politicians from several parties to the Business School for a debate on the future of higher education and research …” (more)

[Sárán Fogarty, University Times, 21 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]

“The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) has called on the government to recognise the autonomy of students’ unions, arguing a national framework is a necessity if students are to hold their colleges to account …” (more)

[Donal MacNamee, University Times, 20 December]

“The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) are encouraging their members to lobby Senators to make amendments to the Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill 2019 that would prevent international students from facing significant rises in the cost of health insurance during their time in Ireland …” (more)

[Finn Purdy, Trinity News, 17 December]

“The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) has today attacked a new Oireachtas report on direct provision, arguing it does not do enough for students seeking asylum when it comes to access to third-level education …” (more)

[Sárán Fogarty, University Times, 13 December]

“Many college students are faced with compulsory placements and no guarantee of payment. A day’s work warrants compensation. In January 2019 pharmacy students took to the streets of Dublin to protest a ban on paid internship placements, required as part of the final two years of their degree. The group were successful with the ban being lifted but payment still remains optional …” (more)

[Niall Hurson, University Observer, 21 November]

“The National Council of the Union of Students Ireland (USI) have voted to support bilingual signage for Colleges in Northern Ireland, among several other motions discussed at a meeting held in Trinity. The union’s National Council have also taken the decision to support free period products and and voted to establish a partnership between the USI and a Crisis Text Line, as well as authorising the union to begin work on gathering data on students’ sexual experiences …” (more)

[Jessica Hobbs Pifer, Trinity News, 16 November]

“The Union of Students of Ireland (USI) tonight voted to support rent strike campaigns set up to protest the cost of student accommodation in Ireland. The motion was passed without objection at USI’s national council, which was held in Trinity this evening …” (more)

[Sárán Fogarty, University Times, 15 November]

“Depending on who you ask, you may well receive a different answer on what it means to give or receive consent. ‘It’s simple’, someone might say, ‘No means No and Yes means Yes’. But in an environment where 32% of Irish students reported they would find it difficult to tell their partner they did not want to have sex and 1 in 4 female students have experienced unwanted sexual contact …” (more)

[Jack Ryan, Trinity News, 8 November]

“SIPTU and the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) have launched a Charter of Rights and Conditions for Postgraduates which calls for a living wage, better access to supports and training as well as other improvements for those who carry out teaching and other work in third level institutions across the country …” (more)

[SIPTU, 30 October]

“The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) and the trade union Siptu have joined forces to campaign for improved terms and conditions for postgraduate students who carry out teaching and other work in third level colleges. Many postgraduates experience precarious working conditions and low pay within their higher education institutions, according to Siptu organiser Dave Curran …” (more)

[Katherine Donnelly, Independent, 29 October]

“An increase in investment of €74 million for higher education has been announced by the Finance Minister Paschal Donohue in today’s budget statement. The additional funding will be provided by a 0.1% increase to the National Training Fund, a levy on employers …” (more)

[Finn Purdy, Trinity News, 8 October]

“SIPTU and the Union of Students of Ireland (USI) have today (Monday, 7th October) announced the renewal of an agreement between the two organisations to facilitate joint campaigns and provide third level students with support in the workplace …” (more)

[USI, 7 October]

“More women than men have been elected to the position of president in students’ unions in the Republic of Ireland, while a slight majority of women have been elected across all sabbatical officer roles within the unions …” (more)

[Finn Purdy, Trinity News, 3 October]

“Student unions across Ireland having been contacting government ministers and TDs today to urge them to take action to alleviate the financial burdens that students face by attending college and to call for greater funding for the higher education sector …” (more)

[Finn Purdy, Trinity News, 3 October]

“Sinn Féin Education spokesperson Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire TD has said that the proposal being considered by Trinity College to reduce the places available for Irish based students by a quarter over the next 5 years is a cause for concern, and reflects the underfunding of the third level sector. Speaking this morning, Teachta Ó Laoghaire said …” (more)

[Sinn Féin, 3 October]

“Activists from Trinity’s new Cut the Rent group will begin early next week to canvass students on withholding rent payments as part of a rent strike. The announcement was made tonight at Cut the Rent’s first meeting, which also saw impassioned speeches from students …” (more)

[Aisling Marren, University Times, 1 October]

“A march organised by the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) to protest the increased costs of attending third-level institutions has been called off due to the adverse weather conditions forecast for the day. Hurricane Lorenzo, a category two hurricane currently situated 3,000 kilometres south west of Ireland, is expected to bring high seas, severe winds and heavy rain from midday on Thursday, when the march is due to take place …” (more)

[Robert Quinn, University Times, 1 October]