“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]
“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]
