“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]
“On Thursday, 3rd October the Union of Students in Ireland are hosting the National Demonstration to Break the Barriers to higher education. Currently, some of the barriers to education include: Ireland has the second-highest fees in the EU [will be the highest after Brexit]; …” (more)
[USI, 30 September]
“The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) may lead a rent strike in the future to protest the costs of Ireland’s student accommodation, according to President Lorna Fitzpatrick. In an interview with Hot Press magazine, when asked her about an article in The University Times calling for student-led rent strikes, Fitzpatrick said that ‘there’s nothing ruled out’ …” (more)
[Emer Moreau, University Times, 25 September]
“Students are being used as pawns in a university’s row with the Government over the effect of insufficient funding on international rankings, the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) has claimed. USI president Lorna Fitzpatrick said third-level education is underfunded and colleges are forced to compete with each other for project-based funding …” (more)
[Marie O’Halloran, Irish Times, 23 September]
“Despite an increasing number of students in higher education, and the rising cost of student accommodation, the number of students eligible for SUSI grants has fallen by six per cent over the past three years. RTÉ this morning reported that SUSI statistics show that 80,000 students availed of the grant last year, down from 85,000 in 2015 …” (more)
[Robert Quinn, University Times, 13 September]
“The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) today called for an exemption to SUSI residency rules for asylum seekers living in direct provision, in an address to the Oireachtas Committee for Education and Skills …” (more)
[Emer Moreau, University Times, 12 September]
“The grant provided by the Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) does not cover even half of the cost of accommodation in Ireland’s major cities, a committee has heard. The SUSI grant, which provides funding to third-level students for fees and maintenance, also fails to reflect the cost of living, particularly for housing …” (more)
[Cate McCurry, Belfast Telegraph, 12 September]
“Enniscorthy TD, James Browne, has said the Government is failing third level students when it comes to mental health support. He made his comment in the wake of a study that revealed a significant number of third level students were reporting mental health issues …” (more)
[Brendan Keane, Wexford People, 7 September]
“The results of a Union of Students in Ireland (USI) survey on mental health this week are at once unsurprising and deeply alarming. Nearly a third of the 3,340 students surveyed had received a formal diagnosis of a mental health condition – a shocking figure by any standards …” (more)
[University Times, 2 September]
“The Union of Students in Ireland is to be praised for its interest in mental health in the group it represents. I am a psychiatrist providing a service to one of the universities in Ireland. I work closely with the university welfare officers, the general practitioners on campus and the counselling and psychological services. There are several other psychiatrists who provide a similar service to universities in Ireland …” (more)
[Patricia Casey, Independent, 31 August]
“Minister Mary Mitchell O’Connor has been accused of ‘offering sympathy’ but ‘only vague solutions’ to what has been described as a mental health crisis among college students. The claim, from Fianna Fáil mental health spokesman James Browne, came after the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) published a report showing 38% of students experience extreme levels of anxiety …” (more)
[Cormac McQuinn, Independent, 28 August]
“On Tuesday, a report published by the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) – and funded by the HSE – claimed that one third of students are experiencing ‘extremely severe levels of anxiety’. The National Report on Student Mental Health in Third Level Education surveyed students on their experiences with mental health and mental health services …” (more)
[Damian Cullen, Irish Times, 27 August]
“A third of students are experiencing ‘extremely severe levels of anxiety’ and have had a formal diagnosis of a mental health difficulty at some point in their lives, according to a report by the Union of Students in Ireland (USI). The National Report on Student Mental Health in Third Level Education surveyed 3,340 students on aspects of their experiences with mental health and mental health services in third level education. It was funded by the Health Service Executive …” (more)
[Colin Gleeson, Irish Times, 27 August]
“Lorna Fitzpatrick, USI president, tells us how students are spending up to 30 hours a week commuting to college because they can’t afford the high cost of accommodation …” (podcast)
[RTÉ – This Week, 25 August]
